Maintaining Your Hot Tub

If you own a hot tub, you know the great benefits it can afford anyone who happens to use it, you know what it cost, and now you need to know how to properly care for it. One study by the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, found that an overwhelming 77% of hot tub and spa owners believe that cleaning and maintaining of their unit was easy.

With just a few steps, your hot tub can last for years, and any effort to keep it around for a few more years is worth any time that is needed to assure the longevity of your hot tub.

If you have a hot tub from a few years back, or one that is new but made of wood, the most important thing you can do to stretch its life longer is to spend time, once a year, refinishing the wood surfaces. If you live in a climate with varying temperatures and weather patterns, you probably already know how much damage can be done to wood, when it is left unprotected. The skirt which covers the outside of your hot tub is no different and a quick trip for some supplies to your home improvements store will be well worth the effort when you tub lasts for years, and still looks good, too.

One part that is common in every hot tub is the filter and that should be cleaned with a hose every three to four months. It will normally just need the water from the hose, but if you find that it's not coming very clean, there are filter cleaning solutions that you can use that will take care of that for you.

Another feature on a hot tub that needs your attention is the safety cover. An inspection each month of the cover will ensure that you are aware of any wear and tear that may need to be addressed, which is a big safety issue, especially if there are children around. The other maintenance required of the safety cover is to be sure to wash it down, at least, once a month. Again, the longer your hot tub lasts, the more you'll get out of it and by these few ideas of cleaning and maintenance, you can be sure that it will be around for a long time.

As far as draining and refilling the hot tub itself, the best advice is to be sure to read any directions that come with the unit and/or talk to the dealer where you purchased the product, they will always provide important information that should be read over or followed, pertaining to the re-filling of the hot tub. Depending on the size of the hot tub and how diligent you are about keeping the chemicals balanced will also play into the time frame of when to drain and refill the tub.

It's imperative to remember to perform a quick water test before each use of the hot tub, and to have on hand the supplies you may need to balance and most manufacturers recommend using some kind of sanitizing or chlorine tablets once a week. That will keep everyone safe who is enjoying the hot tub and is one more small way you can stretch out the lifetime of this great resource!