Hot Tub Advice?

[goosefraba1]

Hey guys,
Wife and I just purchased our first home... and it came equipped with a hot tub (and an inground pool... converting it to saline next year).

Any recommendations on how to keep the hot tun as energy efficient as possible? I don't think that we will be using it every day. Once a week at most.
It is a 2004 model. Has a good, new hard top cover (which I know is the most important part).

Questions: What cheap chemicals should I be using, how often?
Is it more energy efficient to leave this on all of the time, or should I just turn it on the morning before I plan to use it in the evening... and off the rest of the time?

Thanks guys!

[Fishindude]

I can't give specifics, but it really doesn't take much to keep a hot tub up and running.  We drain and change water about every four months.  When you change water, we run it from the hose thru a cheap micro filter, then you have and initial "shock" of chemicals to get the water right.   After that, clean the tub filters periodically (maybe every two months?), and dump in a little scoop of powdered chlorine about every time you use it. 

You will lose some water through dehydration, which just requires dumping in some more.   Sometimes when you change water you will get a little "scale" sticking to the plastic sides due to chemicals not yet being quite right.  That is easily scrubbed off of those surfaces with a soft bristle brush while you're in the tub.   

You can get your chemicals cheap at WalMart, Sams or Costco type places.  You want to leave it running all the time so it's continually filtering, they will cycle on / off automatically.

[Boz86]

Depending how far you want to go with it I have these thoughts.

Easy way, cut back the temp when you know you're not going to use it. I used to turn ours down to a point it could reheat in a couple of hours. Some planning for use required...

BTW, if you get a power surge, the one's we've had reset to their default temp (usually 100F).

Little more difficult, you can look at adding insulation under the tub, behind the side panels. And if you've got the space and environment, a solar heater to boost the temps in the day would help.

[HipGnosis]

Buy 'pool' chemicals at Sams, Costco, etc.  Same ingredients as spa stuff, but cheaper.  But don't buy 3" tabs.
Carefully calculate your initial dosage and then use testing strips to refine it.
How often you use them is determined by how many people use the tub.    That will also determine how often you change the water.
Keep a log and keep testing the water until you get a general understanding of them.
It is better to under-dose your chemicals, because you can add a bit more way easier than trying to balance out an over-dose.
Get a tub cover lifter if you don't have one. Ingeniously simple and oh so nice to have.

[Greystache]

Regarding cheap chemicals, I had a bad experience buying chemicals from Walmart.  I had been buying my chemicals from HD and Lowes for years. A new Walmart opened closer to home so I bought my next batch from them. Within 2 weeks, my pump/motor assembly failed.  A month later my heater failed.  Maybe just a coincidence, but the repair guy said that cheap chemicals are detrimental to the system and recommended only buying from pool supply store (no, he does not work for the pool supply store).  BTW, after seeing how simple it was to replace a pump/motor assembly, I was kicking myself for for not doing it myself.  When the heater died I replaced it myself.

[Tjat]

Read up at troublefreepool.com

If you choose to go with Chlorine, all you need is standard household bleach. Tabs tend to had stabilizer, requiring you maintain higher chlorine levels over time. Granules add calcium. Alkalinity can be increased through Baking Soda. Due to the hot tub aeration, your PH will rise over time. This can be lowered with muriatic acid, which is found in the paint section of stores.

Also keep in mind that the testing strips stink. taylor testing kits are generally pretty good.

I've heard that hot tub owners comment that chlorine tends to smell when heated. There are other alternatives like bromine you could research.

Lastly, if the hard cover blocks out all light, you shouldnt need to run the pump when covered.