Tips for Cleaning Your Hot Tub Filter

Now that you’ve been a hot tub owner for a few months, it’s time to ensure your tub is built to last— it’s time to clean out your hot tub filter!

A hot tub filter is made to keep your hot tub water clean, clear, and ready to use. Proper cleaning of your hot tub filter will also lessen strain on the tub’s equipment. Just like an air filter in your car or the filter in your home furnace, the cleaner your hot tub filter is, the better everything works.

A typical hot tub filter cartridge is made from a pleated or folded fabric with millions of microscopic pores through which water flows. The job of this filter is to keep your hot tub water clean by catching debris and oily contaminants before they circulate into your pump or recycle into your water.  Over time the filter pores can become ‘full’ or clogged and will need to be cleaned.

When Should I Clean My Hot Tub Filter?

• When you are experiencing error codes.
• When strength of your jets has decreased.
• Clean every 4-6 weeks.
• Replace after 2-3 years.

Rinsing the filter cartridge with a garden hose is a good way to remove large or loose debris, like leaves and dirt.  However, rinsing is only a superficial cleaning and will not remove oils embedded in the fabric of the filter. To thoroughly clean the filter, use a Filter Cleaner product made specifically for the job as it will dissolve the buildup of oils and greases.

Our recommendation is to chemically clean the filter cartridge every 4-6 weeks.  This will clear the pleated fabric of debris and trapped oils and allow the filter to work more efficiently.

While every 4-6 weeks is an optimum cleaning schedule, at the very minimum you should chemically clean your hot tub filter every time you drain and refill your hot tub, which we recommend doing at least twice a year.  As with every chemical you use in your hot tub, please read and follow the instruction printed on the Filter Cleaner container.

It’s a good idea to have a second filter cartridge for your hot tub.  We recommend this for two reasons:

• First, you should let your filter dry completely between cleaning and replacing it into your hot tub.  This allows the fibers in the pleated material to dry out and rest before being used again.
• Second, it will allow you to continue to safely operate and enjoy your hot tub while the other filter is being cleaned.

Remember, the average life expectancy of a filter cartridge is 2-3 years.  Replacement may be necessary if your hot tub continues to have issues even after cleaning.  A good visual reference as to when to replace the filter is when the band separating the filter pleats falls off.

Plan a visit to our showroom soon. Our experts are always here to help.

For more information, visit www.clearwaterspasinc.com or call us at (302) 325-8800.