DIY guideHot tub

Hot tub care: test the water, rinse the filter, drain and refill

Test the water each week, rinse the filter, drain and refill the tub every few months, and press its GFCI test so you know it cuts the power.

9 steps

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With the cover off, dip a test strip and read it against the bottle's chart. Adjust one product at a time with the jets running.
Never mix chemicals. Add them to the water, never water to them.
Before you touch the filter or drain it, switch the tub off at its disconnect box or breaker.
Never work on a hot tub with its power on.
Lift the filter out of its well and hose it from the top down, between every pleat. Soak it in filter cleaner now and then.
Run a hose from its drain valve to a spot that drains away from the house, and open the valve. Never drain it into a lake or stream.
Once it's empty, wipe the shell and the waterline with a soft cloth and a cleaner made for tubs, then rinse it.
Close the drain, set the filter back, and fill with the hose in the filter's well, so no air gets trapped in the pipes.
Switch it back on, let it heat, and balance the water as in the first step.
Press TEST on its GFCI. The tub should go off. Press RESET and it comes back on.
A GFCI that won't trip, won't reset or keeps tripping, a burning smell, or water under the tub: leave it off and ask Handyman for an electrician.

Handyman says: Won't trip? I'll find an electrician.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.