Frequently Asked Questions

The most common factors affecting the lifetime of tubs are water care and lack of proper winterization. Here is a breakdown:

• Floating chemical dispensers can over-chlorinate your tub if packed with too many tablets, or if adjusted to let the tablets dissolve too quickly. To counter this, start with less tablets and keep the vents that allow the tablets to interact with the water small until you are sure more is necessary.

• Salt systems that are set too high for the actual usage of the tub will eventually over-chlorinate your tub even if your salt system has measures in place to automatically reduce the output. Start lower, and raise your output each week until it matches your usage. Likewise, if you anticipate you will be using the tub less often, or going on vacation, you should reduce the output or temporarily turn it off to be safe.

• While high chlorine can damage components over time if left unchecked, the same is also true about low or high pH. Many people are unaware that granular chlorine is quite acidic, causing your pH to drop significantly with each dose. If you need to add chlorine frequently, it is essential that you use Soda ash(pH Increaser) to bring it back up to the 7.2-7.8 range. High pH(more common in saltwater tubs) can cause calcium, if present in large quantity, to convert to a solid form that will stick to any underwater surface, and may make your hot tub’s shell feel rough. Additionally, it might progressively clog your heater.

• Hot tubs can retain water in curved lines and some pieces of equipment that will burst when exposed to freezing temperatures, making a winterization more complicated than simply opening your drain cap and leaving it open until you are ready to refill. Options for contending with this include putting marine antifreeze into your lines, or opening up your equipment lines and thoroughly blowing out your jet lines.

First, fill your tub up to a reference point. (The bottom of a headrest works well, though you can also place a piece of tape just above the waterline)

If over the course of 7 days your water line goes down by an inch or more - and nobody has been splashing water out of the tub - you are likely contending with a leak.

You should always check your drain lines first, as it can potentially save you a service call. A loose drain cap, or a cap lacking a rubber gasket on the inside will allow water to escape slowly. (It should have a gasket like the female end of a garden hose)

Hot tub supplies can last a very long time if stored properly. All dry chemicals are very stable if kept out of the rain and the sun. If a dry chemical becomes compacted and hard, it is better to replace it than risk getting it in your eyes trying to break it apart.

Liquid chemicals are at risk of freezing and possibly damaging the container in which they are stored. For this reason, it is best to store them in a location that will insulate them from such temperature changes.

For test strips, moisture from your fingers is the main concern; if the colors of the pads don't look as they did when new, or you get wildly high pH readings, you will want to replace them.