Although completely draining and flushing your hot tub should be done three to four times a year, it should be sanitized weekly and routinely treated with hot tub chemicals. Depending on the brand of hot tub, the hot tub filters should also be cleaned on a monthly basis.
We recommend customers to change their hot tub water every 3 to 4 months. The reason we recommend this is that as your continue to add more chlorine, it will start to dissolve slower and slower until the chlorine doesn't dissolve in your hot tub anymore.
In essence, shocking your hot tub means adding a higher than usual dose of oxidiser chemicals to the water. This is also known as oxidising. We advise everyone to shock their water once a week to reduce bacteria and impurities.
Maintaining your spa in pristine condition is really quite simple. The key is simply understanding the basics of what creates spa-ready water, reading a test strip, and taking a little time at regular intervals. Follow these simple steps and your relaxation, social life, and health will never be better.
Quarterly chemical soak
A chemical soak is needed every time you change your hot tub's water. If you use your hot tub regularly, you should change out the water every three months. If you do not regularly use your spa, you should change the water at least every four months.
Staying in your hot tub too long can result in dizziness, light-headedness, overheating and dehydration, especially if you're soaking at a higher temperature. It can also cause burns, decrease in blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea and vomiting.
A post-soak shower is a good idea because it allows you to rinse off any chemical residue, protect your skin from dryness and cool off after being exposed to warm temperatures. Aside from these benefits, the contrast of the hot tub's warmth and the coolness of the shower will leave you with a soothing feeling.
your hot tub is designed to be left switched on constantly and works best when it is left on all the time. Your hot tub is at it's most efficient if left to run 24/7.
How long can hot tub water sit untreated? You can skip water treatment for your hot tub for about 2 to 3 weeks before it would no longer be safe for you to soak in. No sanitizing chemicals means you putting yourself at risk of contamination.
As a rule you should change your water every 3 to 4 months. Sometimes if the spa has had a lot of use it may be a good idea to change the water more often than this. The problem is TDS Total dissolved solids, just like a cup of tea if you keep putting in sugar there will come a time that it just does not dissolve.
Each person using the hot tub introduces bacteria, oils, and other contaminants that can build up over time, so adding chlorine after each use helps kill harmful microorganisms and keep the water balanced.
If the water temperature is 104° F (40° C), the maximum safe time is 15 minutes. If the water temperature is between 95-100° F, you should be able to stay in hot tubs for 30 minutes.
Length of time spent in the hot tub in each sitting
About 15-30 minutes at a time is a general recommendation if you prefer very hot water. Hot tub sessions that go 30 minutes or longer increase your risk of negative effects of a hot tub on the body, so adjust your water temperature accordingly.
Soaking in a hot tub has many health benefits, but the American Red Cross warns that there is a higher risk of nausea, dizziness, and fainting if you spend more than 15 minutes in a hot tub.
Using your hot tub in the morning
The hot water and stimulating jets will get your blood flowing, helping to wake you up. They'll also loosen up your muscles, making it the perfect place to perform a quick stretching routine that will set you up for the day.
Or, the sleep improvement may be related to hot water's relaxing properties – the buoyancy of water reduces body weight by approximately 90%, relieving pressure on joints and muscles, creating the sensation of weightlessness. The hot, swirling water leaves you feeling both mentally and emotionally relaxed.
Since the water in a hot tub is higher than your normal internal temperature, staying in a hot tub too long can cause you to overheat and experience symptoms like light-headedness, dizziness, or nausea. These symptoms are your body's way of telling you that it is time to get out of the hot tub and cool down.
In many cases, you'll get the green light to stay in the spa as long as you're comfortable and feeling well. As a general rule of thumb, most hot tub sessions last between 15 and 45 minutes. If after 45 minutes you want to keep soaking, we recommend stepping out for a bit to give your body a break.
Recently, such baths have been associated with an emerging disorder known as hot tub lung (HTL). HTL is a diffuse granulomatous lung disease caused by inhalation of water aerosol containing non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), in most cases belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex [1].
Look out for slime, a sour smell or unclear water – clear signs of a bacterial infestation. You can often see/smell the bacteria long before it becomes a serious problem. That's usually a symptom of bacteria in your hot tub.
On average, you could be spending between $20 and $60 a month to operate a hot tub. The more energy-efficient models will be on the lower end while older hot tubs and those who keep the heat going 24/7 will be on the higher end. The average hot tub is going to use approximately 7.5 kW per hour.