Are Hot Tubs a Lot of Maintenance?

It’s a logical question that anyone looking at a hot tub must ask themselves: Are hot tubs high maintenance? 

Our answer is no. But all hot tubs require some maintenance. If anyone ever tells you that their hot tub requires no maintenance at all, don’t believe them. You might as well walk out of the showroom or ask to speak with someone else because that person isn’t being straight with you (you can walk out of any of our Hydropool showrooms too if this happens: We are including ourselves in this!). 

In this article, we will explain why hot tubs aren’t high-maintenance products, even though they do require regular upkeep. This is a common concern from hot tub buyers and we completely understand why. 

The clearest proof we can give you is that millions of people around the world successfully own and maintain their hot tubs. If they were THAT difficult to use, people would have stopped buying them by now. But they don’t and hot tubs remain an expanding market with more people buying them each year.  

We don’t like to talk about our own products to in these articles, because we are genuinely trying to help people buy the right hot tub for themselves. But at Hydropool, maintenance is a major issue for us. We believe in creating hot tubs that offer the least maintenance possible and our engineers work on this regularly. That’s why we offer the Signature hot tub collection, which is a self-cleaning hot tub (and why all of our swim spas are self-cleaning as well).

So in this article we will explain:

• Why we think hot tubs aren’t high maintenance
• The typical maintenance regime for a hot tub 

Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of hot tub maintenance. 

Are Hot Tubs High Maintenance? 

The typical hot tub maintenance does require a consistent effort. How much effort will depend on a few factors:

• How often you use the hot tub: If you use it more, it will require more maintenance, as well as more sanitization from chlorine or bromine.
• How clean you are when you use the hot tub: If you’re using your hot tub with lotions on or using laundry detergent to clean your swim trunks, you may develop more issues than someone who doesn’t.
• How particular you are with your maintenance regime: it’s good practice to clean your spa filters regularly, for example, but it’s also very easy to start missing weeks. That will tend to create more work later on though, so you’re just kicking the can down the road. 
• The quality of your water in your area: This one may not be up to you, but if you’re dealing with exceptionally hard or soft water, you may have to make more adjustments to your chemical levels than someone who has more typical water.

What Is a Typical Maintenance Regime for a Hot Tub? 

Weekly maintenance: This will vary somewhat between models, but in general it will consist of:

• Water chemistry: Checking the water with water testing strips to ensure that it is balanced, ensuring there is sufficient sanitizer to keep the water clean is all part of hot tub water care
• Rinsing out your filters. Filters also need to be deep-cleaned on a monthly to six-week basis, usually by sitting and soaking overnight.  
• Using a scale remover and water polisher on a regular basis is also a decent idea for your spa water (Hydropool products recommend alternating weekly)
• Ensuring that your hot tub remains at the proper water level, as water evaporates, you can usually fill it with a standard garden hose
• Maintenance also involves troubleshooting unusual problems: a large hot tub party really throwing your water out of whack, leaves in the hot tub in the fall or any other specific issue. 

Quarterly maintenance: Drain your hot tub, clean it while it’s empty, clean the pipes for biofilm and refill, re-balance the water and begin your weekly maintenance program anew. 

Long-term maintenance: Filters typically need to be replaced about once a year. The bulb needs annual replacing if you’re using UV light to help sanitize your hot tub. Heaters and all moving parts will generally last at least five years and most will last far longer if your hot tub is properly maintained. Inspect the cover for any damage to assess whether it needs fixing or replacing: They will need to be replaced every five to seven years or so.

Are Hot Tubs Hard to Maintain?  

We think the answer here is a clear no. At the same time, there is no doubt that hot tubs require some maintenance. A hot tub in a way is like having a car or even a pet – they are going to need a little regular effort. 

Whether it’s weekly or every quarter or annually, most of a hot tub’s maintenance involves keeping the hot tub water clean and clear and ready to use. 

We don’t talk about ourselves in every article, but we feel we have to in this one. At Hydropool, we are huge believers in making maintenance as simple as possible, as shown by our self-cleaning hot tub system, which we have patented. We want people to spend their time enjoying their hot tub, not cleaning it, as much as possible. 

We do hope this article helped you understand the maintenance schedule of owning a hot tub. If we missed anything or if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local retailer, by clicking here.