How to Prepare Your Hot Tub for Hurricane Season

With Tropical Storms Karl and Lisa picking up speed off of our nation’s coasts, homeowners are beginning to stock up on dry goods, bottled water, and first aid supplies. However, for many homeowners, preparing the home also encompasses preparing the garden as patio furniture, delicate plants, outdoor structures, pools and hot tubs also need to be protected against possible incoming storms.

Preparing your hot tub for a storm, whether it be a severe tropical storm or a hurricane, takes little time and can avoid a great deal of damage both to the spa and, potentially, to your home. It can also save you money on repairs to damages once the storm has blown over!

Hot Tub Tips for Hurricane Season:

o Do Not Drain the Hot Tub
o Turn off Electric Power: any equipment that requires electricity must be shut off by turning off circuit breakers at the main electrical panel.
o Remove Loose Items from the Area: tables, pool and spa accessories or toys, chairs and other items must be stored safely away from the area; typically it is best to store these inside a garage or storage unit as they can become dangerous projectiles if wind speeds are strong.
o Protect All Equipment: wrap your spa parts in waterproof plastic and tie it securely to avoid dirt, small debris and water from entering; if possible, remove vulnerable, exposed items and store them inside the house.
o Add Extra Chemicals: whether your spa uses chlorine or hot tub bromine, add an additional dose in order to prevent contamination from the anticipated debris and dirty water of the storm.
o Do Not Cover the Spa: contrary to what instinct would have us do, it is best to leave your pool or hot tub uncovered during a storm as it is easier to remove debris from a pool or hot tub after a storm then to have to clean up a potentially destroyed pool or hot tub cover. Storms bring wind, and wind can cause falling branches and other flying debris that can damage pool covers.

Preparing Your Yard for Storms:

o Trim tree limbs and branches that extend above cars, pools and/or hot tubs to minimize potential damage; prune any plants or bushes.
o Remove Metal/Glass Items from your Yard: store all metal and glass items inside a garage or house as items such as these could damage, scratch or damage the inside finish of your pool or spa; additionally, if these items shatter in your pool or hot tub, it is virtually impossible to clean up glass shards.
o Protect Delicate Plants: flowers and plants that are particularly delicate ought to be stored inside if at all possible (i.e.: potted plants); for plants that cannot be moved inside, wrap them in protective plastic and secure tightly – although this will not protect them from large debris, it will keep small debris and slashing winds and rain at bay.
o Bring in flags, awnings and umbrellas.


Hot Tub Warehouse is a supplier of quality, name-brand spa maintenance products and spa parts. As an online resource for the very best solutions for all your hot tub needs, Hot Tub Warehouse offers you the best selection of products.

Basic Tips for Spa Maintenance

Chances are you have received a wealth of conflicting information on how to take care of your hot tub. Friends and family offer helpful tips, your owner’s manual comes with a long list of prescriptions and your chemical testing kit probably has its own suggestions. With all of this information available, how do you know what is useful?

There are a few basic rules that all hot tub owners ought to follow in order to ensure a safe and pleasant spa experience for everyone, including maintaining your water and chemicals, and ensuring that all parts are operating correctly. Taking time to maintain your hot tub can save you time and money down the road as you will not need to replace parts or drain the water as often!

1. Change Your Water Every 3, 4, or 6 months

This depends on frequency of usage and whether your hot tub is well maintained. Hot tubs that have efficiently working spa parts and whose water is treated may last longer, but remember, no amount of chemical additives can protect you completely in water that is old and dirty. To be on the safe side, change the water quarterly.

2. Daily Duties

Some hot tub maintenance tasks need to be completed daily to make sure you hot tub runs smoothly and to avoid larger, more serious problems down the road. These tasks take a few minutes a day:
Check your pH levels: should be between 7.2 and 7.6.
Check chlorine levels: should be between 1-3 mg/l (ppm). Use Hot Tub pH Plus or Minus according to instructions to recalibrate.
Bromine is more common in hot tubs and bromine should be between 2-4 ppm.
Check for foam

3. Weekly Duties

It is important to do the following on a weekly basis so as to not let dirt or grime pile up as this will results in more work in the future, as well as potentially damaging your equipment:
Shock hot tub
Clean your spa filter: make sure the filter is placed correctly in the canister to ensure that the water is filtered and to maximize jet pressure. Replace filters every twelve months as degraded filters will cause cloudy water. If your filter is under a year old, make sure to clean it on a monthly basis and soak it in degreaser. Always have a spare 2nd filter as filters have to be allowed to dry first so that the fibers can bind together after cleaning.
Check your water: how often you need to check your water depends on a variety of factors – your frequency of usage, whether you use a hot tub cover, whether the spa part are functioning correctly, etc. In general, it is a good idea to check your water twice a week, just to be on the safe side.

4. Clean Your Hot Tub Cover

Every 6 months, clean your hot tub cover with a diluted chlorine solution that includes UV protection

Ashley Olson, Hot Tub Warehouse. Hot Tub Warehouse is a supplier of quality hot tub parts and accessories, including fitted spa covers and hot tub covers. For a wide selection of hot tub chemicals, testing supplies, filters and more, please visit Hot Tub Warehouse.