Hot tub maintenance schedule
A hot tub maintenance schedule calls for testing 2 to 3 times weekly, shocking once a week, and draining every 3 to 4 months. Between those times, soak the filter in cleaner once a month and rinse it every 1 to 2 weeks.
- Balance the water after you test it
- 2 to 3 times a week
- Add shock treatment, and do it again after a busy soak
- Weekly
- Rinse the filter with a hose, then soak it each month
- 1 to 2 weeks
- Drain the tub, then refill it
- 3 to 4 months
Hot tub maintenance checklist
These doses apply per 100 gallons (380 litres), so adjust them for your tub size. Targets use ppm, which stands for parts per million, the unit shown on every test strip pad.
| Task | How often | Target or dose | More help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look over the tub and cover | Daily | Ensure no puddles exist, the cover fits tight, and the water matches your set heat. | Hot tub temperature |
| Run the filter cycles | Daily | Run all water through the filter at least twice daily. | Filter size |
| Test sanitizer and pH | Do this before a soak and also 2 to 3 times weekly. | Aim for pH 7.4 to 7.6, with chlorine at 3 to 5 ppm or bromine at 4 to 6 ppm. | Test strips |
| Top up chlorine | When it reads under 3 ppm | 0.7 g of dichlor granules per 1 ppm | Chlorine level |
| Balance alkalinity, then pH | Weekly | Target 80 to 120 ppm for alkalinity, followed by pH 7.4 to 7.6. | Chemical calculator |
| Shock | Weekly, and after a busy soak | Dichlor, 0.2 oz (5.7 g) | Hot tub shock |
| Air out the cover | Once or twice a week | A couple of hours off the tub | Cover size |
| Hose the filter | Every 1 to 2 weeks | Spray each pleat, then let it dry | Filter size |
| Clean the filter with cleaner | Monthly | 15 to 20 minutes of filter cleaner, followed by a warm rinse | |
| Inspect the cover | Monthly | No cracks, warping or water in the foam | |
| Purge the pipes | Just before each drain | Enzyme line cleaner in, jets on | Hot tub biofilm |
| Drain the tub, then refill it | Every 3 to 4 months | Or take gallons ÷ 3 ÷ daily users to get the days. | Water change dates, how to drain |
| Deep soak the filter | Every 3 to 4 months | An overnight soak of 12 to 24 hours | |
| Replace the filter | About once a year | Or after 10 to 15 cleanings | |
| Open the cabinet | Yearly | No pests, slow leaks or chewed wires |
The yearly, cover, shock, and test intervals come from Leslie's checklist. Filter care steps follow Jacuzzi's filter guide. Hot Spring and Jacuzzi recommend 3 to 4 months between water changes for chlorine or bromine.
Checks you do each day
A minute or two is enough for daily jobs. A timer runs filter cycles on most tubs. Leslie's wants all the water to pass through the filter at least twice daily. If the tub is old and has no timer, it runs the pump a couple of times daily, for 15 to 20 minutes each time.
Walk around the cabinet to check for any puddles. Ensure the cover fits snug and your set heat appears on the display. Start with hot tub not heating if the water feels too hot or too cold.
Adding chemicals every day is not required. Lay-Z-Spa tests a few hours before soaking and tops up only what is low. A stricter bar comes from the CDC. It tells owners to test pH and chlorine twice a day or more, increasing frequency when the tub is full.
Weekly hot tub maintenance
Choose one day each week to go through this list. For its weekly filter rinse, Leslie's assumes 2 to 3 users soaking 2 to 3 times weekly. More soaking means more cleaning.
- Test each pad on the strip. Dip a strip to read alkalinity, pH, and sanitizer, then log each result as Leslie's suggests to spot drift early.
- Adjust alkalinity first, then pH. Bring alkalinity into the 80 to 120 ppm range first. Get the pH between 7.4 and 7.6 next.
- Once the last soak of the week finishes, add shock. Dichlor goes in at 0.2 oz (5.7 g) per 100 gallons (380 litres). Open the cover at least halfway to vent gas, says the Hot Spring manual.
- Rinse the filter with a hose. Switch off the power and remove the cartridge. With a garden hose on normal pressure, spray each pleat but avoid a jet nozzle, letting it dry before putting it back.
- Give the cover some air. Remove it for a couple of hours to dry the underside. This prevents mold from forming there.
- Wipe along the waterline. Every couple of weeks, use a spa surface cleaner and a sponge on it. Household soaps and cleaners create suds that turn into foam.
- Add more water. Maintain the level so it hits the middle of the skimmer opening or goes a little higher. Leslie's warns that a skimmer pulling in air can harm the pump.
Keep people out of the water while you add chemicals.
Hot tub chemical schedule
Every chemical has its own trigger point. First test, then add only what the strip shows you need. Enter your reading into the hot tub chemical calculator to size a dose for your gallons.
| Chemical | When to add it | Dose per 100 gal (380 L) |
|---|---|---|
| Alkalinity up (sodium bicarbonate) | Alkalinity under 80 ppm | 0.22 oz (6.2 g) per 10 ppm |
| pH down (sodium bisulfate) for alkalinity | Alkalinity over 120 ppm | 0.34 oz (9.6 g) per 10 ppm |
| pH down (sodium bisulfate) | pH over 7.6 | 0.1 oz (2.8 g) takes 7.8 to 7.5 |
| pH up (soda ash) | pH under 7.4 | 0.13 oz (3.7 g) takes 7.2 to 7.5 |
| Chlorine granules (dichlor) | Free chlorine under 3 ppm | 0.025 oz (0.7 g) per 1 ppm |
| Chlorine shock (dichlor) | Weekly, and after heavy use | 0.2 oz (5.7 g) |
| Non-chlorine shock (MPS) | After a busy soak, between dichlor shocks | 0.8 oz (23 g) |
Follow this order: alkalinity, then pH, then sanitizer. Lay-Z-Spa states that alkalinity and pH work together, and chlorine works poorly until both are in range.
