Hot Tubs & Spas · Service

Hot tub maintenance, the part nobody mentions at the showroom

A spa needs attention every week for as long as you own it. Water chemistry, filters, a periodic drain and refill, and getting it through winter. Here is the actual routine, what it costs you in time, and which parts are worth handing to a service company.

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In short

What is hot tub maintenance?

Hot tub maintenance is the continuing routine that keeps spa water safe and the equipment healthy: testing and adjusting water chemistry, cleaning and rotating filters, draining and refilling on a schedule, and preparing the spa for winter. Unlike most home services it is mostly not something you hire out — the weekly water work is the owner's job and it does not stop. A service plan handles the periodic and technical parts around it.

Triggers

Signs you need hot tub maintenance

The water has gone cloudy, foamy, or has developed a smell
Nobody has tested the water in longer than a fortnight
The filters have never been taken out, or have been rinsed but never properly cleaned
You have noticed a slippery film on the shell or waterline, or scale building at the water line
Heating is taking longer than it used to, or the running cost has crept up without the weather changing
You are approaching your first winter with the spa and have no plan for it
You inherited the spa with the house and have no idea when it was last drained
You are away for stretches and there is nobody to look after it while you are gone

Seeing something not on this list? Browse hot tubs & spas problems by symptom →

The job

How hot tub maintenance actually works

Test the water, then adjust — in that order

The routine is test first, act on the reading, retest. Sanitiser level, pH and alkalinity are the core, with hardness and any stabiliser depending on your system and your fill water. Adjusting blind is how people chase their own tail for weeks.

Watch for: Adding sanitiser to fix cloudy water without checking pH. Sanitiser effectiveness depends heavily on pH being in range, so out-of-range water can be full of chemical and still not sanitised. Fix the balance and the sanitiser starts working.
Look after the filters properly

Filters need regular rinsing, periodic deep cleaning with a proper filter cleaner rather than a hose alone, and eventual replacement. Owning a second set so one can be cleaning and drying while the other works is the single most practical habit in spa ownership.

Watch for: A hose rinse being treated as a clean. Rinsing removes surface debris; it does not touch the oils and lotions that clog the media and choke flow — and choked flow is behind a large share of "my spa will not heat" calls.
Drain and refill on a schedule

Spa water accumulates dissolved solids that no amount of chemical will remove, and eventually the only fix is fresh water. The right interval depends on how heavily the spa is used relative to its volume, and the manufacturer will give guidance.

Watch for: Water that has become steadily harder to balance despite correct dosing. That is usually the signal you are past due for a refill rather than a chemistry problem to solve.
Purge the plumbing when you refill

Biofilm builds inside the pipework where you cannot see it and it survives normal sanitiser levels. A purge product run through the system before draining clears it, and refill day is the only convenient moment to do it.

Watch for: Foam or a persistent smell that returns days after a fresh fill. That usually means the plumbing was never purged and the new water is being recontaminated from inside the pipes.
Clean the shell and the cover underside

With the spa empty, the shell gets cleaned with a spa-safe product, and the underside of the cover — which sits in warm vapour permanently — gets cleaned and inspected. The cover is a part of the system, not an accessory.

Watch for: Household cleaners on the shell. Residue foams badly on refill and some products attack acrylic. Also check the cover for water weight while it is off — see cover replacement.
Winterise, or commit to running through

There are two valid cold-climate strategies and one disastrous one. Keep it running and heated all winter, with the freeze protection working and the cover in good condition. Or shut it down properly — fully drained, plumbing and pumps cleared of water, blown through, and covered. The disastrous option is leaving it full and switching it off.

Watch for: A partial drain. Water left in pumps, heater and low points is exactly what splits when it freezes, and freeze damage typically appears at several points at once. If you are shutting down for winter, have it done thoroughly or have someone do it.

Money

What does hot tub maintenance cost?

Two ongoing costs, and the second surprises people. Chemicals, filters and test kits are modest and predictable. Electricity to hold a spa at temperature is the larger figure and it is permanent, driven by climate, insulation and cover condition. Service plans are typically priced per visit or as a seasonal package.

