How to Maintain an Outdoor Hot Tub

If you have a hot tub outdoors, you need to know how to maintain it correctly so that it is safe to use and will have the heated water you need in any climate. Maintaining a hot tub that is outdoors is a little different from maintaining an indoor hot tub. You want to be able to use the hot tub whenever the mood suits you, and that means it has to be kept clean, warm and the water condition must be safe.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pool water testing kit Hot tub chemicals Insulated cover Trap door by the temperature control underneath the unit if not installed on top Spare hot tub filter

Maintaining the Tub

1. Keep the heater on warm at all times. When you are ready to use the hot tub, you need to access the temperature control to raise the temperature of the water. This usually takes only about 20 minutes in warm weather or 40 minutes in cold weather. When you are done, you can lower the temperature back to warm.

2. Keep an insulator cover on the hot tub at all times when not in use. The cover helps keep the water temperature warm and will keep debris out. Make sure the cover fits the entire tub area and seals the sides of the inner tub.

3. Test the water daily to check the chlorine level. Use the pool test kit for this procedure. The level of chlorine should be between 3 and 5 mg on the test kit tabulator container. If you must ad chlorine, follow the directions on the chlorine bottle.

4. Test the pH level daily. The ideal pH is between 7.2 and 7.6 on the test kit chart. You will need to add pH minus or plus to get the ideal reading. This reading can be done when you check the chlorine reading.

5. Look at the water in the hot tub to see if it is foaming. If it is, you will need to add the anti foaming agent that comes with the hot tub chemical kit. Follow the direction on the bottle to make and apply the anti foaming agent.

6. Use the shock agent weekly to shock the hot tub. Yu should have a non-shocking agent in the chemical kit for this procedure. Note: This should be done weekly when usage is heavy and bi-weekly with light usage.

7. Clean the filter on the hot tub with filter cleaner and use the spare filter to replace the filter you are cleaning. This way you always have a clean filter to use right away.

8. Use a hot tub cleaner to remove scaling if you have hard water. This is usually done monthly. You should also clean the pool cover every two months with a chlorine solution to remove any mildew or dirt that has appeared. Replace hot tub filters every year so you have adequate filtering.

References

• Caring for a Hot Tub