Your spa’s been heating up perfectly, well–it was actually kind of slow on the heating giddy-up.
But today that heater is as dead as finding a call center job in America. So you call your local pool/spa dude. “My heater’s out and I’ve got company coming in for the holidays. HELP!!!”
Accommodating your expert analysis of a heater gone bad (driven by your partner’s frantic screams of “That spa has to work before my picky-
ass cousin arrives here next week—or else!!!!), you shell out anywhere from $100 to $350 for a new heater, and that doesn’t include two-hours labor of about another $150.
When picky-ass (PA) cousin arrives, he states, “I hope the hot tub’s ready because my back is killing me after that long ride out here.” You assure PA the tub is ready and hand him your best beach towel and bid him a less-than fond farewell as he marches out to the tub. You grab a beer ready for a break from PA, and something from your worst nightmare shrieks, “This tub’s as cold as the Arctic Seas used to be!”
You were rushed to get everything perfect before the company arrived and you probably didn’t have time to check your spa’s filters. And if I asked you, “When did you last check your filters?” an uncomfortable span of silence would follow.
This is exactly why manufacturers install pressure switches and flow switches to the heater. Because if there’s no water flow or flow is restricted by 2 psi, the pressure switch or flow switch won’t close and energize the heating element. In other words, it looks like your heater’s gone kaput.
Do you want the bad news now? Dirty or aged filters restrict water flow.
What I’m saying is, if you went quiet when I asked the question about your spa’s filters, you would have had more green in your pocket, and a longer break from your hot tub soaking cousin.
If I could have sold expensive heaters instead of inexpensive filter cleaner solutions and filters, I’d be in that top 2% income bracket. But since
So here are my top five spa filter maintenance points to save you time, energy and money.
- Once a month remove your filters and hose them down using a spray nozzle.
- When you drain/refill your spa, soak your filters in a filter cleaning solution from your spa store.
- Do NOT use oils to scent your spa’s water that ARE NOT designed for hot tubs.
- Every 6 months checks the fabric on your filters. If it’s “fluffed” replace that filter with a new one.
- Any filter over 3-years-old is ready to replace. Remember: all the water in your hot tub is strained through that filter. So after three years it is done straining.
Pool & Spa Master 