Heating Up The Hot Tub: Cleaning The Water

Have you left the water in the hot tub or spa the entire summer and just pulled back the spa cover to discover black, murky water? If this happens, chances are you will have to drain out the bad water and replace it with fresh water for the coming winter season.

But before you do this, have you considered exactly what happened to the internal pipes of the hot tub or spa? Typically when water is left in a hot tub for a long period of time the internal pipes can become clogged with debris and organic matter. Gross!

Before you empty the bad water to replace it for the winter season, you will want to clean out the internal pipes of your hot tub. There are two products that Family Leisure carries that will accomplish this goal: Jet Clean by Leisure Time and Spa Purge by Natural Chemistry.

Jet Clean is a concentrated spa jet cleaning formula that comes in a 16 ounce bottle pictured right; view Jet Clean by Leisure Time here. If used correctly it will keep your spa jets and plumbing free of minerals, dirts and oils, as well as prevent the growth of organic material.

If you find your jets or internal piping / plumbing is clogged, Jet Clean will help resolve the problem. First, remove the hot tub or spa filter. This is very important, since the chemicals in Jet Clean can destroy micro-fibers. Once the filter is removed, turn on the hot tub to heat up the water. This will help remove build up and other gunk from the jets and pipes.

Once the tub is heated, add the entire bottle of Jet Clean (all 16 ounces) and turn on the jets for 15 minutes. After these 15 minutes, turn off the jets and let the Jet Clean sit and soak for an hour. Turn the jets back on and let them run for an additional 15 minutes.

Now you can drain the water, but be sure to rinse the tub while you do this. On extremely bad clogs, you may have to repeat the process or fill up the tub halfway after you clean it out for the first time. Once you are satisfied everything is clean, you can start refilling your hot tub and start the normal spa chemical program and start up process.

Bathtubs with jets can use Jet Clean to clear out clogs and remove organic debris. In this case, half of the 16 ounce bottle can be used (8 ounces). Follow the same instructions (run jets for fifteen minutes, let soak for an hour, run jets and then rinse) listed above for hot tubs on bathtubs with jets.

While Jet Clean uses special chemicals to clean your hot tub, Spa Purge by Natural Chemistry relies on an acid-free formula to remove clogs and organic build-up; view Spa Purge by Natural Chemistry here. This product is designed to be used both as a regular pipe cleaner during your normal changes and as a cleaner when you have left the water in the hot tub for too long.

Spa Purge comes in a one liter bottle (pictured above right), will remove unwanted organic materials and debris, is non-toxic and will not damage septic systems (you can drain water with Spa Purge on to your lawn without fear). But please note: Spa Purge may not work if your chlorine or sanitizer is above six parts per million (6 ppm).

To use Spa Purge on a hot tub, turn it on and let the water heat up to more than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the hot tub is heated up to this temperature, empty the full one-liter bottle of Spa Purge into the spa water. Let the Spa Purge sit in the hot tub for 12 hours, periodically turning on the pump and jets for about five minutes at the most, being sure to not let the foam overflow the sides of the tub.

Once the 12 hours are over, drain the tub and rinse it while the bad water is emptying out. Like Jet Clean, Spa Purge will break down oils, clogged filters, lotions, hair products and other contaminants from the internal piping of your hot tub. Spa Purge uses natural enzymes that bind to the organic contaminants, reducing them and breaking them down into smaller parts and compounds such as carbon dioxide or water.

Hopefully these tips will help you if you find yourself confronted with black, murky water that's been sitting in your hot tub all summer long. Fall and winter means it's time to hang out in the hot tub or spa, and many owners are heating up their hot tub water for the first time since the last cold season.

Remember, Family Leisure has Spa and Hot Tub Supplies with free nationwide shipping; view all Family Leisure Spa and Hot Tub Supplies here. Are you curious about purchasing a hot tub or spa? Family Leisure carries a full selection of spas and hot tubs with free nationwide shipping; view Family Leisure Spa and Hot Tubs here.