Changing Your Hot Tub Water in 4 Simple Steps

November 2011

by Kelly Hagler

There are endless benefits to owning a hot tub, but few of them can be realized if you have concerns about the water. To keep your spa crystal clear and inviting—and to ensure your fun and relaxation continue for years to come—it’s important to change your spa water frequently.

For first-time hot tub owners, this process can seem a little daunting. Developing a regular maintenance routine, including checking your water balance and ensuring a proper drain and re-fill cycle, will keep your spa running at peak performance when it’s most enjoyable—during the cold weather months.

Here are four things to remember when changing your hot tub water:

1. Change your water frequently.

How often you need to change your water depends on how many people use the hot tub each week. “Changing your water every 60 to 90 days is the norm, depending on bather load,” says Tony Borden, who works in sales at Paducah Pools and Spas in Paducah, Ky. “But if you have eight people using [the hot tub] five times a week, you might have to change it in 30 or 40 days.”

Here’s a simple formula: Divide the volume of your spa by three, and divide that number by the average number of people who use the spa each day. The result is the number of days between drain and re-fill.

Why it’s important

In a spa, there is a small volume of water relative to bather load. If you combine a soaker’s perspiration, oils and cosmetics with the evaporation rate, contaminants build quickly. This contributes to a balance factor called Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). As TDS levels rise, the water becomes hazy and may have a disagreeable odor, and disinfection is slowed. TDS can only be reduced by dilution.

2. Always turn off the power before draining.

“For outside-drain hot tubs, which are the most common variety, it’s important to turn off the main power breaker before draining,” Borden says. After that, just follow these simple steps:

Turn off power to the hot tub.
Open the outside drain, and let the water drain out.
Use a surface cleaner and terry cloth towel to wipe down the tub’s interior.
Refill the hot tub to the normal water level.
Turn the power back on.

Why it’s important

“If someone forgets to turn the power off before draining a hot tub, the thermostat says it’s too cold,” Borden says. “The heater will dry fire, meaning it will short out and cause other damage.”

3. For easier maintenance, consider draining devices.

With a basic hot tub drainage system, it can take up to an hour to empty your tub, Borden says. But there are products on the market that will cut your maintenance time dramatically.

For example, submersible pumps move 1,500 gallons of water an hour. That means if you have a basic 300-gallon hot tub, drainage will take only a few minutes. There are also commercially available siphoning tools that require no electrical hook-up. These average about 600 gallons of water an hour and vacuum as they drain.

Why it’s important

Your spa should be a source of enjoyment for you and your family and friends. Draining and re-filling a spa, especially in colder climates, can be unpleasant. A submersible gets the job done quickly and with little hassle.

4. Use a test kit.

Using test strips is an easy way to keep your spa water balanced. To determine which products your spa needs, simply dip the test strip into the water, remove it, allow 15 seconds for the pads to react and compare the colors on the strip to the colors featured on the product’s container. If you really want to be certain your water is balanced, it’s always best to take a sample to an authorized ClearCare™ dealer for testing.

Why it’s important

Unbalanced chemical levels can result in a number of hot tub problems, including cloudy water, skin and eye irritation, and poor sanitizer efficiency.

Find a Dealer

Subscribe to Monthly E-news

November 2011