ATTENTION NEW HOT TUB AND SWIM SPA OWNERS:
We recommend bringing a water sample to Bud's Spas & Pools before adding any chemicals and/or before entering your hot tub for the first time.
Test Strips
Test strips are a great tool to help you maintain your hot tub. We recommend visiting Bud’s Spas & Pools for a water test at least once a month to maintain proper water balance.
- Test strips should be used weekly and before using your hot tub
- If the sanitizer becomes too high, it may result in a “bleached” test strip and will not produce accurate results.
- If you are ever unsure, please bring in a water sample.
Adding Chemicals
- Make sure the pump is running and the temperature is set to at least 80°.
- This will ensure that the chemicals will dissolve properly.
- When adding chemicals, proper dosage is VERY important.
- All Dazzle chemicals can be measured using the caps on the bottles.
- Follow the instructions on the bottle for proper application.
- To avoid cloudy water, please be sure to WAIT for the recommended time required between each chemical.
- ALWAYS refer to your water analysis printout.
Sanitizer (Bromine or Chlorine)
The sanitizer is the most important chemical you will add to your hot tub. The lack of proper sanitization can lead to problems like cloudy water, biofilm, etc. It is necessary to use tablets along with shocking/oxidizing to achieve the ideal level of sanitizer.
- We recommend placing 2-3 bromine or chlorine tablets into your chemical feeder/floater and adjust as needed. (Check the feeder/floater weekly and replace the tablets as they dissolve. )
- Shocking/oxidizing eliminates wastes such as perspiration, body oils, and cosmetics.
- Heavy usage is considered 2 or more people in the tub for longer than 20 minutes.
- To ensure that your hot tub water stays sanitized, add a shock treatment after heavy use.
- Leave your cover off for 1 hour after shocking.
Filter Maintenance
A dirty filter can cause problems in your hot tub or swim spa such as foaming, cloudiness, and low circulation.
- Use Rapid Action Filter Cleanse every 4-6 weeks to prevent these problems from occurring and to control scale/rust and remove oils/greases from the filter.
- The filter should also be rinsed off weekly, cleaning between each pleat. ***Do not use a pressure washer, as it could damage the fibres***
- To obtain optimal performance, make sure the filter is fully dry before placing back in the hot tub after using Rapid Action Filter Cleanse.
Draining
Knowing when to drain your hot tub depends on the saturation of your water. At Bud’s, we test for TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) which indicates a reading in PPM (Parts per Million). Once the water is highly saturated, chemicals can no longer keep your water balanced and safe for bathers.
- When that number rises above 1600-2500ppm (depending on the weekly maintenance system you use), it may be time to drain and start fresh.
- For draining procedures, please refer to the instructions on “Draining Your Hot Tub” or call into the service department to book a service call!
- We recommend that the water level in your hot tub be kept at ¾ of the way up the skimmer.
Additional Tips and Tricks
- Over time, O-rings tend to break down and the result can cause an improper seal with your chemical feeder. Apply a Silicone Lubricant to O-rings every other month to prevent this from happening.
- Having two sets of filters for your hot tub is recommended. It allows you to be able to fully dry your filter after chemically cleaning and still be able to use your hot tub!
- Using a weekly maintenance system like the Mineraluxe system will help with the general upkeep of the tub an the equipment.
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