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Hot Tub Learning Center
Hot Tub
Learning Center
Everything you need to know about buying and owning a hot tub.
Hot Tub Buying Guides
Buy your hot tub with confidence. Check out our guides and general buying information on how to choose the right hot tub for your needs and enjoyment.
Learn how to choose the right hot tub with this comprehensive guide.
Everything you need to know about the revolutionary salt water system.
Learn about the differences between entry level and top-of-the-line spas.
Discover some of the dangers behind traveling hot tub road shows.
Read the guide on hot tub pricing and choosing what’s best for you.
Discover reasons why or why not a pre-owned hot tub is right for you.
Learn the key differences and our top hot tub picks.
Hot Tub Benefits
Discover all of the benefits that hot tubs bring to you and your family.
Find out how you can have a deeper and more peaceful sleep with your hot tub.
Hot Tub Videos
Watch our collection of video content to see our hot tubs in action.
Get a close-up look at a new spa from Hot Spring’s Highlife Collection.
Learn how to clean Tri-X filters found on Hot Spring and Hot Spot Models.
Hot Spring Spas Shopper Q&A Videos
Hot Spring answers your most asked questions about hot tub ownership.
Design Ideas
Learn about site selection and preparation and browse a gallery of installation photos.
Hot Tub FAQs
Discover all of the benefits that hot tubs bring to you and your family.
Hot Tub Shopping FAQs
Yes! Many people choose to finance their hot tub and make monthly payments rather than pay for it all at once. Financing will also widen your options and could help you get the hot tub of your dreams. When you purchase a hot tub, be sure to ask us about financing options. The benefits of a hot tub will pay for itself.
A 110 hot tub plugs into a 110v 20 amp dedicated circuit, it will run the jets or the heater.
A 220 spa is hardwired, and runs the jets and the heater at the same time.
A hot tub without the lounger provides additional seating and a hot tub with a lounger enables the customer to stretch out in a designed lounge area.
Our hot tubs come 29, 33, 36, and 38 inches tall, respectively. One of the most noticeable difference is in the footwell area as the spa gets taller, the footwell area gets deeper.
A “Plug & Play” or “Plug-N-Play” simply means you are able to plug it into a 110 outlet and run it without additional electrical set-up.
How to Use FAQs
Just 15 minutes a day every morning or evening can have a significant impact on your health and outlook. Many hot tub owners will use their hot tubs once a day, sometimes twice a day. And on weekends, it’s a great way to spend time with family. You’d be surprised how often you’ll want to step into your hot tub. You’ll want to refer to your hot tub manual on how you safely use your hot tub.
There are benefits to soaking before and after exercise. A hot tub will help increase blood flow, relax muscles and aid with healing and prevent muscle damage. If you exercise often or have intense workouts, you’ll love how relaxing a soak in the hot tub is after your routine and the calming effects before your routine. There are also innovative options such as CoolZone which can reduce your spa water to as low as 60 degrees providing a cooling soak on those hot days.
There are many ways to increase the enjoyment you’ll get out of your hot tub. We like to add entertainment options to the hot tub experience. Check out our spa accessories.
Typically the difference is in the type of chemicals that you can utilize with that take your spa; the spa that has the circulation pump is moving and cleaning 24/7, whereas a spa without a circulation pump is set on a timer to circulate.
Maintenance FAQs
Even the highest quality hot tubs will naturally require some maintenance over the years. Your owner’s manual will be your first go-to resource should you encounter anything. If you need further assistance, you should call your local dealer which sells the same brand of hot tubs. For Hot Spring Spas and Freeflow Spas, Spa Depot is the local dealer in the North Atlanta area. We’d love to take a look and help with any spa service needs.
Hot tubs come in a variety of building materials, water care systems and levels of quality. It used require a lot of maintenance many years ago when most hot tubs were built using wood cabinets. The amount of maintenance on those were similar to what you’d need to do for a deck. Today, with synthetic materials, maintenance is minimal if any at all. As for water care, it will depend on your exact system. Salt water hot tub systems tend to require less maintenance and chemicals while standard systems still are fairly easy to deal with. You’ll end up spending as little as 5 minutes a week on pH balancing and checking the sanitizer and 15 minutes a month on rinsing out filters. Some filters can even be ran in a dishwasher. Often you can get away with draining and refilling your spa about once a year. With more traditional water care systems it might require this process a few more times per year.
Salt Water systems like the FreshWater Salt System simplifies water care even more. Chlorine is automatically generated so you’ll spend less time adding chemicals and will need to drain and refill your tub less often. It makes hot tub ownership easier than ever and produces more natural feeling water.
Installation FAQs
It’s actually a simple process to determine what you need to get a hot tub installed. You’ll need a location that is accessible. If a pathway is too narrow there are options such as using a crane to get a hot tub in a backyard. You’ll want a level, solid surface. Concrete and reinforced deck are popular surfaces but often people will install a hot tub on pavers, slabs made of wood or gravel and even more options. You’ll also need to decide between a 100V or 220V model. And also you’ll need to consider being able to drain and refill the hot tub. Our experts will help guide you through this process.
You’ll want to consider how close the spa is to your door. The more often you use it, the closer you’ll want it to your house so that on colder nights it’s much easier to get in and out of the house. Also, you’ll want to consider the level of privacy you want. You could even use some hot tub cover options to create some extra privacy. Spa Depot will assist you with selecting the perfect spot for your hot tub.
Generally, we’ll perform the delivery and installation of the hot tub to make things much easier. Also, we’ll ensure that you’ll have everything up and running smoothly. There are plug-n-play models which makes installation a breeze. We’ll go over your options when you are purchasing a hot tub.
Water Care Troubleshooting
What is it?
