Hot tub maintenance tricks: When hot tub DIY meets TLC, the result is much more than an improperly formatted Roman numeral. You can vacuum grit, gunk, and small debris from your spa with ease once you’ve put together this simple siphon vacuum. One of the most overlooked areas of proper hot tub care is treating your hot tub cover right. Exposed as they are to constant heat and moisture, hot tub covers can develop a musty or mildewy smell if they’re not cleaned properly. You can keep the funk away by using a simple bleach solution to clean your hot tub cover. In a spray bottle, combine nine parts water to one part bleach, and use it to clean the underside of your hot tub cover every 90 days.

Tips for buying a hot tub : Reclined seating lets you lay back, fully submerged in spa water. Loungers usually have more jets for a full-body massage. The best spas are deep enough to prevent you from floating out of the lounger. A lounge takes the equivalent space of up two standard seats. Tubs for families or friends the need more seats could skip the lounger for an extra spot.

Here are some tips on how to maintain your hot tub and also a suggestion if you live in Colorado. Always shower first with soap and water to reduce the likelihood of contaminating the spa water and minimizing health risks. Lotions, oils, and other things contribute to build-up in your spa. In cold climates, it’s not advisable to drain it — so save yourself the extra cost of a possible repair bill by rinsing off before and after. Besides: isn’t it nice to get into a really clean tub? Limit your soak time to no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Cool off, then re-enter if you like.

If you plan to be away from home a week or longer, call your local dealer for more tips on winterizing your spa, or check your Owner’s Manual for additional instructions.

Speaking of regular spa care, a full cleaning of the waterline and surfaces can be done when the spa is drained, which should happen every 2-4 months. Just be sure not to use any old household cleaner or soap. If you are going to use any chemical on your spa surfaces, use something like our Spa Cleaner to keep out phosphates, nitrates and who knows what else.

Your daily maintenance tasks are all about ensuring good water quality. In a hot tub that means checking two things: PH and sanitizer levels. This is easy stuff, and can generally be accomplished by dipping a single, color-coded test strip into the water to check that everything is as it should be. If you’re diligent about maintaining your tub, most days this won’t mean doing anything more than walking out to your tub, dipping the test stick in the water, and heading back inside. If your PH or sanitizer levels need adjusting, however, you’ll need take an extra few minutes to dump the proper additive into your water to get things back their proper levels. Doing so will prevent a host of problems, including scaling, mineral buildup, corrosion, skin irritation, and cloudy and stinky water. One of the most important things you can do to increase the longevity of your spa cover is to remove it at least twice per week. Use a spa cover lifter to completely remove it, or if you don’t have a spa cover lift, gently place it off the spa. Give your cover a few hours to breathe and shake off some of the constant heat and moisture. This is also a good time to add chemicals or shock the spa if you aren’t using it at the time.

But first let’s see the hot tub choice of the month : HotSpring has 20 hot tub models, five of which are built for two or three people. Most of the hot tub manufacturers we evaluated have only three models, so HotSpring offers a better selection of small spas. Three of these spas are part of the brand’s Hot Spot collection, which fall into the value price range and have 10-17 jets. The other two are premium-priced spas from HotSpring’s top tier Highlife collection and have 14 or 22 jets. HotSpring also has 10 medium spas and five large spas with various price ranges, all of which come equipped with energy-saving features and are certified by the California Energy Commission. With five small hot tub models, Hot Spring has the best selection of two- and three-person hot tubs of the brands we reviewed. Discover more information at Hot Tub Services and Repairs in Colorado.