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Spring has sprung and freezing temperatures are giving way to spring-like conditions.
It’s time to get the hot tub ready for beautiful days and crisp, cool evenings.
Hot Tub Spring Cleaning
- Clean the spa filter
Now that the hose won’t be frozen during the day, turn on the water and clean the spa filter cartridge. If it is over a year old, save yourself the trouble and buy a new replacement filter cartridge.
Getting a new cartridge is easy at Spa Filters Canada. Look for the filter part number stamped on the filter end cap and enter it into the search box. We find you the best prices in Canada on replacement filters. Buy 2 replacement cartridge filters in Canada and have an extra one to rotate in while the other one is being cleaned because most hot tub manufacturers warn of never running the spa without a filter.
If the existing filter cartridge is less than a year old, then proceed with cleaning it. If the pores are not looking too great, treat your cartridge filter to an overnight filter bath. That involves buying the overnight filter soak and putting it in a bucket of water per dosage on the bottle. Soaking the cartridge overnight allows the pores to become unclogged as oils and scum are eaten away by the solution in the bucket bath and the next day, out comes a nice clean, unclogged filter for reuse.
Get more tips on cleaning the hot tub filter.
2. Clean the cover
Rinse the spa cover off and also rinse off the underside. Wipe the surface of the cover down. You can even treat the cover with 303 vinyl protectant. Adding this to the underside of the cover can prevent mildew as well.
If the core is heavy or waterlogged, you will need to unzip the cover and remove the inside foam core to let it dry out completely. You will also need to locate the tear(s) in the vapor barrier and seal it up with a patch kit such as Tear-Aid.
If the cover core is too far gone, the entire spa cover will need to be replaced.
3. Check hot tub components and operation
Power the spa down by shutting off the breaker and remove the service panel to have a look inside. Did anyone decide to make this their home over the winter? Are there any obvious signs of chewed up wires or other critters? Clean out those spider webs and other debris so nothing gets in the way of pump operation or future servicing needs. Once the inside looks fine, close the cabinet back up (unless you need to access the spa drain from inside the cabinet).
4. Change the water
If the hot tub water has not been changed in the last 3 months, it’s time to get a fresh start in the spring. TDS or total dissolved solids creep higher when using chemicals to treat spa water. At one point it is best to change and start fresh.
See our tips on draining a hot tub.
Use a pre-filter to filter out the hose water and really get a fresh start. The pre-filter attaches to a garden hose and filters out metals and contaminants so you don’t have to battle them later inside the spa.
Fill the spa from the filter area/compartment (the filter is still removed for cleaning while you are refilling the spa). This way air pockets can be avoided that may give you problems on startup.
Once the shell is wiped down and the spa is full of fresh clean water, insert a new or cleaned filter and start ‘er up.
5. Chemical Balance
Get the pH and sanitizer levels in order when the spa reaches the set temperature. It is never too early to fill up the chemical dispenser with bromine or chlorine pucks though. When using bromine instead of chlorine, add some sodium bromide to the water to establish an initial reserve since bromine takes longer than chlorine to get to the correct levels from the tablet form (you may otherwise need to wait a day or two until you can use the spa).
See our tips on hot tub care for more on maintaining your spa water quality.
Enjoy beautiful spring evenings in the hot tub!
Need spa filters and hot tub supplies in the States? Get them at the Hot Tub Outpost.
