Looking After Your Hot Tub
Having a hot tub is a real boon for a household and especially a family. A hot tub will help you de-stress after a long tiring day, it will deep clean your skin, provide light stimulation, which will invigorate your circulation and make you feel wonderful. A hot tub encourages children to overcome their fear of water, encourages them to enjoy bathing and assists keep them clean.
However, this all comes at a price. But then what does not? Still these tubs are certainly not cheap, so one of the first jobs to do after trying it out for the first time is to read the maintenance manual and find out how to maintain it. Most of the user maintenance will involve cleaning and the majority of spa tub owners say that this is not an arduous job.
Remember, it is the same as with everything else, the more upkeep that you do yourself, the less you will have to pay someone else to do for you, the cheaper it will get and the longer your tub will function efficiently.
First of all, the type of maintenance depends on the material it is made from. If it is made from timber, you should revarnish it at least once a year. The amount that the wood deteriorates will depend on how much you use the tub, what chemicals you use and your local climate. This advice applies to any wood outside as well as inside the tub.
Empty the tub and let it dry out thoroughly. Then inspect the surfaces for lost varnish, that is, bare wood. There should not be any, obviously. If there is, you ought to shorten your inspection and maintenance periods.
If there is a great deal of damage, sand all the varnish off the whole tub and re-varnish it (staining it first if you want). If the wear is patchy, rough up the whole surface of the tub to remove loose varnish and form a key. Revarnish two or three times as it recommends on the tin of varnish's label.
An acrylic hot tub merely requires wiping over with a soft cloth with mild soapy water to keep it clean but you must be cautious to avoid scratching it.
All hot spa tubs have filters and these should get cleared regularly to help the pump keep the water flowing and to prevent a clog up of rotting vegetation and hair in that filter, through which passes ail the water in your tub. You do not want to be seated in a tub of polluted water. The manual will explain how to do it, if you have lost the instruction booklet, find out soon.
Check your tub's cover for cracks and scratches which might weaken it. The cover is just to keep debris and animals out, but children often play on them and you do not want them to fall through.
Make an inspection of the electric cables every now and then. Depending on how you have installed it, the cables might be(come) uncovered due to earth movement or rodents and, as we all know, water and electricity do not mix.
However, this all comes at a price. But then what does not? Still these tubs are certainly not cheap, so one of the first jobs to do after trying it out for the first time is to read the maintenance manual and find out how to maintain it. Most of the user maintenance will involve cleaning and the majority of spa tub owners say that this is not an arduous job.
Remember, it is the same as with everything else, the more upkeep that you do yourself, the less you will have to pay someone else to do for you, the cheaper it will get and the longer your tub will function efficiently.
First of all, the type of maintenance depends on the material it is made from. If it is made from timber, you should revarnish it at least once a year. The amount that the wood deteriorates will depend on how much you use the tub, what chemicals you use and your local climate. This advice applies to any wood outside as well as inside the tub.
Empty the tub and let it dry out thoroughly. Then inspect the surfaces for lost varnish, that is, bare wood. There should not be any, obviously. If there is, you ought to shorten your inspection and maintenance periods.
If there is a great deal of damage, sand all the varnish off the whole tub and re-varnish it (staining it first if you want). If the wear is patchy, rough up the whole surface of the tub to remove loose varnish and form a key. Revarnish two or three times as it recommends on the tin of varnish's label.
An acrylic hot tub merely requires wiping over with a soft cloth with mild soapy water to keep it clean but you must be cautious to avoid scratching it.
All hot spa tubs have filters and these should get cleared regularly to help the pump keep the water flowing and to prevent a clog up of rotting vegetation and hair in that filter, through which passes ail the water in your tub. You do not want to be seated in a tub of polluted water. The manual will explain how to do it, if you have lost the instruction booklet, find out soon.
Check your tub's cover for cracks and scratches which might weaken it. The cover is just to keep debris and animals out, but children often play on them and you do not want them to fall through.
Make an inspection of the electric cables every now and then. Depending on how you have installed it, the cables might be(come) uncovered due to earth movement or rodents and, as we all know, water and electricity do not mix.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with Hot Springs hot tubs. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at Hot Springs Spa Parts