DIY: Hot Tub Cleaning, Detailing & Spa Water Care

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The terms hot tub and spa are often used interchangeably, but technically a hot tub is a small pool of heated water, while a spa usually has jets for massage and hydrotherapy.

(Good news is we can service both!)

Ozone and UV are excellent upgrades for any hot tub — they help keep the water cleaner, clearer, and easier to manage. But it’s important to know that they don’t replace regular water care.

Think of Ozone and UV as powerful assistants that work behind the scenes to reduce contaminants inside the equipment, but they don’t stay in the water where you sit. 

Because of that, they can’t maintain the ongoing protection your Spa needs.

What Ozone & UV Do

• Help break down oils, lotions, and organic contaminants

• Reduce how much sanitizer your water needs

• Improve clarity and overall water quality

• Treat water as it passes through the system

What They Don’t Do

• Maintain a sanitizer level in the water

• Balance pH or alkalinity

• Prevent cloudy water, scale, or corrosion

• Replace standard testing or routine maintenance

What You Still Need to Do

Even with Ozone and UV, every Spa still requires:

• A primary sanitizer (chlorine or bromine)

• Standard interval water testing

• Regular shock/oxidizer

• Filter cleaning

• Periodic water changes based upon water condition, saturation, TDS levels, etc

The Simple Way to Understand It:

Ozone and UV are like having an air purifier in your home — they help keep things cleaner, but you still need to vacuum and take out the trash.

They make water care easier, but they don’t eliminate it.

Spas require regular cleaning, balancing of chemicals, and monitoring of water levels and circulation - based upon standard bell curve usage of a Spa, ~2 weeks is the optimal  interval for formal water chemistry balancing, filter cleaning, and system  checks that balances water maintenance with cost for our customers (i.e.  keeping cost low while maintaining high quality spa water).

It is also recommended to have a water exchange & internal plumbing flush every 6 months at the latest (we call this a Spa Rephresh). Why 6 months? Industry standards state that at this stage, the  culmination of skin cells and oil, lotions, hairsprays,  detergents, and residual chemicals congealing in hot water will start to impact the ability for the Spa to truly provide therapeutic value. 

The TheraSpa Team does it a little differently, as we recognize each customer's usage profile varies; we track the water health, TDS levels, and saturation points with every visit to determine the optimal point to exchange the water via a Spa Rephresh. After a number of service intervals, where chlorine, shock, etc is being  added to the water, the Saturation Point will occur where the water can’t hold the chemicals anymore and needs to be replaced with non-saturated  water. (Spa RepHresh’s are similar to an oil change for your car, or a deep  clean for your grill) .

Nothing!   Another benefit of our Wellness program is how all  actions are governed by tracked data - including the  optimal window for when your Spa RePhresh should be  scheduled; your monthly service manager reviews your  TDS each trip, and when your water is approaching the  Saturation threshold, a notice is passed to your Spa RepHresh Manager & Customer Integration Team to reach out to coordinate the water exchange workings (i.e. you don’t need to keep track of it,  we will do that for you) 

 1. Don’t wash your swimsuit every time you use it; instead, run your swimsuits under cold water and allow to air dry. This minimizes the introduction of detergent into your Spa water 

2. Minimize usage of lotions, hair products et al when using your Spa (it is optimal to rinse off before entering your Spa to, again, minimize introduction of these chemicals into your water) 

3. Run your Spa for a full 15 minutes (or the equivalent of a filter cycle) when you use it – this both runs the water through the filter cycle and allows enough time for the warm water to bring its intended benefit 

4. Allow your Spa to vent during the day when we see 105+ degree days (higher ambient temperatures = variant effects on the chemical  reaction process = quicker timeframe for water to become  imbalanced) 

5. Add the chemicals your Monthly Service Manager leaves for you during the week TheraSpa isn’t on site; these will be pre-measured for  you, all you need to do is remember to add them to the water (no additional charge for bi-monthly customers for chemicals).