Can You Put Anti-freeze in a Hot Tub?
A hot tub beats many other ways of relaxation and winding up.This vessel comes in handy, especially if you happen to live in colder climates.
As long as it is chilly outside, you will definitely love soaking. Even during holiday gatherings, a hot tub will scarcely disappoint you.
But you might be asking, can you put anti-freeze in a hot tub? Yes, anti-freeze can be put in a hot tub when closing it down until winter.
When you do this, it is an effective way of winterizing your hot tub and therefore preventing pipes from freezing as well as bursting.
When the temperature drops below zero, it is easy for pipes to burst after they freeze. However, the hot tub should not be used once it is winterized.
Anti-freeze is useful in a hot tub since it effectively prevents an otherwise expensive repair ordeal occasioned by freezing.
Once you put anti-freeze in a hot tub, chances of freezing damage are minimized when the hot tub is not being used.
It is advisable to ensure that you use anti-freeze during those months that you are not using your hot tub.
Many people start preparing their hot tub when winter approaches. Unfortunately, this can be a tiring task since it involves a lot of work.
However, you might not have to go through this ordeal since there are other options related to ensuring the safety of your hot tub when not in use.
Do I Need To Winterize My Hot Tub?
No. While winterizing a hot tub plays an indisputably important role in cleaning your hot tub.
Many people find it extremely hard to adapt to the tiresome chores associated with winterizing your hot tub.
When it comes to winterizing, it is not a cheap affair since it involves a relatively high recurrent cost and a lot of work.
On the other hand, it only takes about $4.75 a month to get all hot tub water circulation expenses catered for in a month.
If you compare this with a whole three hours that you will require to winterize your hot tub, you will find winterizing a waste of time.
Consequently, it is not economically viable to winterize since it is cheaper to hold that hot water tub running for as long as you will not use it.
Since winterizing involves a lot of work, it is critical to ensure that what you are doing is worth it’s salt.
Indeed, it might be more cost-effective to just let your hot tub run through the winter.
One downside of winterizing is its time and the unfortunate fact that there is not much saved in electric bills.
When you leave your hot tub on, there is no risk of your pipes freezing as they will keep themselves hot.
Indeed, there lacks no mechanical reason behind switching off the system when not being used.
There’s no mechanical reason to turn off the hot tub. Hot tubs are designed to run for 24 hours, and there is, therefore, no good reason why it needs to be put off over concerns of tear and wear.
Additionally, if the hot tub is kept running, you will not have to worry much about the purity of the water.
As long as you maintain a weekly testing time and consequent adjustments performed by the use of test strips.
You can endure the long months to winter without winterizing your hot tub.
However, if you still want to winterize your hot tub, it is critical to follow appropriate guidelines.
First, you will need to note three places that must be protected as you winterize your hot tub.
These include pump housing, manifold water distributor, and filter housing.
As you winterize the hot tub, it is critical to drain it completely vacuumed by using a wet/dry vac.
When you eliminate all moisture, get hold of one jet, connect a funnel with a hose pipe to the place of the jet and then add about 2.273046 liters (half a gallon) of anti-freeze.
Do I Need To Prepare My Hot Tub Again After Winter?
Yes. If you have chosen to put anti-freeze on your hot tub instead of allowing it to run when it is not being used, it is critical to deal with the anti-freeze before using your hot tub.
If you don’t, you will be soaking in anti-freeze.
The first thing you will need to do is to remove any trace of the anti-freeze, as you do not need any of it in your hot tub.
Remember, it is not safe to soak in water that has anti-freeze.
It is relatively easy to eliminate the anti-freeze from your hot tub as you need to have the hot tub filled with water and then neutralize the anti-freeze.
Anti-freeze will be neutralized by putting a double portion of the ordinary chlorine amount you usually use.
This should be followed by draining the hot tub (repeat the procedure as above) and then refilling it again, and then get your filter cartridges in their places.
Remember, you will need to have cleaned the filters before this.
Can I Clean My Hot Tub Filter Easily After Putting Anti-freeze?
Yes. Cleaning your hot tub filter is not a challenging task. Well, unwinding and relaxation will be taken to another level when you buy a hot tub.
However, it is more rewarding to have the assurance that you are soaking in clean water. Filters play an important role in ensuring that your water remains clean.
However, for a filter to perform this vital task, it needs to be cleaned regularly. Filters rid the water of all lotions and dirt if they are functioning correctly.
You might want to reduce the demands placed on your filter by ensuring that you never get into that tub before you bathe clean.
A dirty filter may clog due to the buildup, effectively making its functions a nightmare that it cannot perform.
Consequently, you will see dirty water, oily water, bacteria growth, and even an overworked pump if the filter fails.
