Top Ten Hot Tub Tips

Hi, my name is Jon Pennington owner of 'Hot Tub DIY' and 'Hot Tub Help Ltd' and i have worked in the industry for many years and repaired thousands of hot tubs and spas, whilst i repaired and serviced hot tubs at peoples houses i found myself explaining the same things to each customer with the angle of saving them money and preventing further breakdowns and repairs.

Here is my list of Top 10 Do's and Don’ts

1/ Always fill the hot tub through the filter housing

This will remove any airlocks from around circulation pumps and heaters; it should reduce the possibility of heater burn out.

2/ Never use swimming pool chemicals

Swimming pool chemicals are corrosive to rubber seals inside hot tubs and can make for very expensive repairs. The main difference between the 2 is Cyanuric Acid is added to swimming pool chemicals to breakdown the algae that's produced by the sun.

3/ System flush once a year

If you look after your chemicals properly then you will only need to system flush once a year, the main reason for doing this less is the cleaning fluids are difficult to get out the hot tub pipework, however if you system flush more regularly you will reduce the biofilm which harbours nasty things and give you a more stable water environment for stable chemicals.

4/ Check inside your hot tub cabinet at least twice every year

Service calls are expensive, take the sides of the hot tub yourself and look for leaks around pump shaft seals and heater unions, dried chemical looks like white powder when its dried and is usually a sign of a leak.

5/ Always switch the spa off  to change the filter and do work

Be careful when putting filters back into skimmer baskets, I have been caught out several times putting the basket back into the skimmer and getting a finger or 2 caught, or worse if the pump is still running and you have long hair it can get caught on the shaft of a rotating pump.

6/ The answer to the question how much does my hot tub cost me per week?

Buy a 'Wireless Electricity Meter' (cost around £30) these great little devices are really easy to use and fit on the live cable going to the hot tub, count the amount of units the hot tub uses and multiply it by your electric unit cost. Then you have the exact cost.

7/ Use Scale Inhibitor a pre filter if you have scale issues.

Using a pre filter will reduce the amount of minerals that create scale, preventative is better than a cure. Pre filters fit onto the end of your hose pipes.

8/ Use Non chlorine shock

Non Chlorine shock is great after or before a heavy bathing session, it differs from clarify (which makes you more work by congealing particles and blocking your filter), Non chlorine shock breaks down heavy sweat, grime and after any little accidents and party’s

9/ Vinyl Cleaner

Use a quality vinyl cleaner like 303 protectant on the vinyl cover of your hot tub, covers can cost up to £450 to replace so a little cleaner at £19 can save you allot of money. Vinyl cleaner makes the cover waterproof, contains sunblock and moisturisers the vinyl. New covers do not have any protection on them.

10/ Always use an Ozone unit,

These can save you a lot of money by reducing the amount of sanitiser required in your hot tub or spa. (Note Ozone units only tend to last 2 years and need either the bulb or chip replacing).

Hot Tub DIY is part of Hot Tub Help Ltd based in Cornwall

For more information or help repairing your hot tub then please either read the following hot tub guides or contact us for more information.