How Often Do You Change Hot Tub Water?

Even if you hardly ever use your hot tub, eventually you will need to replace the water with a fresh supply. But, certainly, the more that you use your hot tub the more frequently you will need to change the water. Changing the water comes with a number of benefits; your hot tub will not only be cleaner and it will be easier to balance the chemicals.

“How often do you change hot tub water?” is one of the most-asked questions we receive at Master Spa Parts. In other instances, individuals will ask if they really need to change the water. But, when it comes down to how often you should change your water, it really comes down to usage. But, of course if you had a mishap in adding chemicals and you have ongoing chemical balancing issues, changing out the water may not be a bad idea.

Why You Should Change the Water in Your Hot Tub

To the question, “Do I really have to change out the water in my hot tub?” The answer is a most definitive “Yes.” Over time, simply adding more chemicals may become ineffective at killing off certain microbes and algae because the water has essentially become saturated with chemicals and adding more will only offer diminishing returns on your efforts. Not changing your water regularly is bad for your hot tub’s parts, but an overabundance of chemicals can lead to rashes and burning nasal passageways and eyes.

Let’s Throw Some Math into the Mix

One of the most reliable ways to tell how often you should change out your hot tub’s water is by using a sort of crude formula. Do you have a calculator ready?

What you want to do is divide the total gallons of water your hot tub holds by 3. Next, divide this figure by the number of people who regularly use the hot tub.

Here’s an example of how this formula works: Let’s say you have a 600-gallon hot tub, which is used by three bathers every day (on average). So, dividing 600 by 3 gives us 200. We then divide 200 by 3 (the number of bathers), which gives us 66.67. This means if you have a 600-gallon hot tub that is used by three users nearly every day then you should change out your hot tub’s water ever 66 or 67 days.

Of course, this is just a rough estimate and other factors can affect how often you should change out your hot tub’s water. But, if you notice any of the issues in the following section then it is most definitely time to change out your hot tub’s water.

Some Signs it’s Time to Change Out that Water

Here are some of the signs it’s time to change out your water:

• Foamy bubbles — If you notice tiny, foamy bubbles appear on the surface of the water that don’t go away after treating the water, it may be best to fill up your hot tub instead of throwing more chemicals at the issue.

• A funky smell — There are plenty of people who try to kill off a funky-smelling hot tub by throwing just about every chemical under the sun at it. Sometimes it’s best just to start with a fresh batch of water rather than trying to chase a phantom smell.

• Water is cloudy — If your spa’s water remains murky even after it’s been shocked and clarifier has been used, it may be time to start with fresh water

• Balancing act — Over time, your hot tub accumulates a lot of chemicals and therefore it may become difficult to balance your hot tub’s chemistry.

• Hazy recollection — If you simply can’t remember the last time you changed out your hot tub’s water, it’s probably a good idea to just go ahead and change it out. Just remember: When it doubt, change it out!

Use Your Smartphone’s Calendar

Most smartphone calendar apps feature a built-in reminder system. If you want to be vigilant about changing out your hot tub’s water you can simply set a reminder to change it out every 60 days. This may be more often (or less) than required, but at least you are in the ballpark and you can always tweak that frequency until you find the right change-out schedule.

How to Make the Process Easy

It takes work to empty, refill, and balance your hot tub’s chemistry. Using a hot tub starter kit from Master Spa Parts is a great way to get your hot tub up and running. The Hot Tub Chemical Starter Kit includes pH balancers, granular chlorine, non-chlorine shock, testing strips, as well as a scale eliminator and inhibitor.

Closing Thoughts

By using the handy mathematical formula we previously mentioned, the calendar approach, and/or the Hot Tub Chemical Starter Kit, you will find it much easier to change out your water. But, you should also keep in mind that certain municipalities adjust the amount of chlorine they use in their water supplies season-by-season, so if you do find yourself getting frustrated balancing out your water, you may be best served by switching out the water if several weeks or months have passed since you last filled your hot tub. And, if you just run into a head-scratcher and can’t figure out what is going on with your hot tub, you can always reach out to Master Spa Parts for additional help.