Come September, and you’re thinking about soaking in your hot tub. It may have been a few months since you did that. Maybe you have had a new spa installed and are ready to enjoy relaxing in the swirling hot water. Either way, you must start (or restart) your hot spa correctly. It is easy to feel overwhelmed as a newbie or feel tempted to skip steps as a seasoned pro. It’s time to pull off the custom-fit aluminum Jacuzzi covers and start the hot tub up right. With a few simple steps, you will be basking in your haven. Hello R&R, goodbye stress!

12 Steps to Starting or Restarting Your Hot Tub

Before you jump in, run your spa through these steps:

1. Rinse and drain. New owners must flush out the small amount of antifreeze used in the plumbing by the manufacturer. You do this by filling the footwell, where you place your feet, with water. Then you must drain it. If you are restarting your tub for the season, you will need to drain and refill your tub, then use a good jet and drain cleaner to eliminate old water and bacteria. It’s important to ensure that you drain all the dirty water.

2. Turn off the primary power source. Turn off all power, including the main breaker. Don’t take chances as you get ready for the next step.

3. Clean the basin. Your goal is to clean all surfaces where water may come into contact. Use a non-abrasive cleaner and soft cloth to prevent possible damage, then rinse thoroughly. For those basins that held stagnant water, add a deep clean process.

4. Install or clean your filters. For new owners, pull out the provided filter(s) and place them into the filter well. You may have more than one filter well. Get more filters if you need them. Old filters should be removed, cleaned, and inspected. Replace with new as required.

5. Fill the tub. Finally! It’s time to add clean water back into the basin. Use a hose filter to remove additional impurities from your water source. Monitor the water levels, stopping about an inch below the headrests while still covering the jets.

6. Prime the water pump. This step gets the air out of the hot tub’s lines to reduce the likelihood of other problems. Consult your user’s manual before proceeding.

7. Add start-up chemicals. Once the water temperature reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit, add the chemicals.

8. Run the pump. Please turn on the pump and let it run for at least ten minutes on the ‘High’ setting. Doing so distributes the chemicals, leading to a more accurate test result.

9. Test the water. You are checking to ensure that the chemicals are balanced so that you don’t damage the hot tub, irritate your skin, or allow bacteria to grow.

10. Set your water temperature. This is a personal choice, but remember not to let the water go above 104 degrees Fahrenheit as you could burn yourself when it gets hotter than that.

11. Cover your hot tub. Let the water circulate for about ten minutes, then close it up with your Jacuzzi cover for about 24 hours. It will prevent evaporation of water and chemicals, helps the temperature rise, and retains heat.

12. Test the water again. Now that the water has had time to ‘rest’ and stabilize, the chemicals could be off the required mark. Test again and adjust as needed.

Protect Your Hard Work with an Aluminum Hot Tub Cover
Enjoy your spa more when you protect it with a Jacuzzi cover made of aluminum. Be-Lite Aluminum Spa Covers are the right solution to keep debris out and water in, and for the safety of your family and pets. We offer custom-fitted covers that look beautiful with your landscape or home. Our template designer guides you through the correct steps for a custom fit. We’re happy to answer any questions about our hot tub covers, so please get in touch today.

Contact our team for beautiful and sturdy aluminum Jacuzzi covers online, or call us at 707-864-8919.