You can develop small leaks, a few jets might pop out, a bulb or LED might burn out, but there is only one real Emergency that needs to be immediately addressed: heater failure during sub freezing temperatures.
Heater failure can be caused by a bad heater element, an electronic problem in the hot tub or an electrical problem from your home. Regardless, as soon as you stop heating it, the water in your hot tub will begin to cool.
When the water in the pipes inside the hot tub cabinet finally drops to 32 degrees, it will begin to freeze and expand. That’s when the pipes can crack.
Every hot tub owner should have a 1500 watt space heater in their hot tub first aide kit.
The perfect emergency first aid kit for your hot tub only needs two items: a screwdriver and a space heater. The screwdriver is to remove the sides of the hot tub, and the space heater is to put inside the base of your tub to keep the water in the pipes from freezing. Get the smallest 1500 watt space heater you can find. You should have no problem finding one that’s smaller than a shoe box.
To use the space heater, you must first remove the front of your tub. That’s where the screwdriver comes in. On most hot tubs, directly under the topside control panel, the side is held in by several screws. On Jacuzzi brand, there can be up to 24 screws. on Hotsprings brand, there are only 4. You’re going to have to look in your owners manual, or figure it out for yourself. Maybe you should take a look today, before you have an emergency and you’re fighting time.
After removing the side, place your space heater inside the tub. It doesn’t matter exactly where you put the heater because it will heat the air inside the hot tub’s compartment, which will heat the pipes.
You have to use a little common sense. Don’t put the heater where it will get wet, because that will cause it to short out. We usually put the heater on top of a brick or ceramic tile.
The heater is designed to sit on the floor in your house, so it probably won’t cause a fire in the hot tub. Notice we said “probably won’t.” That means you need to keep an eye on it and check the surrounding wood and plastic for burning. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check it every couple of hours, at least until you are sure that there is no fire hazard. We always put the heater as far away from any flammable parts as we can. Remember, you want to heat up the air, not the wood or pipes.
How much heat does a 1500 watt heater generate? We had a service call this week (December) in New Jersey for a hot tub that died five days before we could get there. The homeowner put a $10 space heater from Walmart inside the hot tub. The outside temperature was in the forties during the day, in the high twenties at night. When we got there to repair the tub, the water temperature was 104 degrees.
A drop light with a 100 watt incandescent bulb will help prevent your hot tub from freezing up.
Don’t have a heater around?
In a pinch, you can use a drop light to generate heat.
Make sure you have an incandescent bulb in your drop light, as low energy LED bulbs don’t generate any heat.
A couple of 100 watt bulbs will keep your hot tub warm enough to avoid a freeze up while you await a hot tub repair technician who can help you out.
Whether you’re using a space heater or drop light to keep your hot tub warm, make sure you use outdoor extension cords that won’t melt from the heat generated by the electrical draw. Don’t use the type of drop light that has a coiled wire, it will generate enough heat to melt the wire together.
Remember, a 100 watt bulb is going to generate a lot less heat than a 1500 watt heater. It’s better than nothing, but do yourself a favor and go out and invest the $20 in a heater. That way, if your $8000 hot tub has a problem, you’re prepared.
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.
