Hot Tub Maintenance near you

A steady routine prevents most cloudy water, odours and equipment wear. HealthLink BC advises measuring the water chemistry daily, especially during periods of heavy use, and topping up the disinfectant whenever it runs low. Adjust the sanitizer and pH as your test kit and the product labels direct: balanced water is gentler on skin and eyes, and it protects the heater, jets and shell from scale and corrosion.

Hot tub water rarely goes bad overnight; it drifts. Cloudy or foamy water, a sharp or musty smell, slimy surfaces, or bathers with itchy skin or sore eyes all mean the sanitizer isn't keeping up. HealthLink BC notes that Pseudomonas bacteria can cause severe skin rashes, eye and ear infections and pneumonia, and that Legionella can cause Legionnaires' disease, which can be fatal.

The Public Health Agency of Canada lists hot tubs among the places Legionella grows. People are exposed by breathing in contaminated air, which around a hot tub means the fine spray above the jets, and the disease does not pass from person to person. Those who smoke, are over 50, live with a chronic disease such as diabetes or chronic lung disease, or have a weakened immune system are at greater risk. The agency's advice is to clean and disinfect these devices regularly, following the manufacturer's directions.

Heat is the other hazard. HealthLink BC says hot tub water should never be hotter than 40°C (104°F), or 38.9°C (102.0°F) if you are pregnant, and advises against staying in for more than 10 minutes at a time. Small children, especially infants, should stay out altogether, because their bodies don't regulate temperature well and overheat too quickly.

Check the thermostat again after a power outage or a service visit, since settings can change. If you are pregnant, or have a heart condition or another health concern, ask your doctor before using a hot tub.

Because a hot tub holds so little water, HealthLink BC notes that it is often easier to replace all of it than to shock it. It advises draining when bathers complain of eye, ear or skin irritation, after a fecal or vomiting incident, or whenever proper disinfectant levels haven't been kept up. Otherwise, follow the manufacturer's recommended interval and shorten it when the tub sees heavy use, cleaning the shell with products approved for it while the tub is empty.

The old water can't go just anywhere. Toronto allows drained hot tub water into a storm sewer only after dechlorination, once chlorine or bromine is down to 0.01 mg/L or less and the pH sits between 6 and 9.5, and never on a rainy day. It can also soak into your own lawn as long as none runs onto neighbouring properties, while salt water goes to the sanitary connection on your property. Other municipalities set their own rules, so check yours.

The filter traps hair, skin cells, lotions and debris. A dirty one lets the water cloud up and can restrict flow enough to keep the heater from running, and HealthLink BC advises cleaning and servicing filters and pumping systems on a regular basis. Most home tubs use pleated cartridges, which are rinsed often, soaked in a filter cleaner from time to time to strip oils and scale, and replaced once they stop coming clean.

The cover does most of the work of keeping a hot tub economical to run. One that fits snugly, seals along its fold and stays dry holds heat in and keeps evaporation, leaves and snow out; one that has soaked up water or split at the hinge leaks heat around the clock, and the heater has to make up the difference.

Energy use also depends on the tub's insulation, the set temperature, how often the lid is open and how exposed the tub is to wind. Keep the temperature no higher than you need, lower it when you'll be away, and ask a technician whether the tub's filtration and heating cycles suit how your household uses it.

Many owners keep their tub running all winter, which is often simpler than shutting it down, provided the power stays on and the cover stays sealed. If the tub will sit unused, winterizing has to be thorough or left to a technician: the water is drained, the lines, jets and pumps are blown out or drained as the manufacturer directs, the filter is removed and stored dry, and the cover is strapped down. Any water left in the plumbing can freeze and crack it.

Spring start-up reverses the process. The technician or owner checks for freeze damage and leaks, reinstalls a clean filter, refills the tub and balances the water before the first soak.