Signs Your Hot Tub Needs Professional Maintenance

A hot tub is a wonderful place to relax, indulge your senses, and create beautiful memories with your family and friends. Many options for accessories allow you to tailor the look to your preferences and needs.

However, as with any appliance, a time comes when your hot tub is no longer performing at its peak and will need a professional's touch. To determine if your spa needs professional service, look for the following warning signs.

Green or Murky Water

Clear sparkling water in your tub is good for your health and for the tub to function correctly. However, you may notice a greenish tint in your tub water occasionally. The hot tub water can turn green due to several factors, but it's mostly a case of chemical imbalance.

Common reasons for green tub water are:

• Algae growth
• Excessive metal
• Low sanitizer levels

Algae are aquatic plants common in pools. Algae tend to grow in water where the owner fails to pay proper attention to the tub over a long period. Direct exposure to the sun also accelerates algae growth, so you should have the cover on during the day.

Water from the municipal system or wells contains high metal content of copper and iron. These metals react with water to form a green hue in your hot tub when shocked. Low sanitizer levels can also induce a green tint to your tub water. Your hot tub water should have balanced sanitizer levels.

Strange Odor

A minimal chlorine scent is perfectly normal for a hot tub. However, a smelly tub is a sign of hidden bacteria and can be frustrating. Hot tub water can be clear and still have smelly water. Many factors could affect your hot tub smell, including pH levels, deteriorating tub cover, and tub draining schedule.

Low pH levels can produce a pungent smell, while high pH can result in a musty smell. Ideally, you want the pH level to be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Leaks

A leaky hot tub is the last thing you want to deal with. Fortunately, significant leaks are visible, and locating them is as easy as following the water. Less substantial leaks, however, can be challenging to detect. An effortless way of locating a minor leak is using dye to change the color of the water.

The common areas where a hot tub may leak are:

• The pump. Unfortunately, pump leaks are very common, and the few areas you should first look at are the rubber seals, O-rings, and gaskets. 

Rubber is the best material, and you can compress it to form a water-tight seal. Rubber is not easily broken down by water. Over time, however, the tub chemicals can cause the rubber to crack, causing a leak.

• The heater. The heater has multiple working parts that you should check off one by one in case the leak is not in the pump. 

The components include the heating element, thermostat, pressure switch, and sensors. To protect yourself from shock during the inspection, turn off the power to the tub.

Cool Water

Hot tubs should be hot. If your tub is not as hot as you'd like, you probably have a problem with insufficient heating and you should get to the root of the problem as soon as possible.

Some probable reasons your hot tub isn't heating include:

• Circulation problems. A hot tub requires sufficient circulation to maintain an even hot temperature. Any problems with the flow will result in slow heating of your tub water.
• Heating element fault. The heater element may have scale build-up from hard water which reduces its efficiency to heat the water.

Schedule maintenance as soon as you notice any of the issues above with your hot tub. However, to ensure your hot tub stays in good shape, make sure you use the right hot tub supplies and get routine service. Routine service will help you detect any issues before they become more serious.

Anchor Pools & Spas can help. Contact us if you have questions about hot tub maintenance.