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Alright, so this is one of those topics that a lot of people don’t really want to think about. Why? Because it requires effort and scheduling. Sure, your hot tub is your spot of relaxation and forgetting about the world, but that doesn’t mean that you get to simply forget about how to take care of it! Both your financial investment and your health are depending on that, too. So, let’s tackle it head-on and get back to relaxing, okay?
How often should you change the hot tub water? The standard, fast answer is that you should change your hot water (as in, completely drain and refill fresh) approximately every 3 months of use. However, this number is going to be a little different for each hot tub, because there are a few factors that go into how that approximate number is calculated! Factors that impact the timing The first two items of the list below are going to be used to help you figure out the actual timing. The third item is more about your own comfort and sanitation practices!
The math What a lot of people do is turn this into a simple math equation to take the guesswork out of it. This math equation would be: the hot tub volume divided by 3 and then divided by the amount of people in your tub. This will give you a number of days. So, every time that number of days goes by, change your water. The importance of changing your hot tub water Let’s say you get the math done and the final answer is 20. But, you don’t feel like changing your tub water every 20 days. Well, technically you don’t have to. But, you’ll soon get filmy, smelly and foamy water. Not only is it uninviting, it’s also asking for trouble when it comes to bacteria and germs. It also puts a lot more work on your system and can create buildup in your pipes and filter. This means more repairs and leaks. Sure, it takes time and effort to drain and refill your hot tub, but it will be worthwhile when you can enjoy fresh, healthy water that is going to truly bubble away your troubles and concerns.
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Realistically, hot tubs can take a lot of effort to care for properly, even if they are worth it. One of those questions that often comes up with recent buyers of hot tubs is how to get the water out of the bottom of the hot tub itself. There’s always that little bit left over and you’re looking at how to get it out since you can’t exactly just tip it over and manually drain it, right? Here are some tips!
Real tips for getting the water out of the bottom of your hot tub These are some of the “tried and tested” approaches for getting the bottom of your hot tub emptied without getting stressed or frustrated in the process:
One of the cool features about all of these is that they’re pretty much all low-tech. No gadgets or gizmos needed here, just simple, straight-forward tools to do all of the heavy lifting! You have to admit that sticking a towel to the end of a stick is kind of funny, right? Sure, it’d be nice if hot tubs were designed to pour out every single last drop from every little crevice of your tub, but that’s not likely. When you need manual help for the dregs at the bottom, any and all of these options are going to keep the manual labour to the minimum while still giving you effective draining tips for your hot tub, even if it’s irregularly shaped. Okay, so you’ve recently noticed a leak in your hot tub and you’re trying to make sure that you handle it the proper way -- congratulations! Making sure that you treat your hot tub with proper products is a great first step. Consider the potential magic of Flex Seal? Here’s everything that you’ll need to know about its usability in your hot tub.
What is Flex Seal? As likely already know, Flex Seal is a concentrated liquid that is going to plug a leak or a hole that you find. It goes on liquid, or pastey, and then dries/cures to a hard and effective solid that basically erases the crack or hole. It’s widely used in home renovation projects, but it’s not as magic as people think and it may not be effective on all surfaces and for all leaks. How does Flex Seal work for hot tubs? Technically, Flex Seal does work with hot tubs. You’ll be able to use it to fill a hole or a crack, but there are a few things to factor in about its usability:
There are so many potential perks to Flex Seal, especially when it comes to the idea of getting back into that hot tub. But, you need to make sure that you protect your investment and your home by doing it the right way. When in doubt, reach out to a professional hot tub repair specialist and ask. They’ll always be happy to lead you to the right information to the best care of your hot tub. As high maintenance as it may seem, there’s so much to love about soaking in your hot tub. Relaxing and soothing, it’s the thing you look forward to the most after a hard and tough day, right? One of the things you may notice one day is that the water seems low. As far as you know, everything’s okay, but perhaps the water line is lower than you think it should be. What’s going on? Is water loss normal in a hot tub? Take a look below and find out!