Luckily, you can clean the filters using vinegar after putting in anti-freeze.
Ideally, as long as you put anti-freeze in the hot tub, it is advisable to clean the filters even if you had recently cleaned them.
After you bring back your hot tub to functionality, you will need to maintain a consistent watch over your filters.
As a rule of thumb, a weekly filter cleaning is not too much to expect from a hot tub owner.
Consistency is the key here. Indeed, if you consistently rinse it with water weekly, all buildup should be eliminated from the filter.
In this weekly procedure, you only need a hose and water to clean your filter but avoid high pressure to ensure gentleness that guarantees the prevention of breaking and tearing the filter.
Before returning the filter to the hot tub, allow absolute drying.
Are There Ways I Can Clean My Hot Tub Filter To Last Longer?
Yes. Your filter should serve you for several years. However, its longevity will be impacted by the way you wash it and the frequency thereof.
First, it is critical to maintaining a close eye on the water chemistry in your hot tub.
Incorrect pH levels affect the filter as it might have to perform some of the functions of chlorine.
Therefore, the water chemistry should be checked and adjusted. With test strips, this should not be hard as they come with instructions on the package.
Additionally, it is essential to purchasing a filter cleaning wand. This is a handy appliance that only allows appropriate pressure on your filter.
This means that you will not run the risk of tearing the inside of your filter with excess pressure.
Again, buy some scum bugs for enhanced absorption of contaminants and natural oils.
When the bugs get dirty, they need to be removed and cleaned before they are placed in the hot tub again.
As long as the bugs are in the water, very little dirt will be going to the filter as it absorbs most of the contaminants and dirt.
Indeed, they keep your water cleaner, lengthening the lifespan of your filters.
Also, rinsing is a great way to ensure that your hot tub doesn’t get any of your body oils or dirt.
It is advisable to have two filters to still soak even when the filter is being cleaned or waiting to dry.
Remember, your hot tub filter’s lifespan will depend on the frequency with which you clean it, especially if you use hard water.
Hard water leaves significant deposits, regardless of how frequently you wash the filter. Therefore, the type of water is a major factor here.
Are There Easy Ways To Sanitize My Hot Tub?
Yes. It is not hard to have your hot tub sanitized. You will need to know how to tackle each problem that arises from a dirty hot tub.
The first problem we will address is foaming. While this is a very common problem in hot tubs, knowing why it forms will help you prevent it from forming again.
There several reasons that might trigger the formation of foam on your hot tub.
For instance, it might form from incorrect calcium hardness levels.
High calcium levels are also a threat to your hot tub’s internal parts; therefore, you should be careful to address the problem before it causes severe damage.
It can also leave deposits as well as cause staining.
Since soft water causes more bubbles than hard water, it is crucial to maintain the correct hardness of the hot tub water.
Incorrect pH level is yet another problem. If the pH level is either too alkaline or too acidic, it might cause several problems, foaming being one of them.
Consequently, your sanitizer should be kept at optimum levels of functionality to prevent other problems.
Another problem is dirty hot tub water. Dirt in a hot tub might not be seen with the naked eye.
There are many forms of debris that your water collects from shampoos, moisturizers, and lotions, all coming from bathers’ bodies.
All these contain molecules that make foam
If you have a hot tub foam problem, you will have to maintain your water well to get rid of it. First, check the alkalinity and adjust it accordingly.
Your hot tub’s alkalinity needs to be between 100 and 120 parts per million. Peradventure you want to raise the alkalinity, use an alkalinity increaser.
Again, should you want to decrease the alkalinity, use a pH decreaser.
It will be critical to know the number of gallons your hot tub holds to balance the water chemistry.
You might need to perform a re-test and continue adjusting until you get to the correct level. Appropriate pH levels should be between 7.4 and 7.6.
Again, you will need to check the calcium hardness. This will require a test strip. Appropriate calcium level is between 175 and 250 parts per million.
Peradventure is below that range; add some calcium hardness chemical to arrive at the proper level.
However, if the level is beyond that range, drain the hot tub and refill it with water.
This is easier than try other methods, although it will take time for the hot tub to fill up and get the right temperature.
I would also recommend that you also clean your filters at this time. They might have too much buildup from the dirty water.
Conclusion
You can put anti-freeze in a hot tub. Anti-freeze works well by ensuring that it prevents your hot tub pipes from freezing and bursting over winter.
Indeed, anti-freeze can prevent otherwise expensive repair damage on your hot tub.
While the importance of anti-freeze when you are not using your hot tub for long might not be overemphasized, it might not be necessary for you to use anti-freeze.
Indeed, the work involved in using anti-freeze is not worth what you would think of saving in terms of electric bills.
Therefore, it is best to let your hot tub run even if you are not using it so that the water remains warm.