See the full hot tub maintenance cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When hot tub maintenance is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

Nobody in the household will actually do the weekly water work. Say this out loud before you buy a spa rather than after. It is the single biggest reason spas end up sitting cold under a cover, and a service plan does not solve it — most plans visit periodically, not weekly.
You are using the spa rarely and it costs more to keep hot than the use is worth. An honest look at how many soaks a month you actually take, against what it costs to hold temperature, sometimes ends the ownership question entirely.
You are paying for visits to do things you could do in ten minutes. Testing water and rinsing a filter are not skilled work. Pay for the parts that are — purges, diagnostics, winterisation, equipment checks — and keep the routine yourself.
The spa has a fault. Maintenance will not fix a failed heater, a leaking pump or a tripping circuit, and a service visit sold as maintenance is the wrong purchase. That is a repair.
You are about to move house. A drained, winterised, properly shut-down spa needs almost nothing. Do not sign a year of visits you will not be there for.
You want a plan to compensate for a spa that is at the end of its life. Maintenance keeps a healthy spa healthy. It does not extend a spa whose plumbing and equipment are already failing, and paying for it can delay a decision you have effectively already made.

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

Reasonable to DIY

Testing the water and adjusting sanitiser, pH and alkalinity — this genuinely is your job, weekly, permanently, and no service plan replaces it
Rinsing filters between uses and deep-cleaning them on rotation with a proper filter cleaner
Wiping the waterline and keeping the cover underside clean
Topping up water and keeping the level within the marked range
Draining and refilling, where you have a safe route for the water and can get the spa restarted properly
Running a plumbing purge product before a drain
Watching the running cost and the heat-up time as an early warning that something is degrading

Call a licensed pro

Full winterisation in a freezing climate, if you are not confident everything has been cleared of water
Anything electrical, including a circuit that trips during normal running
Diagnosing water that will not hold balance despite correct dosing and a recent refill
Descaling or servicing internal equipment, and any work requiring the cabinet to come apart
The first drain and refill on a spa you inherited and know nothing about
Restarting a spa that has been standing empty or unheated for a long period

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for hot tub maintenance

What exactly is in each visit, and how often do you come?

Plans vary enormously. A monthly or quarterly visit does not cover the weekly water routine, and you need to know that before assuming it does.
Are chemicals and filters included, or billed on top?

The two headline prices you are comparing between companies often include different things. Get consumables stated explicitly.
Does the plan include drain, refill and a plumbing purge, and how many a year?

This is the part genuinely worth paying for. A plan that never drains the spa is missing the most useful thing on the list.
Is winterisation included, and what does it consist of?

In a freezing climate this is the visit that protects the spa from its most expensive failure mode. Ask specifically whether the lines and pumps are blown through.
Will you teach me the routine on the first visit?

A good service company wants you competent between visits, because it means fewer emergency calls. One that keeps the routine mysterious is selling dependence.
What happens if you find a fault — is diagnosis included or charged separately?

Establishes the boundary between the plan and repair work, before you are standing beside a spa that will not heat.
How do I cancel, and is there a minimum term?

This is a recurring commitment. Ask now rather than discovering an auto-renewal when you sell the house.

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Local pros

Hot Tub Maintenance near you

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Related work

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Hot Tub Installation

What ownership commits you to

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FAQ

Hot Tub Maintenance — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

How often does hot tub water need testing?

For a spa in regular use, several times a week is normal practice and weekly is the bare minimum. The volume is small and warm, which means the chemistry moves quickly — far faster than a swimming pool. Follow the guidance for your specific sanitiser system, and test more often after heavy use or after adding significant fresh water.

How often should a hot tub be drained and refilled?

On a schedule driven by how heavily the spa is used relative to its volume; your manufacturer will give a guideline and it is worth following. The practical signal is water that has become progressively harder to keep balanced despite correct dosing — dissolved solids accumulate and cannot be removed chemically. Purge the plumbing before you drain, so the fresh water goes into clean pipes.

Can I leave a hot tub empty over winter?

Only if it has been shut down properly. Draining the shell is not enough — water left in pumps, the heater and low points in the plumbing is exactly what freezes and splits, and the damage typically shows up at several points at once when you refill in spring. A full winterisation clears the system. Leaving a spa full and switched off in a freezing climate is the worst option of all.

Is a hot tub service plan worth it?

It depends on what you are buying. A plan that covers the periodic and technical work — drain and refill, plumbing purge, equipment checks, winterisation — buys you genuine value and expertise. A plan that just tests water fortnightly is charging you for something you can do in five minutes, and it will not keep the water right between visits anyway.

Why does my spa water keep going cloudy?

Usually one of four things: pH out of range so the sanitiser cannot work, filters that are clogged or have been rinsed rather than properly cleaned, water that is overdue for a change and saturated with dissolved solids, or biofilm in the plumbing recontaminating each fresh fill. Work through them in that order and check the balance before adding anything.

Does maintenance affect what a hot tub costs to run?

Substantially. A clogged filter makes pumps work harder, a heater working through scale is less efficient, and a waterlogged cover leaks heat continuously — that last one is often the largest single factor. If your running cost has climbed without the weather changing, check the cover first, then the filters.