Is needing to add more water normal? Just like a pool, there is a need to add water from time to time to your hot tub. Since your hot tub is exposed, water will evaporate and this water will need to be replaced from time to time. The water that you put in your hot tub doesn’t just stay there forever, and you will have to add more in no matter what. Is water loss normal? Yup, water loss is considered normal when it comes to evaporation. The standard rate for water loss is about 1 inch a week. This means that, hypothetically, you should add 1 inch a week to keep it at the same level constantly. Of course, you don’t need to be that specific or attentive to it. But, the rate of 1 inch a week is considered normal. If you want to make sure that your water loss is normal, and that there’s no problem, you can measure it and see if that lines up! What could excessive water loss mean? If you find that you’re losing, say, 2+ inches per week for water loss in your hot tub, it could be an indicator that something else is going on. The most likely scenario is that you have some sort of undetected leak, since it’s not exactly logical that someone is grabbing your hot tub water with a pitcher (yuck!). That’s part of why understanding “normal” water loss and “abnormal” water loss is so important! When you notice that is faster than normal, you can call in the pros and get a feel for what’s going on with your hot tub and get a repair done before it gets too expensive (in terms of water pricing and the repair and other damage itself). How to minimize water loss Since water does have a price tag, you can look at minimizing your water loss as much as possible. Some of the best tips include:
While water evaporation is important to understand for the thoughtful hot tub owner, minimizing it is easier than you’d think! The first step to making sure that your hot tub is fixed is going to be determining where the leak is coming from. Whether you’re dealing with a leak now or you’re just looking to be a prepared hot tub owner and familiarize yourself with the most common locations for a hot tub leak, you’re in the right spot -- see what we did there?
Some points to remember with a leak If you do find yourself dealing with a leak and you’re trying to figure out which of these spots is the culprit, here are some tips to help you sort it out before you call in the professionals for a repair.
Your hot tub deserves care and attention, especially when it comes to understanding where a leak comes from and how you can find it. While a specialist is still needed to come in and repair it, knowing what to expect and how to source it is going to be very helpful to keeping the process as simple and straight-forward as possible. While there is a bit of work that goes into it, leak detection can be one of the key points to getting your tub back up and running with as minimal a delay as possible. There are so many parts and pieces to a hot tub that it can be a serious pain to understand how it all works. This is partially why you are going to need a special technician to come in and help you out. However, you can also take some time to familiarize yourself with one of the crucial parts of your tub so that you know what you’re dealing with: the heating element for your hot tub.
The good news about having a bad heating element is that it’s a pretty run of the mill repair. Not only is a technician going to be able to understand what needs to be done and how to do it, access to heating elements is easy both in terms of the physical location on the hot tub, but also the heating element in a warehouse, etc. If you want to have a DIY flair for your beloved hot tub, learning how to spot an issue with your heating element is going to be a fantastic detail, as it will help you understand what to expect when having a professional come in to repair it! However, keep in mind that you should never try to repair a heating element yourself. Water and electricity don’t mix and unless you are both a properly certified electrician and a hot tub repair specialist, you will not have the proper experience to keep you and your hot tub safe. Since safety is the most important thing, you’ll definitely want to keep this in mind! Need to fix a leak fast? You’ve probably done some frantic research about just the topic. Perhaps you came upon a leak sealant such as “Fix-a-Leak”. Not entirely sure if it’s going to be what you need to get to the bottom of a leak situation? Here’s what you should know about its pros and cons, both of which should be taken into consideration for everyone’s comfort and safety.
