Using your hot tub on a cold winter’s night can be a fantastic way to stay warm and relax. However, there are some things that you’ll need to take into account before you hop in. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to make the most of your hot tub as the long nights draw in, without damaging your tub or feeling the effects of the cold too much!
Are you ready to get started? Then read on and learn from our great selection of hot tub tips for winter!
7 Tips for Using a Hot Tub in Winter
Use the following 7 tips for using a hot tub in the winter:
- Keep your cover on your hot tub
- Change your hot tub’s water before temperatures drop
- Avoid using your hot tub’s air jets
- Clear snow and ice off your hot tub
- Take extra care of hot tub hygiene
- Stay hydrated
- Clear the path to your hot tub
1. Keep Your Cover On Your Hot Tub
Your hot tub should keep the water warm enough to avoid freezing, particularly if your hot tub has a winter mode, which uses temperature sensors to keep the water above a certain temperature. Even with this mode, it’s still important that you keep your hot tub’s cover on when not in use.
The cover will insulate the water, so that even if there’s a power cut or any other issue, the water will stay above freezing slightly longer. Avoiding freezing is vital, as pipes can crack if water freezes in them.
2. Change Your Hot Tub’s Water Before Temperatures Drop
Before winter really begins to bite, it’s worth emptying your hot tub and refilling it with fresh water. There’s no safety reason to do this, it’s simply that changing your hot tub’s water can be a difficult and unpleasant task when it’s cold outside. By changing the water and cleaning your tub, you can also ensure that your hot tub is in peak operating condition for winter use.
3. Avoid Using Your Hot Tub’s Air Jets
Air jets on your hot tub are a brilliant feature for most of the year, providing more bubbles and a massage function. However, on a cold winter’s day, these jets should be avoided.
The jets work by adding air to the water, and when the air outside is cold, it will cool the water of the hot tub. If you want to keep the temperatures up and have an enjoyable time in your hot tub, turning off the hot tubs is a good move.
4. Clear Snow and Ice Off Your Hot Tub
If you experience snowfall on your hot tub’s cover, you should use a soft brush to remove it. Avoid harder bristles, as these can damage the cover, and certainly don’t use a shovel on the cover, as this is even more likely to damage it. If too much snow accumulates on the cover, it could tear it.
It’s also worth clearing snow and ice from around your hot tub, too. Not only because you don’t want to walk down an icy path to get to your tub, but because snow and ice around the tub can cool the water.
5. Take Extra Care of Hot Tub Hygiene
Of all the hot tub tips for winter, this is one of the most important. Keeping your hot tub clean is of vital importance: dirty water can lead to the growth of bacteria and algae, as well as creating an unpleasant environment for you and any other bathers. During other times of year, you’ll be able to regularly change your hot tub’s water, but during winter, you really need to keep your hot tub maintenance on point.
Check your hot tub’s PH levels, add sanitizer and shock, and change your filters as required.
6. Stay Hydrated
A hot tub is a wonderful place to spend a cold winter night, but there are some things that you need to bear in mind. For instance, staying hydrated is even more important than usual during winter – in the warmer months, it’s easy to tell when you’re dehydrated due to sweating, but in winter it often goes unnoticed.
Jumping into a hot tub when you’re already dehydrated is an excellent way to dehydrate yourself even more! For this reason, you should drink plenty of water when you want to use your tub and avoid alcohol.
7. Clear the Path to Your Hot Tub
Another great hot tub winter tip is to make sure that your path to and from the hot tub is clear. Hopping out of the hot tub in winter can be a shocking experience, no matter how fluffy your towels. Planning your exit is a great way to get from the warmth of the tub to the warmth of your house, without risking injury from potential falls or slips.
What to Do If You’re Not Going to Use Your Tub in Winter
If you decide that you’re not going to use your hot tub during winter, there are some key steps that you need to take. Firstly, you’ll need to drain the hot tub and then use a wet/dry vacuum on the jets and drain to remove any water that remains. Leaving water in the jets or drain can lead to mould growth, so don’t skip this step.
Loosen the unions on your pumps and drain them, then clean your hot tub thoroughly. Finally, you should cover the tub, even if you’re not going to use it, so you won’t have any debris gathering in the tub. Rather than attempting to do this yourself, we would recommend speaking to your hot tub retailer and enquiring about a winter shutdown service.
Hot Tub Tips for Winter: Explained
We hope that you’ll find these tips for using a hot tub in winter useful, no matter whether you want to use your tub or not in the colder months. If you do decide to use your tub, you’ll need to make sure that you keep your maintenance schedule up, as well as take care to plan your trips to the tub to minimise time spent in the cold. If you don’t, you’ll need to drain your tub and clean it thoroughly to winterize it; we would recommend a winter shutdown service.
Winter Hot Tub FAQs
What Temperature Should I Keep My Hot Tub at During Winter?You should keep your tub at five degrees below the temperature that you set it at during use. This will be warm enough to avoid freezing while using less energy.
How Often Should I Add Water to My Hot Tub During Winter?You should add water to your hot tub around every four to six weeks during winter months.
Sarah Elphick is our passionate head of marketing who has years of experience within the leisure, travel & tourism industry. She is well-versed in a range of marketing fields including sales, direct marketing, CRM, brand management, innovation, customer research and much more. Her experience has helped us expand our brand into one of the fastest growing and innovative hot tub manufacturers.
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