Ensuring the continued enjoyment of your hot tub investment means taking care of it. Just like changing your car’s oil and filter, scheduling routine spa maintenance should be quick, pain free and reduce or eliminate the need to deal with common hot tub problems, repairs, and service calls. We’ll provide some simple maintenance guidelines to help you keep your hot tub in top shape for years to come.

Daily

Take a peek. Seriously! Look out a window or poke your head out the door to perform a cursory visual inspection of your spa. Is the cover on completely and correctly, or has it been bumped or shifted? Can you spot any fallen debris or potential damage? Making sure the cover is on correctly helps maintain minimum temps and the chemical balance of the water, and keeps excessive leaves and debris out of your filters.

Every Other Day

Clean out any debris you might find in the water or stuck to the inside of the tub.

Check the water temperature. Make sure it maintains at least the owner’s manual recommended minimum temperature. Even when your spa isn’t being used, a significant change could warn of a malfunction.

Check the pH. Add any chemicals needed to ensure it’s balanced according to your hot tub owner’s manual procedures.

Check and adjust the levels of any sanitizers that keep everything clean from algae, bacteria and other unwanted impurities. Don’t overdo it though, because too much sanitizer in your spa water might cause skin and eye irritation. We recommend using EverFresh Water Care System with Hot Spring MPS Chlorine-Free Oxidizer, Sodium Dichlor (chlorine), or granular bromine. Do not use tri-chlor chlorine, any type of compressed bromine or chlorine, acid or any type of sanitizer which is not recommended above.

Weekly

Clean the filters and check their condition for replacement. This one is so quick and easy you could just add this every other time you do the EOD routine. That would make this the EOOD routine, right?

Spray filter cartridges with a garden hose, rotating while spraying to remove debris from between filter pleats.

Clean the cabinet! Just broom off any dirt or debris and wipe it down with a damp rag.

Monthly

Completely clean then condition the spa cover. Your cover is important! Think of the cover as your hot tub’s armor, protecting it from UV damage, water evaporation, and damaging debris.

Remove the cover and spray it down gently with a garden hose to saturate and loosen dirt and debris. Make a mild soap solution using 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent for every 2 gallons of water. In a circular motion, use the solution with a large sponge to scrub the vinyl top and sides, then rinse with the garden hose. Rinse the bottom of the cover without using soap, then wipe it clean and dry with another dry rag or towel. Now you should condition the cover thoroughly. We recommend using Hot Spring Cover Shield™.

Use filter cleaners (according to their instructions) to keep filters in good condition and prolong their life. We recommend either FreshWater® Instant Filter Cleaner or FreshWater® Filter Cleaner. Although doing this will keep things operating smoothly, you should replace your filters every three years.

3 Months

Follow your owner’s manual instructions to drain the water in your spa. Doing this will help clean out detergent and soap residue that may have accumulated over time. After draining, thoroughly clean the spa’s interior, including the jets. Use a mild non-abrasive, non-sudsing cleaner with a microfiber cloth or a non-scratch nylon scrubber to remove any grime build-up. Sparingly use household baking soda to clean small surface areas that need some additional scrubbing assistance. Shine your tub shell by applying FreshWater Spa Shine.

After cleaning, you can refill the spa. We recommend attaching a CleanScreen™ Pre-Filter directly to your garden hose to remove organic contaminants, like tannins and metals like copper and iron, from the fresh water.

If you’re consistent and diligent with a maintenance routine, the daily average time spent maintaining your hot tub shouldn’t amount to more than 5 to 10 minutes a day! Taking care of your investment will provide years of trouble free enjoyment, relaxation and memories with family and friends.