How should you look after your hot tub throughout the winter period?

It generally depends on how you intend to use your hot tub during the winter months. If you are not going to use your hot tub here's some tips and ideas on how to protect your hot tub from the cold winter weather.

Shutting the hot tub down for the winter involves cleaning out the various pumps and filters, taking many of the filters off and putting them away so they don't freeze, and ensuring that the tub is totally clean of water, so that the tub itself is not cracked by freezing water. The benefit of shutting down the hot tub is that you don’t have to worry about the hot tub during the winter season. After the tub is drained, you can forget about it until the spring when it's time to set up the hot tub again. Don't disregard the fact that extreme cold can cause permanent damage to your spa equipment and accessories also, so if you drain the tub, be positive that all the remaining water is completely emptied and the tub is dry. The downside, however, is you won't be able to use your hot tub during the winter weather.

The other option is to leave the hot tub turned on for the winter. While it doesn't involve extra work, it does require keeping a careful eye on the hot tub and the weather. The biggest difficulty one can run into while keeping their hot tub running for the winter is the use of energy, and therefore, money. One must find a way to keep the water hot, so to stop it from freezing. There are several ways to do this. The cheapest, easiest method is to buy a plastic tarpaulin cover or a thermal blanket, and cover the top of the hot tub when not in use. This will keep the heat in, and the cold out. The upside of this is that you can use your hot tub throughout the winter months.

To conclude, there are positive and negative points to either choice. It's mostly a question of how critical it is to you to use your hot tub during the winter months. Take care of your hot tub by protecting delicate parts such as the plumbing, fittings and filters. Watch the temperature and use extra safeguards on those extra cold days.