Regular hot tub maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your water fresh and clean, but at a certain point, simply adding chemicals and rinsing your filters will not be enough. When this happens, you may need to opt for more elaborate measures to keep your spa looking its best. This is where cleaning your hot tub comes in.
Cleaning your hot tub ensures your water stays both safe and sparkling. While it may sound daunting, you can accomplish this essential task with the help of a few key tips and products.
The Importance of Cleaning Your Hot Tub
Eventually, your sanitizers and filtration systems will be unable to properly clean your water. This can happen as contaminants build up over time, no matter how well you stay on top of maintaining your water. You might notice your water becoming hazy, the tub feeling grimy, and the filtration system working less efficiently.
If you want to avoid these issues and keep a squeaky clean spa, then you’ll need to drain your spa’s water to give it a thorough scrubbing about once every three to four months, depending on how much you use it.
You can also measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in your water to determine when it’s time to drain and clean. If the TDS is over 2000 ppm, your hot tub needs to be drained.
Draining and Cleaning Your Hot Tub
If you’ve determined that it’s time to clean your tub, then you may be wondering where to start. To properly drain and clean your tub, make sure that you follow these crucial tips:
Flush the Lines
Before you drain all the water out of your tub, you’ll want to flush out the plumbing using a cleaner specially designed for this purpose. Ensure you follow the instructions provided on the cleaner. Generally, you’ll just need to add the cleaner to the water and run the jets for a certain amount of time to allow the cleaner to circulate through.
Drain the Water
With the lines fully flushed, it’s time to drain the water from your tub. First, you will want to turn off all electrical power to the hot tub. Then, you can either connect a length of hose to the drain spout on your spa, or you can place a submersible pump directly into the water to pump it out.
Make sure that wherever the water is being directed is not going to cause any flooding or other issues on your property. You will also want to verify that this water will not be coming into contact with any electrical components.
Clean or Replace the Filter
Draining your hot tub’s water will take a little while, but you can keep yourself busy by using this time to either clean your filter or replace it entirely. Filters usually need to be replaced once a year, so unless you’ve not replaced your filter in a while, then you will want to try cleaning it.
You can clean your filter by removing it, rinsing it off with a hose, and soaking it in a special spa filter cleaner solution for a few hours. While the filter soaks, wipe down the filter compartment. Once the soak is complete, rinse the filter thoroughly and place it back into the compartment.
Clean the Shell
After all the water has been drained from the tub, you can then take a spa shell cleaner and use it to scrub down the inside of your hot tub. Use a soft sponge to ensure that you don’t damage the shell during this process. Once you’ve finished scrubbing, you can rinse the shell down with water and drain any remaining water out.
Refill the Tub
Refill your hot tub with water by placing a filter at the end of the garden hose you are using and place it into the filter compartment. The use of a filter, such as a Hayward Bobby or Metal Trap, will pre-filter the water. While you wait for the tub to fill, you can wipe down the hot tub cover and cabinet. Once the tub is filled, you can turn it on, set your heat temperature, and allow the water to circulate for a while before adding the necessary chemicals.
Hot Tub Maintenance From Royal Pools & Spas
Want more tips on caring for your hot tub? Royal Pools & Spas is your one-stop pool and spa professional in New York since 1959, offering exceptional service and top-tier brands like Sundance®️ Spas. Contact us today!
