Surprisingly easy ways to make your hot tub happy all year!

Each hot tub is different, but every hot tub benefits from simple and consistent maintenance.
Let’s take a look at the best way to set up a schedule that’ll keep your hot tub working it’s best!

Plan Your Hot Tub Maintenance

Before you do anything else, decide how you want to keep track of your tasks.
Here’s a breakdown of the most common ways to stay on top;

Using an App

The high-tech route lets you keep everything on your phone, tablet, or computer, and will helpfully ping you when it’s time to attend to each task. Reminders can be set to repeat at the intervals you select. For example, you can set your application of choice to send you one daily reminder for basic, everyday tasks.

Using a Calendar

If you go the paper route, get calendar you can keep by the door leading to your hot tub area or, if your hot tub is indoors, by the hot tub itself. Choose a calendar with large daily squares with plenty of room for notes so you can see details at a glance.

Use a Dry Erase Board

You can hang a dry erase board near your hot tub to list daily tasks or add a reminder to deal with any unusual problems that might crop up. And unlike paper, it won’t be ruined if it gets splashed or takes an accidental dunk.

Build Your Hot Tub Maintenance Calendar

Once you’ve decided how you want to keep track of your tasks, the next step is assembling a list of tasks and deciding when they need to be done. This stage is also perfect for identifying tasks that have some overlap, so you can schedule yearly hot tub maintenance tasks on the same day and time of weekly or quarterly ones to save yourself time and effort.

Here’s a Sample Hot Tub Maintenance Schedule

Like your car, your computer, or, well, you, your hot tub needs regular maintenance to be at its best. Your spa will have its own special needs with regard to water chemistry, accessories, and repairs. But these tasks, broken out by daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly intervals, are universal.

Daily Hot Tub Maintenance

1. Ensure the spa cover is clean and secure. A properly secured cover keeps heat, water, and chemicals in, while keeping debris, pets, and kids out.
2. Check for damage to the cover and spa. This is especially important for outdoor spas, which are exposed to animals and the elements.
3. Check the water temperature and adjust as necessary. Take careful note of any drastic temperature changes, as they could indicate a serious system issue.

Thrice-Weekly Hot Tub Maintenance

Adding these tasks to your list three times a week will help keep your hot tub in tip-top condition.

Check the water’s alkalinity.

1. Check and balance the pH of your hot tub. Your spa water’s alkalinity and pH levels are two of the most important parts of hot tub water chemistry.
2. Check your sanitizer levels. Sanitizer keeps your spa water clean and free from bacteria that might otherwise sicken your friends and family.
3. Clean above the water line. Wipe away debris that might contaminate the water and throw off the chemical balance.

Weekly Hot Tub Maintenance

These tasks need your TLC only once a week.

1. Test your hot tub water. Every single week, check your alkalinity, pH, and sanitizer levels, and if you adjust them, test again after the period recommended by the manufacturer.
   NOTE: this step counts as one of your thrice-weekly checks. Yay for efficiency!
2. Sanitize and shock your hot tub. Shock recharges your sanitizer and keeps your hot tub healthy.
3. Rinse your hot tub filter with water. A clean filter is worth its weight in gold and protects against cloudy water, funky smells, bacteria, and the much-dreaded algae bloom.

Wipe down your spa cover. Cleaning the cover inside and out protects against mold, mildew, and the nasty smells they bring.

Monthly Hot Tub Maintenance

Once a month, it’s time get down to the nitty gritty. Specifically, the “gritty” that’s accumulated in your jets and filters. You can also take water testing to the next level.

1. Give your filter a chemical rinse. This cleans deeper and clears out more crud and ick than water alone can. Just replace one weekly water rinse with a chemical rinse.
2. Give your hot tub jets a once-over. Are they clogged or frozen? Uh oh. It’s time to troubleshoot your hot tub jets.

Quarterly Hot Tub Maintenance

Once every three or four months, your hot tub will need some in-depth attention. Now’s the time to empty it out, give it a good clean, and make sure everything’s in good working order.

Clean your hot tub cabinet. Your hot tub will look great with a quarterly clean, and you can touch up any cosmetic or structural damage while you’re at it.

1. Give your filter a chemical soak. This is the super version of the chemical rinse and gives you a chance to give your filter the deep-clean it needs to keep your hot tub free of contaminants.
2. Drain and clean your hot tub, and repair as necessary. A quarterly clean and repair gives you a clean slate and frees your whole hot tub from chemical buildup and other gunk and goop that can cause performance issues.

Yearly Maintenance

Many of the tasks we recommend could, in theory, be done annually without significant impact on your hot tubbing experience. But for optimal performance and happy hot tubbing, we’ve recommended them as monthly or quarterly tasks instead.

Remember, while your hot tub is empty and drained, you can attend to weekly or quarterly tasks such as cleaning, repair, and system flushing.

That said, we recommend you tackle these tasks at least once a year, and preferably more often:

1. Flush your lines to remove bacteria and biofilm. It’s actually a good idea to use line flush any time you plan to drain and refill your hot tub.
2. Inspect your hot tub’s hardware and wiring. Be on the lookout for damage due to wear and tear, pests, and chemical imbalance.
3. Have a professional perform a tune-up. They’ll evaluate all your hardware and wiring for potential issues, inside and out.
4. Inspect your cover. Keep an eye out for physical damage, moisture absorption, and mildew or mold infestations.
5. Replace or update your hot tub maintenance calendar. As the years go by, you’ll learn what works best for you and your hot tub. The new year is the perfect time for adjustments to next year’s maintenance schedule.

Preventive hot tub maintenance is a real bargain compared to the potential expense associated with repairs and equipment replacement. With a little forethought and regular, consistent maintenance, you’ll find that keeping your hot tub in tip-top shape is easy and convenient, leaving you more time for what matters most: enjoying your hot tub.

If you have any questions about hot tub care, or need help solving a specific hot tub issue contact us via the form below and we’ll be happy to help!