If you were careful with the steps to winterize your hot tub in the fall, then it should not take long to get your spa up and running again in the spring. Your tub has waited patiently for you all winter long, and is ready now to give you a warm and rewarding soak.
Remove the special winter hot tub cover or the tarp if you put one on top of your foam core hot tub cover. This should have protected your expensive spa cover from the winter elements.
If there is any water inside the tub you might have to use a "shop vac" to suck it out, or soak it up with towels. If water froze in the spa over winter it might have damaged the acrylic hot tub shell. Cracks might not be visible but will become apparent when you start filling the spa with water.
Find the filter you packed away in the Fall. If you did not clean it then you need to take the time to do so now. There are special filter cleaners which you can get from your local spa dealer or buy online. If you are in a real hurry, you can spray it down with a garden hose by directing the water at an angle and dislodging all the trapped dirt between the pleats. Reinstall the filter.
Most hot tub covers have a foam core with an outer covering of vinyl. Now is a good time to clean and condition the spa cover. There are special cleaners and conditioners that you can buy online or at your local spa dealer. You have made a significant investment in your hot tub cover, so now is not the time to scrimp on $20 worth of the proper chemicals necessary to help protect the top from cracking and discoloring.
Inspect the plumbing and look for any obvious signs of cracked pipes. If you find one, unless you are very handy you might want to call a professional to do the repair work.
Close all the drains that you opened in the fall, and reconnect all the lines to the heater and the pump.
Get out the garden hose and start filling! As the water level rises be on the look-out for any leaks or other signs that the spa was damaged over the winter. If you see leaks, stop filling until you can have them repaired.
If you fill the tub and all looks good, then you can turn on the power. Before you turn on the pump or heater, be absolutely certain that all valves are set to allow water to circulate through the network of plumbing. If so, time to turn on your pump and heater.
Check other items such as blower and lights to make sure everything is working properly.
Balance your chemicals.
Now dance around anxiously waiting for the water to heat up. When it reaches that magic temperature, it's time to enjoy!
Rodney Wallin writes on a wide variety of subjects and has enjoyed hot tubs for over 20 years. For lots of additional information on spas and hot tubs and on choosing the right hot tub cover, head over to his website at www.spa-hot-tub-covers.com.
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Did You Know... The turbopump on the Space Shuttle main engine is so powerful it could drain an average family-sized swimming pool in 25 seconds. Source: fun-facts.com
