I just purchased a house that came with a hot tub. How do I properly clean this hot tub before I use? I was told this hot tub has not been used for years. Any help is much appreciated.

 

What kind of hot tub is it? Olde school redwood barrel? Jetted tub in the master bath? Fiberglass or acrylic portable spa? Built in concrete and tiled Jacuzzi?

 

Thank you for the response. I don't know where to find the model number but this is what it shows on the panel of the hot tub. I don't know what it's made of either.

 

Control panels can be a rather generic item. It looks like a vacuum formed acrylic spa so use cleaners appropriate for acrylic or maybe fiberglass. So, nothing abrasive.

Is the spa inside where it is protected from freezing or is it outside? If it's outside I'd fill it with water and check for leaks even before cleaning. If it holds water try running the jets. That will help clean any gunk out of the piping. If it has leaks you'll have to decide if you want to try fixing it or take it to the curb.

 

Thanks so much for the response. This hot tub is inside the house. Before we purchased the hot tub, we had it tested for leakage and it was in fact leaking but the Poolman people replaced the filter and saying it was just the filter that was old and faulty. So, we have not filled the hot tub with water since we've moved in. What type of cleaners would you recommend and how much should I use? How many time and how long should I run the jet with the cleaners?

 

The instructions for my whirlpool tub recommend using dishwasher detergent for cleaning. Run all jets open and run for at least twenty minutes. Flush the detergent water and if there was a significant amount of dirt released do it again. The amount of detergent to use is dependent upon the total volume of water. I would think about a 1/4 cup of detergent per every fifty gallons of water should be adequate.

For my bathtub the manufacturer also recommends periodic sterilization using a quantity of bleach in the water, also circulated with all jets open, for twenty minutes and then flushing out the bleach water. Since hot tubs are normally treated for biological concerns anyway I don't know if the bleach treatment is necessary.

 

DO NOT USE dishwasher detergent.

The best thing to use would be this;

Ahh-Some Water Cleanser for Your Pool, Hut Tub, Jet Bath, Swim Spa and Washing Machine -

 

Please explain the downside of using dishwasher detergent. The manufacturer of my whirlpool tub recommended that product.

 

I would guess the construction of the tub would come into play - maybe something soft like acrylic would get scratched.

 

My tub is acrylic and the dishwasher detergent dissolves almost instantly.

Next.

 

Just guessing. I'm a doctor but not of spas

 

I wonder if 'the works' [a bath rm cleaner] would work well.

 

I can understand there may be better cleaning agents than dishwasher detergent but Dr. Spa wrote in capital letters to not use the dishwasher detergent. To me that implies there is something really bad about using dishwasher detergent, I would like to know why it is so bad.

 

Okay, so I've used the Ahh-Some product for spa and hot tub twice. Each time I let it run for about 20 minutes as instructed by the direction of the product. So, on the second time, I still see some yucky stuff floating. Do I need keep flushing/purging until I see only white bubbles?

 

This is what it looks like on the second flushing.

 

I'd continue to fill, run the cleaner, drain and flush until it came clean, at least until the floating scum was gone. You might want to just skim off the scum and continue circulating the cleaning solution for several hours rather than doing several complete dump and flushes which will take a huge amount of water.

 

Was the hot tub empty prior to "cleaning"?

The only time I have every cleaned a hot tub was when I purchased one used prior to filling and used automotive soap to clean before filling.

Occasionally I'll use same around the top of the tub when it gets dirty but not sure what benefit putting soap into a full tub will do.

Anyway, Id be sure to drain and rinse before refilling to get as much of the soap removed.

 

Yes, I was thinking of just skimming off the scum and run again. I don't want to waste water but filling/draining until it's clean. If I just run it again, can I just add another tsp of Ahh-Some to the hot tub?