Give them time to blend. Leslie's circulates the water 15 minutes between adding chemicals, waiting about an hour to test again. For a Lay-Z-Spa, hold off for 2 hours or more before using the next type.
Potassium monopersulfate, or MPS, acts as an oxidizer instead of a sanitizer. It removes sweat and oils but adds no chlorine. The Leslie's checklist combines a weekly dichlor shock with a small amount of MPS after each soak.
AquaChek notes that cyanuric acid, a chlorine stabilizer, builds up with each dichlor dose. More water changes are needed because steady chlorine use causes buildup, adds Hot Spring. Keeping to the 3 to 4 month drain schedule controls this.
Enter the water only after free chlorine falls to 5 ppm or lower. Re-entry above that limit is banned by the EPA dichlor label.
Monthly and quarterly hot tub maintenance schedule
Monthly tasks keep the cover and filter in good shape. Save quarterly jobs for drain day since they match the water change.
- Each month: use cleaner on the filter. Let spa filter cleaner sit on it for 15 to 20 minutes after spraying. Rinse using warm water until all cleaner is gone, as leftover cleaner causes foam. The Hot Spring manual also recommends soaking cartridges each month.
- Monthly: inspect the cover. Look for cracks, warping, or moisture trapped in the foam. Order early, Leslie's says, since a custom cover might take a few weeks to get built.
- Quarterly: flush the pipes. Add an enzyme line cleaner right before draining, then run the jets. Water might turn cloudy as biofilm breaks free from the lines.
- Quarterly: drain and refill the tub. Do this every 3 to 4 months. Heavy use means you should do it sooner. You'll find the steps under how to drain a hot tub; while the shell sits empty, wipe it down.
- Quarterly: give the filter a deep soak. For 12 to 24 hours, soak it in a bucket of filter cleaner, then rinse until every trace is gone. If you own two filters, Hot Spring suggests swapping their positions after cleaning to ensure even wear.
- Quarterly: fresh water needs balancing and shocking. Adjust alkalinity and pH first, then apply shock treatment. See hot tub startup chemicals for the complete initial filling routine.
- Every quarter: treat the cover. Every 3 to 4 months, Leslie's applies a vinyl cover cleaner and conditioner. Hot Spring repeats this monthly.
- Yearly: install a new filter. Most filters last about 12 months. Because each cleaning loosens fibers, Leslie's counts 10 to 15 cleanings too.
Jacuzzi sets a drain date based on use and the tub. Divide your gallon count by 3, then divide that result by your number of daily soakers. This calculation tells you how many days to wait between changes. About 67 days is the result for 2 daily users in a 400 gallon (1,510 litre) tub. To work out your own figure, see how often to change hot tub water.
A tighter schedule for inflatable tubs
Inflatable models hold much less water, causing sweat and oil to accumulate faster. Shorter gaps for the water and filter are set by its manufacturer.
| Brand | Filter | Water change |
|---|---|---|
 Lay-Z-Spa | Check and clean daily, change it weekly | Every 3 days if you use no chemicals |
 Intex PureSpa | Inspect and hose it weekly | Every 2 to 3 months, or whenever the water turns cloudy |
 Bestway SaluSpa | Clean or replace it regularly | Every 1 to 3 months, or if no chemicals are used, every 3 days |
Chemical doses decrease as tub size drops. Shock a Lay-Z-Spa Miami, which holds 177 gallons (669 litres), with roughly 0.35 oz (10 g) of dichlor. How much you soak decides whether Lay-Z-Spa tops up chlorine each day or each week.
Don't toss tablets or granules straight into the water, the Lay-Z-Spa manual warns; they sink and may stain the liner. See inflatable hot tub chemicals for doses for each model.
Common questions
How often should you test your hot tub water?
Leslie's recommends testing 2 to 3 times a week and again before you soak. The CDC sets a stricter bar: test at least twice a day, more if the tub is full. To find how quickly your tub goes through chlorine, test each day during the first month, advises the Hot Spring manual.
What weekly jobs should I do on my hot tub?
First test and balance the water, then apply shock treatment. Rinse the filter with a hose, let the cover air out, and add water if the level falls below the skimmer midpoint.
In what order should hot tub chemicals be added?
Begin with alkalinity, adjust pH next, and end with chlorine or bromine. Circulate each one for 15 minutes, or wait 2 hours for a Lay-Z-Spa.
How frequently should you clean a hot tub filter?
Spray it with a hose every 1 to 2 weeks and use filter cleaner once a month. Soak it for 12 to 24 hours every 3 to 4 months, and swap it out about once a year.
Is shocking still needed if my chlorine reading looks good?
Yes, roughly once a week. Shocking removes spent chlorine known as chloramines that no longer kill germs. A weekly shock is part of the routine in the Hot Spring manual.