Hot Tubs 101

Matt Giovanisci: 00:00

Everyone. And welcome to Hot Tubs 101 by Swim University, where we help you keep your hot tub clean and clear all year. My name is Matt and I'm the founder of swimuniversity.com. And on this episode, we're talking about how to clean your hot tub filters the right way. So, let's jump in.

Matt Giovanisci: 00:32

Quick, if you want more help taking care of your hot tub, be sure to grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/spa sheet. So how dirty are your hot tub filters? As water circulates through your hot tub, your filters trap contaminants, everything from dirt to hair to dead skin cells. But over time, your filters become more and more dirty. And dirty filters pick up less debris and contaminants, leaving that contaminated water to circulate back into your hot tub.

Matt Giovanisci: 00:58

Spraying your filters with a garden hose once a week is a great way to keep your entire filtration system flowing. But, once in a while, you'll need to do a deeper clean to remove all the build up inside your filter pleats. So we're gonna go through a quick walk, quick step by step walk through on how to clean your hot tub filters using, the weekly quick rinse method, the monthly cleaner spray, and the quarterly deep clean soak. So before you start cleaning your filters, you'll need a few supplies. Number 1 is a garden hose with a spray nozzle.

Matt Giovanisci: 01:28

Number 2 is a clean 5 gallon bucket. Number 3 is a hot tub filter cleaner. And number 4 is an extra set of hot tub filter cartridges. Having a spare set lets you still use your hot tub while you're cleaning your other filters. So first, let's start with the weekly quick rinse.

Matt Giovanisci: 01:45

Rinsing your filters once a week will help remove debris that's built up inside your filter pleats and keep your entire filtration system flowing properly. Remove the filter cartridges from your filter well and give them a quick and thorough rinse with a garden hose. Be sure to spread apart each pleat and rinse them in between to remove any dirt, hair, or debris, and allow the filter to air dry before you put it back in your hot tub. Is this necessary? No.

Matt Giovanisci: 02:12

But it's good practice. Next, you'll wanna do a monthly cleaner spray. Once a month, you'll wanna clean any residue on your filter that can't be removed by just plain water from your garden hose, especially cold water. This is where a hot tub filter cleaner comes in handy. So you wanna spray your filters with a filter cleaner and let them sit for about 15 minutes to allow the cleaner to do its job.

Matt Giovanisci: 02:36

This will help remove any build up like body oil, and then you wanna rinse thoroughly with clean water, preferably hot water, but not the water from your hot tub. Finally, you'll wanna do a quarterly deep clean soak. Soaking your filters in a cleaning solution every 3 to 4 months helps to improve the lifespan of your filters and removes the toughest build up and grime. Play plan to soak your filters once a quarter or whenever you're planning on draining and cleaning your hot tub. Maybe that's every 6 months.

Matt Giovanisci: 03:07

Sometimes, you will do it every year, but I think you should do it more often than that. If you need help draining and changing your spot of water, we do have videos on our YouTube channel and we have tutorials on our website on how to drain and clean a hot tub. Now, for this deep clean, you'll wanna you'll want your hot tub, filter cleaning chemical again, the one that we use for the spray. Dilute the filter cleaner in a large clean bucket of warm water, and make sure you use enough water to submerge the entire hot tub filter, but not too much that it overflows over the bucket. Place the filter cartridge in the bucket and let it rest for and let it rest in the solution for 24 hours.

Matt Giovanisci: 03:45

Then you'll remove the filter, rinse it with a hose or some warm water, not again, not your hot tub water, and allow it to air dry before placing it back into the hot tub. Again, do you have to air dry it? No. But it's good practice. And whenever you use any kind of filter cleaner, make sure that you rinse the filters completely before you put them back in the hot tub because any residue can cause your hot tub to foam, and you'll likely have to drain and refill your hot tub again.

Matt Giovanisci: 04:12

Now what about household products? Can you use things like bleach, soap, or vinegar to clean your filters? Well, the short answer is, it's best to stick with a hot tub filter cleaner that's meant for hot tubs. But, here's what you can use to clean your filters. Number 1, or here's I'm sorry, I should say, here's what you can and can't use because number 1 is bleach.

Matt Giovanisci: 04:31

Never use it. Diluted bleach is great for cleaning surfaces and your hot tub shell, but it's too harsh to use on your filter. It can eat away at the filter's media fibers, and you'll have to replace it much sooner. Number 2 is avoid household cleaners like detergents and soaps. You can use a household cleaners on nearly every other part of your hot tub except for the filters.

Matt Giovanisci: 04:56

These cleaners can cause foaming in your hot tub no matter how well you think you've rinsed the filter, and soap is especially tough to get rid of once it's circulating in your hot tub. Number 3, vinegar is okay but powerful enough, right? So while you can use vinegar to spray or soak your hot tub, it's not as effective as a specially formulated cleaning solution. As an acid, the vinegar will help remove scale and mineral deposits on your filter, but it won't remove heavy build up, grease, or oil. Finally, if you want to get your hot tub filters clean, it might be or sorry, I should say, if you can't get them clean, it might be time to replace them altogether.

Matt Giovanisci: 05:38

Plan to change your hot tub filters at least once a year or more often if you plan to use your spa more often. And you know it's time for new filter if the me you know it's time for new filters if the media is ripped or it's bent, the end caps are brittle, cracked, or very discolored, or you just can't get your filters clean anymore. So remember, if you need more help with hot tub maintenance, grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/bashi. And if you found this episode helpful, subscribe for more hot tub maintenance tips on your favorite podcasting app. And when you do, please leave us a review.

Matt Giovanisci: 06:15

That would be great. Your support will help more hot tub owners just like you find this show. That's it. Thanks again, and happy soaking.