Hot tubs are great ways to unwind after a long day and with the right care they can be used throughout the entire year; however, poor maintenance can greatly reduce the effectiveness of your home spa. Here are four things you definitely shouldn’t be doing to your hot tub!
Ignoring Water Tests
Water chemistry cannot be overlooked with a hot tub. These tests work to protect your spa’s equipment as well as all bathers in the tub. Consistent water tests help prevent bacteria development and ensure regular chemical levels.
Failing to Perform Basic Maintenance
Maintenance is a must for a safe, sanitary and correctly functioning spa environment. Adding to regular testing and chemically treating your water, rinse the filters, clean the spa cover, wipe the waterline and drain/refill when necessary.
Mistreating Your Hot Tub Cover
Spa covers are essential to hot tub health. They prevent the sun’s rays from promoting algae growth in the pool, stop debris from entering your hot tub and clogging your filter, help maintain the water temperature and much more.
Improper treatment of your hot tub cover will not only shorten its life but also reduce its effectiveness, which means it won’t be able to provide all the benefits listed above. After chemical treatments, wait an hour before putting the cover back on the tub.
Never use sharp objects (e.g., a razor blade) to remove dirty or sticky objects, like tree sap, from your hot tub cover. Also, allowing your spa cover to fully dry out once a move goes a long way to reducing hot tub maintenance costs.
Acting Like it’s a Bathtub
It’s important to remember that hot tubs and bathtubs serve different purposes. Your home spa is not the place for soap and suds. Adding such products can lead to costly damages to your spa’s filtration system and cause a foaming issue in the tub.
Other products that shouldn’t be added are shampoo, detergent or soap products. It’s also not ideal to enter your hot tub sweaty or dirty, as this compromises your water balance and can impede your filter cartridge from working properly.
You should also refrain from putting your head under the water as there multiple risks associated.
