A gunite spa is a beautiful and luxurious addition to any home with a spacious yard. Indulging in a hot tub after an exhausting week of work is a pleasure not everyone can experience so often, so imagine being able to do so whenever you please. But the maintenance of a hot tub such as a gunite spa may be difficult, but once you get the hang of it, your home spa will last in all its glory.
Companies that specialize in swimming pool construction in Utah and other states can make your spa dreams come true, but once your majestic hot tub has been built, it’s time to take matters into your own hands with regards to maintaining it. Here are the essential things you need to know in order to maintain your hot tub:
Water Chemistry
To ensure the quality of the hot water in your tub, you need to literally “test the water.” You need to do this 2-4 times a week, measuring the pH, alkalinity, chlorine, bromine, and calcium hardness levels. The proper ranges should be:
- pH – 7.4-7.6
- Total alkalinity – 80-120 ppm
- Chlorine – 1.0-3.0 ppm
- Bromine of 2.0-4.0 ppm
- Calcium hardness – 150-250 ppm
You can use a test strip or a liquid test kit to measure your water’s chemical properties. If the figures are not within the proper range, you should have the following on hand to be able to make adjustments:
- pH increaser/decreaser
- Akalinity increaser
- Sanitizer (chlorine and bromine)
- Shock
- Test strips
In most areas, the tap water is good enough to be used in a spa, but to be sure, it would be better to still test the water. If your hot tub water doesn’t have the ideal chemical levels, it could affect its quality.
Water Circulation
Running water is cleaner than stagnant water, so it’s important to let the water in your hot tub circulate. A spa has cartridge filters where contaminants can pass through while the water is circulating.
The water should be circulated once or twice daily for around 15-20 minutes. Some hot tubs have an automatic circulation schedule, but if yours don’t, you should remember to do this manually every day.
Spa Interior
According to a gunite pool builder, the interiors of a gunite spa should be skimmed and scrubbed regularly. This task is strenuous, but there are now devices available that can save you the trouble. These devices are installed right in the hot tub, enabling you to automate cleaning tasks. However, it is still required to have your hot tub periodically checked by a professional to ensure that unnoticeable dirt and debris aren’t present in its interiors.
You can also scrub your hot tub weekly using white vinegar. Apply it on a scrub to get rid of the scum at the water’s edge. Scrubbing also eliminates algae.
Water Cleanliness
The filters prevent many kinds of dirt from contaminating your spa water, so the filters themselves should also be kept clean. While the water in your hot tub is drained, rinse the filters with hot water using your garden hose. Do this as often as possible, especially if you use your spa all the time. Every week, spray the filters with a hot tub filter cleaning product and then rinse. To thoroughly clean the filters, soak them in a chemical cleaner to eliminate any stubborn dirt. After doing any or all of these, you may refill your hot tub and enjoy a rejuvenating spa again.
Maintaining a spa seems confusing and demanding, but it will become second nature to you once you get used to it. As a hot tub owner, you’d want to be able to enjoy the highest quality of spas, so certainly, you’ll do your part of maintaining your own spa well.
