If they haven’t already, leaves are about to start falling off trees and right into your backyard. To keep them away from your hot tub and out of your clear spa water, have a look at these helpful fall spa care tips.
- Clean your filters or replace them if necessary. First order of business, take a look at those filters and make sure they will be able to handle another season. Signs that your filter needs replacing include:
- Dirt or discolouration - after a filter is cleaned thoroughly, it should return to a nice clean white. If it’s looking yellow-ish or has dirt/grime spots, it’s time to replace it. Those areas of discolouration are areas where your filter is too clogged with debris to efficiently filter your water.
- Damage. In the water all day, every day, filters get exposed to constant chemicals and water. Check for signs of cracks, breaking handles, torn bands, fuzzy, swollen or frayed pleats, bleached end caps. These are all signs that your filter needs to be replaced.
- Stinky even after cleaning? If your filter has an odour coming from it, even after a nice chemical rinse, it’s likely that bacteria have taken up home in there. Best to kick them to the curb and get fresh, clean filters.
- Make sure you’ve done (or have a plan to do) your quarterly water drain and fresh fill. Before your hot tub is bombarded by wind, flying leaves and (gasp) snow, give your hot tub some extra maintenance and love now to get it prepared. Having clean, balanced water at stable levels now will keep your filters ready for when they need to get to work!
- Inspect your spa cover for signs of damage. Your thermal cover is going to be the first line of defence against the elements in the coming season (unless you’ve got a cover cap, which is a great way to protect your hot tub this season!).
- Make sure to brush all leaves, branches, snow, and any other debris off your hot tub cover as soon as possible to prevent sagging and damage in this weather.
- Test to make sure your cover locks are working. In extreme wind conditions, your cover may fly away or become seriously damaged if not properly secured down. Always have your cover securely locked in place when the spa is not in use.
- Look for a good seal around the spa to make sure heat isn’t escaping from the sides. If the cover doesn’t have a good seal, it’s going to be wasting a lot of energy trying to keep the water warm in the cold weather.
For more helpful tips on managing the fall season, read further: