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Basic Hot Tub Care
Basic Hot Tub Care
The allure of a hot tub is well known throughout most of North America. We see commercials for them, we enjoy them at nice hotels, and we see them in movies. The idea of sitting out in your yard, lounging in a tub full of hot water is wonderfully appealing. Sadly, many people don't quite comprehend how much work it can be to keep a hot tub in good repair. Because of this, the hot tub becomes little more than a two thousand dollar swamp. Thankfully, learning basic care of your hot tub isn't that difficult.
The first thing to do is have an understanding of what chemicals need to go into the hot tub in order to keep the water as fresh as possible. There are three chemical upkeep jobs, the first is sanitizing. Sanitizing involves allowing one of two chemicals to dissolve into the water. These chemicals help kill off bacteria that can accumulate and grow in the water. The two chemicals used for this purpose are Bromine and Chlorine. Bromine is generally the best chemical for sanitizing, as it melts more quickly at the hotter temperatures that most hot tubs run at. While chlorine is completely acceptable for sanitizing hot tubs, it's generally used for colder temperature bodies of water, such as swimming pools.
The second chemical involved upkeep task is oxidizing. Oxidizing is the process of replacing the oxygen that's lost through general time and use. As water evaporates and absorbs body oils, oxygen is lost. This happens on a regular basis, and is nothing to worry about. However, when enough oxygen is lost, it can cause the water to become smelly, as well as rough on human skin. Oxidizing is the way to fix this as it's not difficult to oxidize hot tub water. Many places that specialize in selling pools and hot tubs already carry the proper chemicals. It's simply a matter of purchasing a container of the oxidizing chemicals, and following the instructions.
Lastly, it's a good idea to drain the water out of the hot tub every so often, and clean the inside of the tub. This usually involves some form of cleaner that's specifically made to get stains, grease, and oil off of surfaces. For some hot tubs, nothing more than a bottle of spray-on window cleaner is needed. Other hot tubs are made of specialty plastics that require special cleaners. Talk to your hot tub salesman, and make sure to check what kind of cleaner is best used with your hot tubs surface.
These actions may seem simple and easy, and in fact, they are. But many people simply don't realize that they'll need to purchase chemicals for the upkeep of their hot tub when they go to the store to purchase a hot tub. While the chemicals aren't necessarily very expensive, they can run several hundred dollars each year. This can be a pretty big strain on the pocket book if you're not planning on it. So, while you shouldn't let the upkeep costs scare you away from buying and enjoying a brand new hot tub, you should certainly keep them in mind.
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