What is a leak sealant? While you can find quite a few out there under varying names, “Fix-A-Leak” is a standard sealant that is intended to, as the name suggests, stop a leak. It goes on as a liquid that is very concentrated and it will help creep into a leak and then seal it so that water is no longer able to leak through and cause any more damage. It reacts with the water and will create a coating to prevent it from leaking through. This dries into a reliable leak seal In theory, anyway. But, does it work? Here are the things to keep in mind if you’re considering using “Fix-a-Leak” for your hot tub. It can’t be used just anywhere While it is designed for various kinds of leaks, it’s not a miracle product that can be put to use just anywhere for any leak. Designed specifically for hot tubs, pools and even walls and floors, it can be applied in these kinds of locations safely. It won’t hurt your filters or other spa or pool equipment, However it’s not suitable for pets or anything that has living things in it due to the concentration of the formula. For example, an aquarium. The other thing to keep in mind is that it won’t be able to hold its own against a leak of over 3mm per day. For this reason, it’s thought to be only reliable for relatively minor leaks. It’s not a permanent fix While the packaging and online content may tell you otherwise, you shouldn’t see “Fix-a-Leak” as a permanent solution. Once you stop the leak and it does actually stop, you’ll still want to call in a professional to give it a solid look. A leak is always serious and having someone take a look at what you’re dealing with will help you keep your expenses low. They’ll often ask what product you use, too, and even how much of it. So, make sure you’ve got the packaging handy! While “Fix-a-Leak” is very useful and reliable, especially if you discover the leak at 2am on a Saturday, it’s intended as more of a stop gate than a cure. A properly licensed repair specialist is your solution for this and this is sort of like your band-aid until they can get to your home and assess the situation properly. It’s nice knowing that you’ve got help if you need it, and any responsible hot tub owner is certainly going to feel a whole lot better having a package of “Fix-a-Leak” in their cabinet just in case! Let’s be honest for a second here: no matter how high quality your hot tub is and no matter how well you take care of it, leaks are an unfortunate reality with hot tubs. After all. They’re giant tubs of rushing water that are especially heavy and on for long periods of time...that’s going to lead to a leak at some point or another and you’ll want to make sure that you are properly prepared for handling it.
What to do if you have a leaky hot tub As a responsible hot tub owner, dealing with a hot tub has a few steps to help protect you, your home, your loved ones and, of course, your hot tub! Here are the general steps to help you manage.
There’s never a good time for a leaky hot tub and it’s certainly frustrating, but it will happen. Being prepared can help keep it as stress-free and as safe as possible, not to mention that it can even help you feel involved in the process! Whatever approach you take, knowing what to do and how to do it is important when you have a leak. Discovering that you have a leak in your hot tub is never a fun time, no question. But, do you know what’s even worse? Not discovering you have a leak until 3 months later and then having extensive water damage that is going to cost you a fortune and a whole lot of heartache. From detecting a leak to understanding the problem is, here are some essential details to diagnose your hot tub issue and then get someone in to fix it as soon as possible! The more you can tell them, the better, too.
Location is important When you discover that your hot tub is leaking from the bottom, understanding where on the bottom the leak is coming from is crucial. Don’t just take one look at the pooling and decide that’s where the leak is coming from. Water is notorious for running and spreading, so you’ll need to be careful to seek out the location of the water leak from your tub specifically. Common issues include:
If you have a good quality hot tub, it’s unlikely that you have a crack in the actual hot tub itself. They are intended to be especially strong and are reinforced for this particular reason. However, if you can’t spot an obvious sign of water leakage but you know it is leaking, it might be a good idea to check as carefully as possible inside the tub for obvious signs of wear. Plumbing can cause issues Sometimes it’s not a part of the hot tub itself, but the plumbing! It could be a frozen pipe, which can commonly happen. Or, it could be something simple like or rings or gaskets. Anything with these parts can leak and that’s part of why proper maintenance and check-ups are so important. Whatever the issue may be, it’s not a good idea to fix it yourself. Hot tubs are specialized equipment that require equally specialized repair and addressing, so you’ll always want to bring in the pros to help you out as soon as possible. You’ve invested time and money into your hot tub, so you want to make sure that you are getting your absolute money’s worth, right? It makes total sense and we are here to help you do just that. The key is to start with understanding just how long you can expect your hot tub to last, generally speaking, and then make it a little more personal by focusing on those specific factors that can impact its natural lifespan.
The general age estimation As vague as it will sound, a hot tub can last anywhere from 5-20 years. This means that the lowest quality hot tub should last you about 5 years, and top quality and high end ones can last you up to 20 years. Here are the factors that go into determining just how they are going to last.
Some reminders There are some details to keep in mind when you are looking at the scope of the lifespan and trying to sort out what the right choice is for your hot tub preferences!
When you are looking to get the most out of your hot tub and its substantial investment, all of these things are going to factor in. While it certainly seems appealing to go for the cheapest overall quality, you want to make sure that you are reasonable and level-minded when it comes to picking the model you choose, including those details above! With all of this kept fresh, we wish you and your hot tub many years of happiness together so that you can look back 15 years from now and know for sure that you made the right call on your hot tub’s maintenance. |
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