After the recent blizzard, many have been wondering how such weather affects their outdoor hot tubs. For answers, we spoke with Long Island Hot Tub’s Director of Sales, Mike Berkowitz, who offered the following valuable tips.
“A hot tub is a valuable asset that is worth a little extra care in winter. In summer, if your water chemistry isn’t up to par, you can easily drain the hot tub and refill it. That’s not so easy to do in winter,” says Mike. “And another issue that doesn’t come up in summer is your spa’s plumbing lines won’t freeze. But if you follow the following tips, you’ll find it’s not all that difficult to maintain your hot tub in winter.”
Mike Berkowitz offers the following tips
to protect your spa:
1. After Snow Storms: First, when it snows, clear a path to your hot tub — not just so you can use your spa — but so you can maintain it during freezing or snowy weather;
2. Protect Spa Pipes: To keep pipes from freezing, once a week, check that the hot tub is running and make sure the water temp is at least above 90 degrees. (Note: In extreme cold temperatures, it is cheaper to maintain the temperature than letting it cool down and reheating it again.)
3. Spa Water Level: While checking its temperature and that it is running, also watch your spa’s water level. If the water gets too low, the pumps and heaters are affected by insufficient water, and this can contribute to freezing in spa’s plumbing lines;
4. Supply of Chemicals/Filters: If you enjoy using the hot tub regularly during cold weather/snow, when you first hear a storm is approaching, stock up on supplies of chemicals etc.;
Pristine Hot Tub Water
5. Keeping Clean Water: It’s a challenge to change the water in the winter, so you’ll want to keep the water clean, therefore regularly check the water’s chemistry — that the pH and alkalinity are correct);
6. Spa Filters: It’s also important to clean your spa filters in cold weather to maintain clear water. In warmer weather, this is easy to do using a garden hose. However, in winter, when most of us have the outdoor water access shut off, you may have to clean the filter inside the house — in shower or in large sink — to do a thorough job.
7. Use Your Hot Tub Cover: An insulated cover reduces the energy needed to run your hot tub during winter by helping to keep the heat in. Also, because falling snow will change the water chemistry, using the cover reduces the amount of chemicals you’ll need;
Protecting Hot Tub Covers
8. Prolonging the Life of Your Cover: It’s not unusual for warmer temperatures to follow a heavy snow or icy weather. Don’t wait for the inevitable melting process, but, instead, brush the snow/ice off your hot tub before it melts. A cover can get waterlogged during melting, which will ruin the cover;
9. Closing Your Spa For Winter: You would think that closing your spa is the safest/easiest way to ensure spa pipes don’t freeze during winter, but often the damage to spas in cold weather is actually caused from improper draining. If not done thoroughly, water residue left after draining can cause damage — thereby frustrating the very reason you shut it down in the first place. So be sure to read your manual and take all the necessary steps. Of course, you can always ask your local hot tub professionals to help you with this.
If you have any questions regarding how to maintain your spa, contact Mike at our Farmingdale showroom, or contact our Westbury showroom. Winter hours: 10:30-6 – Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat, Sun.
