Being hesitant to leave your hot tub over the winter is a normal feeling that many hot tub owners experience. It’s worry inducing because of how much damage could potentially be done if anything were to-go wrong.

Luckily, with a few minutes of preparation, you can enjoy your holiday with peace-of-mind!

Look into the Weather

This is obviously critical! If you’re leaving during a cold snap, you’ll need to make sure the water and pipes don’t freeze while you are away (we’ll explain how you do this further down).

Vice versa if you’re leaving during a period that is unseasonably warm, you’ll need to take different steps to maintain your hot tub

How to Prepare your Hot Tub for the Cold

Let’s be honest, in Canada over the holidays, it’s rarely unseasonably warm. When the temperature is consistently dropping below freezing, or lower, during the day or night, you need to start thinking about preparing your hot tub.

Keep in-mind, that if the outside temperature drops below freezing, the water in your hot tub and the plumbing for your hot tub is at risk for freezing. To avoid this, before you leave town, add water to your hot tub if necessary and be sure it is properly heated. Remember, the colder it is, the faster the heat will escape. Once you have it heated properly, go ahead and turn the thermostat down about ten degrees. This will save you on your heating bills while keeping the water warm enough, so it won’t freeze.

While you are gone, you will need to leave the pump and the heater on long enough to maintain these temperatures to be sure the water does not freeze.

Further Steps to Take During the Winter Holidays

In addition to these tips, there are a few more things you should do to prepare you hot tub for a cold spell.

Check your Water
Before you go out of town, always test the water to be sure you have the proper water balance. If you don’t, go ahead and add the appropriate chemicals to either increase the acidity or the alkalinity of your water chemistry.

Lock the Cover
Never go out of town without closing and locking your hot tub cover. Keep in mind that no one will be at home while you are away and that means that kids could wander onto your property and go for a dip without you ever knowing. If something were to happen, you could still be held liable.

Conclusion

Owning a hot tub should never be a tether keeping you home when you could be off enjoying life. Never be afraid to take a vacation that takes you out of town away from your hot tub. Just remember to perform a little extra maintenance on it before you go and be sure you set the hot tub for the temperature that it is in your area, and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

BC Home Leisure is the Lower Mainland’s #1 destination for outdoor living. To check out what we have in-store, simply stop by our showroom today! We look forward to hearing from you!