Cloudy water is a hazy, murky appearance that is caused by introduction of suspended particles that are invisible to the naked eye. A similar analogy would be the particles in air that cause smoke. These impurities are introduced into the water from a myriad of environmental sources, even bathers and source water. Particles can intensify and cause water to cloud due to improper water balance, low sanitizer levels and/or lack of routine oxidation, poor filtration or inadequate circulation.
To fix chemical causes of cloudy water:
Test water to determine current chemistry conditions
Add pH Decreaser if pH is high
Add Water Clarifier to help remove particles to the filter
Add Enhanced Shock or Spa Shock to oxidize contaminants
Add Brominating Concentrate or Chlorinating Concentrate to boost low sanitizer levels.
To fix equipment causes of cloudy water:
Improper filtration can be a cause of cloudy water
Use Filter Cleaner to clean dirty filter media
To prevent cloudy water:
Chemically clean filter every 4-6 weeks
Replace filter media as directed
Maintain proper water balance
Oxidize water weekly to destroy contaminants*
*such as perspiration, suntan lotions, hair sprays, body oils, urine, pet dander, and cosmetics
What is it?
Odors are most often caused by a high level of organic contaminants in the water left behind by users.
Typical spa use obviously creates a much higher level of contaminants in the water than occurs with typical swimming pool use and the aeration and higher temperature of the spa help cause the deposition of skin flakes and oil into the water as well as increased sweating. Obviously the sheer quantity of contaminants and bacteria present in each gallon of water causes a strain on the sanitizer to provide adequate protection and contributes to the need to oxidize or drain and refill periodically.
To fix odors caused by contaminants:
Take a water sample to your SpaGuard Dealer to determine current water balance, adjust accordingly
Add Water Freshener to remove odors
Add Enhanced Shock or Spa Shock to oxidize contaminants
Add Brominating Concentrate or Chlorinating Concentrate to boost low sanitizer levels
To prevent odors:
Maintain an appropriate sanitizer residual
Shock/oxidize routinely or as needed depending on bather load
Test water frequently and adjust as needed
What is it?
Copper may erode from the spa’s heating system and dissolve into the water due to low pH, low total alkalinity and low calcium hardness. This can show up as green or greenish-blue water. In addition, the source or make-up water may also have high levels of metal such as iron copper or manganese. Changes in water balance (usually from an increase in pH or application of a shock product) can cause the metals to become insoluble and allow them to drop onto the spa surface, resulting in staining.
To remove metal stains:
Have your water tested to determine the root cause
Add Stain & Scale Control to remove recent stains and tie up metals in pool water
Use Off The Wall® Surface Cleaner to help clean hard water deposits
To prevent metal stains:
Add Stain & Scale Control weekly to tie up metals in spa water
What is it?
Foaming can be caused by a foreign contaminant such as soap or oil entering the spa or the build-up of organic contaminants in the water. Foam should dissipate over time, but the use of anti-foaming agents will help clear the foam much more rapidly.
To eliminate foaming:
Apply Anti Foam to get rid of foam quickly
Add Enhanced Shock or Spa Shock to oxidize contaminants
Add Water Clarifier to remove contaminants that may be causing the foam
To prevent foaming:
Shock/oxidize routinely
Add Water Clarifier to your weekly maintenance routine to help remove contaminants
What is it?
Scale formation is created when there is an oversaturation of minerals, particularly calcium, in the spa water and water conditions do not allow them to remain dissolved or soluble. Those conditions may be high calcium hardness, high water temperatures and/or high pH. The minerals drop out of solution and rough, sandpaper-like deposits attach to spa surfaces, circulation and filtration systems and plug heaters. Conversely, low levels of calcium make the water more aggressive and can lead to corrosion of equipment and spa surface staining.
To remove scale:
Add Stain & Scale Control to gradually remove scale from surfaces
Use a brush and Off The Wall® Surface Cleaner to quickly clean surfaces
Test water to determine current chemistry conditions
Add pH Decreaser if pH is high
To prevent scale:
Add Stain & Scale Control to your weekly maintenance routine to reduce contaminant levels
What is it?
Eyes and skin can become irritated after spending time in the spa for various reasons. Out-of-balance spa parameters, specifically pH, can cause eye and skin irritation in soakers. A build-up of contaminants in water can also create chloramines (a chlorine smell) and contribute to eye/skin irritation.
To adjust pH:
Test water before adding product to ensure which factors need to be adjusted
Add pH Decreaser if pH is high, pH Increaser if the pH is low
To remove contaminants:
Add Enhanced Shock or Spa Shock to remove contaminants
Add Water Clarifier to enhance filtration.
To prevent irritating conditions:
Keep spa water balanced according to suggested parameters
Chemically clean filter every 4-6 weeks
Oxidize water weekly to destroy contaminants*
*such as perspiration, suntan lotions, hair sprays, body oils, urine, pet dander, and cosmetics
What is it?
A greasy coating on the walls along the waterline of the spa is evidence that there is a saturation of undissolved materials in the water while a ring of rough patches may be a sign of scale. Most of the time, oils and lotions that enter the water via soakers can cause the greasy build-up and scale conditions are due to water balance issues. Please visit the Scale troubleshooting section for more info on that problem.
To remove waterline build-up:
Add Natural Spa Enzyme to breakdown contaminants such as oils, lotions and grease
Add Stain & Scale Control to gradually remove scale from spa surfaces
Use a brush and Off The Wall® Surface Cleaner to quickly clean surfaces near the waterline
To prevent waterline build-up:
Add Natural Spa Enzyme to your routine maintenance routine to help keep surfaces cleaner
Chemically clean filter every 4-6 weeks
Care & Maintenance
Learn what it takes to care for and maintain your spa and the Freshwater Salt System.
Warranty Information
Search below for warranty information covering all the brands and models we carry.
