The biggest danger to a hot tub in the winter is the cold. For whatever reason, power failure or equipment breakdown, if the hot tub water drops below 32 degrees, it will freeze. Freezing water expands and will crack pipes, which can be very expensive to repair.
Be prepared. Winter is the worst time for a hot tub repair.
1. Don’t play games with your water temperature to save a buck.
Set your hot tub for a minimum of 95 degrees. We prefer 100. First, it’s less expensive to maintain the temperature then to increase it every time you use the hot tub. More important, the hotter your water, the more heat you will have “in reserve” if the power goes out or your heater stops working. Face it, if you were worried about saving a few dollars on electricity, why did you spend thousands on a hot tub? If you keep your temperature at 80, you are only 48 degrees above freezing. If your water is 100, you are 68 degrees away from disaster. On a cold winter night, that extra twenty degrees may be the difference between repairing a simple problem and thousands of dollars in cracked pipes.2. Use STANDARD Mode
Make sure your tub heating cycle is set for STANDARD MODE. In Standard Mode, the hot tub will maintain whatever temperature you set. Economy and Sleep Modes will allow the hot tub to cool, which will end up costing you a lot more in electricity to bring it up to temperature when you’re ready to enjoy it.3. Heater Failure – Prepare for the worst.
If you lose power for a few hours, it’s no problem, but if the hot tub breaks down during the winter, any water in the smaller pipes will chill and begin to freeze within 24 hours. Sometimes sooner. Many of our clients keep a spare electric space heater to put inside the hot tub walls in case of a heater failure. Just to be clear, you can’t put the electric heater anywhere will it will come in contact with water, and you have to place it carefully to avoid starting a fire. But a 1500 watt heater will go a long way to prevent pipes from freezing. A pair of 500 watt aquarium heaters are even easier to use, just turn them on and drop them into the hot tub.4. Filter Care
Clogged filters restrict water flow. Too little water flow and your hot tub heater will not operate. So, it’s important to maintain your filters. Lots of people get lazy when they have to go outside in 25 degree weather to change the filters. Invest in a pair of long sleeved rubber gloves if you have to, but water care begins with clean filters. If you’re not sure what kind of filter you need, click here for an easy explanation of how to measure for new filters.5. Check the tub often
We get several calls a year where the homeowner tells us “I haven’t checked it for a month, and now the water’s all gone.” The biggest threat to a hot tub in winter is heater breakdown which could lead to frozen and cracked pipes. So check it daily to insure it is heating properly. Going away on vacation for a week? Ask a neighbor to stop by and check on the tub once or twice, and give them a phone number to contact if the tub isn’t working.Remember, the average repair for a hot tub freeze is $1700. For more information about winter hot tub care, click here to read our article putting together an Emergency Hot Tub Winter First Aid kit.
For more information or to schedule a service call to resolve your hot tub problems, contact us at 201-897-7900 or 732-894-4494. You can also reach us by email through this link.
