There are two aspects to spa pool ownership. There’s the obvious upside – the relaxing soaks, the Friday night fun, the reasons you bought the spa in the first place. But then there’s the less glamorous side, the one where you spend time and effort cleaning and maintaining your machine.
How often you need to clean your spa pool will depend on the machine. Some entry-level spas may need to be drained, cleaned and refilled every couple of months. Hot Spring models fitted with the Freshwater Salt System, meanwhile, only need to be drained, cleaned and refilled as little as once a year, meaning you enjoy far less work and far more play.
Let’s dig a little deeper into exactly what spa pool cleaning looks like, how often it should be done, and some tips to minimise the work and maximise the play of spa pool ownership.
How do I clean my spa pool?
To keep your spa looking beautiful it’s good to give the cover and body a regular wipe down, and to fish out any floating debris that the filters are unable to reach.
But every once in a while you’ll need to scrub a little deeper, draining the water and cleaning the interior of the spa before refilling it again. This process is outlined in detail in this article, but the basic steps are as follows:
- Drain your spa pool water.
- Wipe down all surfaces of the spa using a mild, non-abrasive cleaner like FreshWater® Spa Shine and a gentle rag or microfibre cloth.
- Remove and clean your spa pool filters (for peak performance you should do this weekly.)
- Inspect the spa’s drainage system. If you notice a build-up of grit and grime use a product like Ahh-Some cleaner to clean.
- To prevent rust and hard water stains, consider wiping internal surfaces down with FreshWater® Stain & Scale Defence.
- Refill and rebalance your spa pool water to keep bacteria and algae at bay.
How often should I change my spa pool water?
Water is the most important ingredient in your spa pool. To enjoy the finest soaking experience possible you need to ensure it’s clean, clear, soft and fresh. Draining your spa of old water and refilling it with fresh stuff is an important step in maintaining the quality of your soak – but how often should you do it?
The frequency with which you drain and refill your spa pool will depend on a number of factors: the amount of water it holds, how regularly it’s used, and the built-in water care systems (more on them in a moment.) But at a base level, you can use the following formulas to work out how often you should drain a standard spa pool:
[number of people] x [number of soaks per week] / 7 = [average soaks per day]
[spa capacity in litres] / 14 / [average soaks per day] = [amount of days between draining and refilling]
Formulas are confusing, so it’s best if we use an example. Let’s say you have a 1500L spa pool that your two-person household uses about four times a week. Plugging those numbers into our formulas, we get:
2 x 4 / 7 = 1.14
1500 / 14 / 1.14 = 94 days between draining/refilling your spa, or approximately once every three months.
How to clean your spa pool just once a year
Instead of cleaning your spa pool every 94 days, what if you could do it every 365 days? By choosing a spa pool fitted with the right technology, you can!
The prime example is the Hot Spring FreshWater Salt System, which uses advanced, patent-pending technology to organically generate chlorine from salt through the use of titanium cartridges. The FreshWater Salt System can keep your spa water clean, clear, soft and fresh for a full year, over which time other spa pool owners might need to change their water anywhere from three to six times.
If you want to read more about how often you should drain and refill your spa pool, check out our detailed explainer.
How do I keep my spa pool water clean?
Spa pools hold a lot of water, so draining and refilling your spa can be a big and potentially expensive exercise. But there are ways to ensure that your water remains cleaner for longer, reducing the need to drain and refill.
As noted above, the first and most effective way to keep your spa pool water clean is to invest in the right water care technologies, like our FreshWater Salt System and 100% No-Bypass Filtration Tri-X Filters.
It’s important to monitor the chlorine levels and pH balance of your water. Keeping your water perfectly balanced ensures that algae, bacteria and other invaders can’t gain a foothold in your spa pool, ensuring the water is sanitary and safe for all who soak.
While basic spa pools will demand that you regularly perform litmus strip tests and manually add chemicals, many Hot Spring models come with automated water care – sensors constantly test the water, and balancing your H2O is as simple as changing a cartridge. The Highlife range even has a remote control touchscreen from which you can control every aspect of your water care routine.
Is a spa pool a lot of work?
If you’re reading this article you may be considering how to buy your very first spa pool. You simply want to understand the level of time and effort that spa pool ownership demands, and whether the rewards make it all worthwhile.
Most spa pool owners will be happy to tell you that the effort of ownership is far outweighed by the rewards. And by choosing the right spa – one fitted with innovative, automated water care technologies like those mentioned above – you can seriously cut down the amount of cleaning, refilling and general upkeep demanded by your spa.
A spa pool is an incredible addition to any home – one that can seriously enhance your lifestyle in any number of ways. And if you select your spa wisely, you’ll get all of the perks with far less of the work.
Get in touch with your local Hot Spring dealer today!
