An ever increasing number of people are utilizing their hot tubs outside all through the winter months. In spite of the fact that the wintertime is the most pleasurable season to relax in an open air hot tub, there are sure precautions you should take to guarantee the best possible care and effectiveness of your unit.
Configure your controls:
On the off chance that your spa has an Auto Heat or Freeze Protect system, ensure that it is enabled when the temperatures begins to drop during the evening. Numerous spas have a Timer – Auto Heat catch on their control boxes. Flip the catch to the Auto Heat mode. This will guarantee that the water in the spa and pipes doesn’t solidify in the cold weather.
Also if your spa has a Topside Thermostat Control, ensure that it is set past the Freeze segment, well into the “Heat” or “High” segment of the dial.
Alternatively if your spa does not have an Auto Heat or Freeze Protect mode, however it has a clock, you’ll need to set the timer to give you the most ideal assurance against freezing water. In the event that you have an Infinite Cycle Timer, it is a smart thought to set it to heat for 15 minutes per hour consistently. This will guarantee high temperature water to flow through the pipes and in addition keep the water pleasant and hot. If you have a clock that is set with metal and silver pins, it is a smart thing to buy extra pins so you can set it to come on 15 – 30 minutes regularly every two hours.
If your spa doesn’t have Auto Heat, Freeze Protection or a timer. You will have to keep the tub running on a low speed heat mode for 24 hours per day until there is no more risk of below zero temperatures. If this is the case, you could call an electrician and have them install a timer on the electric point that supplies your spa. This will save you a lot of money!
Many spas have a thermostat dial on the heater unit itself. This dial should be set at the High or Maximum position. If you find that the spa does not maintain satisfactory heat, increase its running time if too cold or decrease the thermostat setting depending if too hot. Make sure you do not decrease the running time!
Heating your spa:
The electricity company says “It costs less to maintain the temperature in a controlled environment than it does to let it get very cold and then BOOST the heat up on demand”. Most outdoor spas are equipped with the perfect “controlled environment”.
Don’t let the water in your tub get cold and then turn the heat right up before you use it. Besides from the risk of freezing up, this way of heating will cost you an enormous amount on your energy bills. It is recommended to maintain the water temperature on a consistent daily basis during the winter months.
So remember, the colder the weather the longer it will take for your tub to heat to the required temperature. Spas must run for considerably longer in the winter months to be able to heat up in the same time as the summer months.
Draining your spa:
It is not fun to have to drain and clean your tub when it is cold outside but it is a good move to clean and refill your tub about mid-December when the temperature is not as cold as the coming months. By doing this, the tub should not have to be drained again until the spring or the end of february, depending how much you’ve used it, when the temperatures are getting warmer again.
Keeping the heat in:
Now that you have nice fresh water, and you have set all your controls for the maximum energy efficiency and safety, don’t let all that great heat escape! It is strongly recommended that you use a Thermal Blanket under your regular “hard” hot tub cover. The Thermal Blanket floats on the water surface and caps all the water heat inside the tub. Thermal Blankets are inexpensive and work great!