If you ask us, there’s no better place to spend a cool or cold evening than relaxing in the hot tub! In reality, some people use their hot tub more than ever when the weather dips while others let their spa sit mostly unused until spring comes. Whichever type of hot-tubber you are, you might be wondering about winter hot tub maintenance. The main thing is you stay on top of hot tub maintenance through the winter (even in a mild winter weather part of the country like Las Cruces!) Not to worry, it’s not hard. Follow these steps and winter hot tub maintenance will be a cinch!

To Close or Not to Close Your Hot Tub for Winter?

Picture this: one day you climb out of your hot tub after enjoying a soak, close the cover, and then leave it as-is because soaking in chilly weather isn’t your thing, so you never do maintenance or even lift the cover to check the water level over the next couple of months. Sound like a good plan? Nope! You didn’t say yes, did you?

Actually, that’s a good way to damage your hot tub. If you don’t want to use your hot tub until spring, that’s totally okay, however, to protect your hot tub, you need to drain it and winterize it. 

Close Your Hot Tub for Winter

Generally, hot tub damage through the winter is caused by freezing because the hot tub wasn’t drained and winterized and the water isn’t being circulated. Now, this isn’t nearly as big of a risk for us in New Mexico as our friends in colder states, but do you want to gamble this won’t be the year we get more snow than usual or temperatures dip lower than normal? Especially when winterizing your hot tub is fairly easy? We agree. It’s better to be safe than sorry! If you’re closing your hot tub for the winter, follow these steps:

• Flush your system and drain all the water from your hot tub
• If your hot tub has an air blower, shut off the heater and run the air blower for 30 seconds to push the water out of the system
• If you have a gas heater, shut it down (follow the manufacturer’s guidelines) and drain the water from the valves
• Blow out your jets with a wet-dry vacuum to ensure there’s no water in the system
• Loosen the plumbing fittings so water can drain out
• Remove the filters, clean them, and stash them someplace secure
• Make sure the inside of your hot tub is clean and dry

Or, since we offer a full range of services, let us handle closing your hot tub for you! 

Keep Using Your Hot Tub All Year Round

If you, like us, think the best part of fall and winter is hot-tubbing (and not pumpkin spice everything), keep using your spa! Hot tubs are made to be used year-round and using yours in cold weather, even sitting in it during a snowfall won’t hurt it. There are a few things to keep in mind:

• The number one thing to keep in mind if temperatures fall is to periodically check your water levels. Should temperatures drop below freezing and your water level is too low for your pump and heater to operate, the water could freeze and damage your hot tub. 
• Keep up with water care. We all get busy around the holidays…and hopefully you make time for soaking in your hot tub; after all, that’s a great way to beat stress! But if not, still test the water and keep it balanced.
• Make sure your cover is in good condition. A poor cover will let your water drop in temp, especially near the surface, which will cost you more in energy costs.
• If conserving energy is your top priority, consider purchasing a floating thermal blanket. It will float on top of your water and keep the water temperature higher.
• Don’t forget to sweep away any snow that accumulates on your hot tub cover. A few inches of snow can weigh 50 pounds! Instead of making your cover bear the weight, just brush off any snow deeper than an inch. (This applies if you’re closing your spa for the winter, too).

Here’s a bonus tip, go ahead and change the water and clean your spa now, before the weather cools more. That way, you won’t need to change it again until spring or summer!

 

Got more questions about taking care of your hot tub? Browse our blog for lots of advice and tips, or contact us…we’re always happy to help. Finally, if you don’t have your own hot tub, don’t miss out on the enjoyment of star-gazing from your hot tub on cool evenings; let us introduce you to a Master Spas® hot tub that will be perfect for your family!