Home hot tubs can be enjoyed year round, and each season allows us to enjoy them for different reasons. In summer, it’s nice to make the most of the warm weather and sunshine by relaxing in our hot tubs. The temperature of your hot tub can also be turned down on hot days for a more refreshing feel. There’s nothing more relaxing than feeling the hot sun shine on your face as you enjoy a dip in a cool spa. To keep your hot tub in tip top condition during the summer months you’ll need to follow a basic care routine. The routine needn’t be complicated or time consuming, just a few simple steps will ensure your hot tub stays clear, clean and sanitary during summer. In fact, to save you the trouble we’ve put together a full summer care routine just for you!
Drain and clean
Every few months your spa should be drained and cleaned. The changing of seasons makes for a good marker of when it’s time to drain it. The transition from spring into summer is the ideal time to drain and clean down your spa in preparation for months of summer fun.
Balance Sanitizer and Chemical Levels
Once you have drained, cleaned and refilled your hot tub. Use your chosen sanitizer to treat the water and check the Alkalinity, PH and hardness levels of your water. You can balance these chemical levels using various solutions such as ph plus or minus solution or calcium hardness increaser or water descaler.
Daily
Test
During summer, when you are using your hot tub frequently or even daily, it is more vital than ever to keep your water clean and balanced. It only takes a few minutes to test your hot tubs water, and can save you on extra cleaning and even costly repairs in the future. Dip a strip into your tub once a day and balance chemicals accordingly. Run the jets for a few minutes after adding any solutions and always follow the manufactures instructions when adding any solutions to your hot tub water.
Skim
Insects are rampant this time of year, so ensure your filter stays cleaner for longer by skimming your tub each time you test it. This will help to remove any critters that have found their way into your hot tub, and prevent them from getting sucked into the filter or settling at the bottom of your spa.
Check the Temperature
It’s a good idea to check your spas temperature each day. That way you will be able to quickly identify if there are any technical issues and ensure it is always a comfortable temperature for bathing.
As we all know, British summers can be pretty unpredictable, however if a hot weather is forecast, it’s wise to turn down your hot tubs temperature in advance. This will allow enough time for the hot tub to cool down so that it is nice and refreshing for those hotter days!
Weekly
Shock
Shocking your hot tub is essentially adding a high dose of sanitiser/oxidiser. Shocking helps your sanitiser to work its best and destroys impurities that can wreak havoc with your waters balance. If you are using your hot tub frequently throughout summer, make sure to shcok it once a week to keep it clean.
Fortnightly
Clean filter
Your hot tubs filter can’t do its job if it isn’t properly maintained. Regular cleaning is essential to keep your filter in good condition. However, cleaning the filter needn’t be a chore. Simply spray the filter down with clean water every two weeks. Many experienced hot tub owners keep a clean filter on hand so the clean filter can replace the dirty one while it’s being cleaned. For a deeper clean, you can soak your hot tub filter in cleaning solution and leave it to soak overnight. Filter cleaners help to loosen and dissolve more stubborn dirt which is rinsed away with clean water.
Extra Care Tips
Keep it covered
It is important to keep your hot tub covered throughout the year, even during the hot days of summer. The green, slimy stuff otherwise known as algae actually thrives on sunlight which means if you don’t keep your hot tub covered, you’re essentially inviting it to grow in your spa. Always secure a cover and lid onto your hot tub whenever it is not in use. If you want to keep it covered when you’re using it too, use a spa parasol or gazebo to keep the water and yourself out of direct sunlight.
Shower before use!
It’s important to keep your skin protected during summer, which means lathering ourselves up in sunscreen, but this sunscreen can cause a greasy build up in out hot tubs. It’s best for your hot tub to avoid wearing sunscreen altogether when using it, however this would be very dangerous for your skin and certainly not something we recommend. Instead, shower before you apply more sunscreen to reduce the amount of oils that end up in your spa, showering will wash away sunscreen build up if you have been reapplying it throughout the day as well as any other cosmetics that may be on your skin and hair. After showering, apply a waterproof sunscreen that will not wash off easily in the water or better yet, stick to using your hot tub after sunset! You can also use a sun shade and UV protective swimwear for even more protection.
Use a clarifier and antifoam
Sunscreen in your hot tub is inevitable during summer, however a hot tub clarifier can help to bind small oil particles together so that they can be carried towards the filter, helping to keep your water clear and clean. If you are experiencing excessive foam build up when running the hot tub jets, this is likely to be a build up of oils and cosmetics including sunscreen. Use an antifoam solution regularly to reduce build up and rid foam.
How to Increase Alkalinity in a Hot Tub
To increase the alkalinity in a hot tub use a PH increaser which can be purchased from most hot tub retailers. Simply add the increaser solution to your hot tubs water in accordance with the package instructions. Typically, only a small amount of increaser is needed to increase the overall alkalinity of your spa, however some hot tubs may require more or less depending on hot tub usage.
PH increasers are relatively cheap as the main ingredient is usually sodium bicarbonate (baking powder), however Some PH increasers use sodium carbonate (soda ash). Both substances have many uses in cleaning, food and cosmetics. Some hot tub owners use bicarbonate of soda instead of PH increaser however we recommend avoiding this as typically only raises the alkalinity and does little to increase the overall PH. In addition, it can also take a lot more baking soda than it would PH increaser to balance your hot tubs alkalinity. It's always best to avoid home remedies when it comes to caring for your hot tub and look for purpose-made products instead. While some home remedies are harmless, there is always a risk you will do more harm than good to your hot tub, which could also affect your spas warranty later down the line. Furthermore, many home remedies are more or less totally ineffective in comparison, causing hot tub owners to waste time and money on these homemade solutions.
Before you adjust the alkalinity of your hot tub with a PH increaser, you will first need to check the waters current chemical levels with a hot tub test strip. Hot tub test strips can be purchased from most hot tub retailers and are an essential in every hot tub owners care kit. The test strip will determine the hot tubs total alkalinity and PH. Both PH and total alkalinity play an important role in keeping your water clean and safe for bathing. Often, alkalinity and ph are confused with one another as they are closely related in the world of water chemistry. You can find out more about the difference between PH and Alkalinity from the video below.
