How to Make Your Spa Last: Tips for Smooth Year after Year Operation

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A spa is just like anything else that’s built to enjoy and use on a regular basis and requires a moderate amount of care and maintenance. If the care of your spa is provided as a routine part of ownership, it will continue to give you years of enjoyment. Neglect of anything, including your home spa, results in damage, decay and repairs. The bottom line? Be nice to your spa and it will be nice to you. Let’s take a look at some of the basics:

Water and Chemicals

Keeping your spa’s water clean and clear benefits the health of both you and the spa. Oils from your skin, suntan lotions, detergent residue from bathing suits and grime should be controlled. All of these not only degrade your water; they can also harm your spa’s equipment and components. This is the benefit of keeping the proper chemicals and additives in your water. Manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed. If you have hard water in your area, use a product to balance your calcium levels. Excess calcium levels lead to scaling and erosion of your jets and mechanical equipment. If you use the spa often or have several persons using the spa, drain and replace the water every 90 to 120 days.

General Maintenance

Keep your spa clean. Never use abrasive cleaners or scrubbers on the acrylic surfaces. Use only recommended cleaning agents specifically designed for spas and hot tubs. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for these. Cleaning the filter at least once a week will extend its life as well. Soak the filter once a month to loosen and remove residue and replace the filter about once a year. Make sure your pump, jets and filtration are operating properly and before using, always check your pH level and add chemicals as needed.

Cover

Your spa’s cover is designed not only to keep in the heat but also to protect you spa’s acrylic surface. Leaving your spa uncovered and exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time can lead to cracks and blisters in the acrylic shell. This type of neglect will most often not be covered by the spa manufacturer’s warranty. Be sure to always keep your spa covered and locked down when not in use. You can extend the life of your cover by simply keeping it clean. Remove dust and debris buildup regularly with a wet rag or vinyl cleaning solution. After treating the water with chemicals, keep the cover off for at least 20 minutes. Do not run the jets at high speed while the cover is on the tub and clean the inside area with a dry cloth about once a week to remove damaging chemical residue. Lastly, spa covers are not designed to support any weight so refrain from sitting on or storing heavy items on top of your spa cover.

Make Repairs

Examine your spa for small problems while cleaning, adding chemicals or using. Catch problems early, make the necessary repairs and minor problems will remain minor instead of becoming big, costly problems.

Use Your Spa

Don’t let your spa sit idle. If you live where winter temperatures are prohibitive, winterize you spa or drain if needed. All other times, keep you chemicals balanced, perform routine maintenance and enjoy the use of your spa. Leaving the spa idle and ignoring routing maintenance will gradually cause deterioration of the water and your spa as well as the equipment. Take responsibility, keep your spa in good working order and use it. The care you give it will reward you with a spa that returns your investment year after year.

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1 Comment

  1. Poolfilters on February 19, 2014 at 9:49 pm

    What a tips you have mentioned for the maintenance of spa filters for its long time durability.I have got more ideas from your blog of how to maintain the spa. Thanks for posting this blog.