Furniture & Design

Our Cold Weather Tips For Your Hot Tub

Written by Bob Lee | Oct 24, 2022 8:00:00 PM

A hot tub is a wonderful outdoor feature that brings enjoyment to your backyard or poolside space.

If you’re looking for hot tubs for sale in Cleveland, be sure to visit Northeast Factory Direct today.

Poolside hot tubs are a great way to kick back and relax, even in the cold winter months of the year.

If you’re looking for some ways to enjoy your hot tub all year round, read on for a few of our cold weather tips for your hot tub.

You’ll discover how to take care of and maintain your hot tub in the winter, as well as some fun ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment, no matter what the weather brings.

 

Drain and Refill the Hot Tub Every Season

Ideally, you should change the water in your hot tub at least every three months, including just before winter sets in.

Drain the hot tub all the way, then refill it with fresh, clean water and apply the recommended water treatment per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Try to drain and refill your hot tub after late fall, just before the extremely cold winter temperatures arrive.

The exact time to do this will depend on where you live and your specific forecast and climate.

Try to drain and refill the hot tub before temperatures reach the freezing mark.

When you drain and refill the hot tub, it’s also a perfect time to go ahead and flush the plumbing system.

This will help to ensure that the system runs as efficiently as possible when you use it during the winter.

 

Check the Water Levels Often

The next of our cold weather tips for your hot tub is to make sure that your hot tub’s water level looks consistent.

If there’s a leak you cannot see, it can cause serious and sometimes extremely expensive problems if you wait too long to get it fixed.

Once the water levels get too low, the pumps and heaters may stop working, and the motor may burn out.

It’s much more expensive to replace a pump or heater than it is to repair a simple plumbing or water line leak.

If it gets too low, the water inside your hot tub may also freeze, causing even more serious issues later down the road.

If you’re not a fan of using your hot tub during the winter, you should still occasionally check to ensure that it’s working the way it should and that the water levels look good.

 

Keep the Water Temperature Consistent (h2)

Some homeowners think that they will save money on their electric bills by raising the water temperature only when they use their hot tubs.

However, it actually costs more to keep changing the temperature than it does to keep it at the same, consistent temperature throughout the winter.

Do this whether you’re using the hot tub or not.

Otherwise, the heater and pumps must work harder when you raise the temperature, which in turn will raise your energy bill.

You should cover your hot tub as soon as you’re done using it to keep the heater from working too hard to heat up the water.

A spa blanket is another great accessory that can be used over poolside hot tubs to help increase efficiency and save you money.

 

Grab Plenty of Supplies

Winter is also a great time to go ahead and stock up on the supplies you’ll need to maintain your hot tub until spring.

An added bonus is that many hot tub products go on sale during the winter, so it’s a good time to save some extra money while you stock up, too.

You should also invest in a high-quality hot tub cover or spa blanket to protect it from snow or falling branches as well as other miscellaneous debris.

Ensure that the cover fits snugly over the hot tub and that it will stay in place in the event of a storm.

 

Use Common Sense While in the Hot Tub 

Another of our cold weather tips for your hot tub is to make sure that you enjoy it, but that you also limit the amount of time you spend in it when it’s cold outside.

A combination of cold air and sitting in water can cause your skin and your body to become dehydrated much faster.

Ideally, you should spend no more than 20 minutes at a time soaking in your hot tub.

Make sure that you have plenty of drinking water close at hand whenever you’re hanging out in the hot tub.

This simple rule applies to the summer, spring, and fall seasons, too.

You should also limit your use of the jets whenever you’re dipping into the hot tub during the wintertime.

These jets blow cold air into the water, which means that they could cause your body temperature to drop more quickly than it normally would.

Don’t forget to wear warm clothing as you’re going to and from the hot tub, too.

Walking outside in the middle of the winter in your bathing suit will cause your body temperature to drop to dangerously low levels.

Place plenty of thick, warm towels next to poolside hot tubs so that everyone has enough coverage and warmth when they’re drying off before going back inside.

 

Keep the Water as Clean as Possible

The water in your hot tub should always be clean, but this is especially true in the winter when you likely won’t drain and refill it as often as you would during warmer months of the year.

Ask everyone who uses your hot tub to take a quick shower before they jump in.

This will help to keep residue from soap, shampoo, lotion, and other toiletries from rinsing off of your guests’ bodies and into the water.

By reducing the amount of residue in the water, you’ll be able to keep the system as clean and as clear as possible.

 

Make it Cozy

It might feel nice and warm when you’re in the hot tub, but it can be downright frigid whenever you get out.

Add a heat lamp to warm up the area around your hot tub or put up a tall privacy fence to help shield it from the wind.

A nice towel warmer can also make the winter hot tub experience more comfortable and luxurious.

Place a thick warm rug by your hot tub so that guests have a soft, dry, and warm place to step onto when they get out.

No one wants to step their wet feet onto the cold, frozen ground!

Remember these tips to take good care of your hot tub during the winter so you can get the most out of it all year, no matter what season you’re in.