Understanding your hot tub and how it works 

Do you tend to enjoy the beauty and relaxation of lying in your hot tub on a snowy winter night and just breathe in the beauty and warmth that surrounds you?  Or do you sit in your hot tub and wonder just how it works? Has your curiosity peaked to the point you start googling answers to find out?

Much like a swimming pool, a hot tub or spa has a circulation system which keeps the water moving through the plumbing, in a continuous cycle. 

The first part of the system is the skimmer which helps to collect leaves and other debris that may clog up the lines if it wasn’t removed first.  The pump acts as a suction to bring the water and debris through the skimmer and then pushes it through the filter.  Most hot tubs have a pleated cartridge filter to remove the fine debris, algae, and particulate matter that are too small for the skimmer to pick up.

After moving through the filters, the water then travels to the heater where the water is – you guessed it! – heated up.  The heated water then travels to the return line where it branches out to the manifolds meeting up with air that is pulled through the air control system and exits via the jets, back into your tub, providing you with the hot air / water mixture that is relaxing you as you are reading on how it works.

Although there is a little more to a hot tub than what is noted here, this is the general sense of what is happening in your spa. 

Now let’s briefly talk about chemistry; A hot tub runs at a higher temperature than a pool which causes the sanitizer to be depleted that much faster.  Due to the high temperatures in a spa, you will also sweat more than in a swimming pool which creates organic waste and uses up the sanitizer.  2 people in a hot tub is the equivalent of about 200 people in a swimming pool, so be sure that you also keep up on your water balance and chemistry to keep your spa clean, clear, and safe for all the bathers.  Drain and refill your tub on a quarterly basis and ensure you are running a cleaner through the plumbing lines before draining the tub for optimal longevity.

Haven’t been in for a water test recently? We’ll see you soon!

Now stop googling about your spa and enjoy a relaxing soak.