How to Properly Open a Hot Tub/Spa :

Most damage that occurs to Hot Tub/Spa is caused by improper winterization. When it comes time to open up your Hot Tub/Spa, any problems will become quickly evident. While it is strongly recommended to have a pool or spa professional close your spa, many homeowners do successfully tackle the job of spa opening themselves.

Hot Tub Spa Opening Instructions :

A- Remove the winter spa cover (or tarp) that is covering your hard thermal spa cover.

B- Remove the air pillow (if any) and deflate it. For an inground spa, remove and drain any water tubes as well. Clean, fold and store it away.

C- Remove the hard thermal cover.

D- Inspect the inside of the spa. Some water or dirt is expected. If there is water in the spa for any reason, put your submersible spa draining pump into the tub and pump out all the remaining water. Inspect the shell for cracks or splits. If there was a significant amount of water in the tub over the winter, and it froze, there is a chance that it could have caused serious damage to the spa shell. If any cracks or splits are visible in the spa shell, contact a local spa professional to check it out immediately. Otherwise, remove any rubber plugs that may have been installed in the jets at closing time as well. If your spa shell appears OK, then move on to the next step.

E- Clean the spa shell & filter.

F- It is recommended to use an acrylic cleaner to clean your spa shell. For example, products like Novus, Spray Away, or Clean and Brite. Do not use soap based cleaners like Glass Plus, Fantastic, Scrubbing Bubbles, etc. These cleaners usually contain harsh abrasives that might scratch the acrylic spa shell. Also, they will leave a soap residue on the spa walls and when you refill the spa, you stand a chance of getting bubbly, soapy water. Spray cleaner on the spa shell walls, seats, and floor. Then sponge-clean the entire surface. Dirty water will accumulate in the footwell of the spa. Make sure to keep your hose and your submersible pump handy. When the dirty water fills up the footwell, simply drop your submersible pump in and pump out that water. Continue until the spa is clean to your satisfaction.

G- Clean your spa filter cartridge as well. Use Spa Filter Cleaner to do this. Do not use a soap based cleaner on the filter.

H- Wax spa shell.

It is recommended to use an acrylic wax such as Spa Brite, Novus, or Hi Lite. Do not use any type of Car Wax or Furniture Wax. Using the wrong wax could cause troubles with your spa shell finish or cause problems with your water chemistry. Applying spa shell wax with a soft cotton T-shirt works best. Buff to a nice shine.

I- Clean your hard thermal spa cover.

Make sure you clean the underneath side of the cover too. Once cover is clean of any dirt and grime, then you need to apply a cover protectant such as Novus, Kover Kare, or Formula 303 Protectant. When properly applied, these products will significantly increase the life of your spa cover jacket. It is not recommended to use Armor All because it will prematurely dry out and age spa cover vinyl jackets.

If your spa cover seems very heavy, the foams may have absorbed some water. If your cover has a zipper around the outside of the cover jacket, unzip it and remove the foams. Let them air out for a day or two. If your cover vinyl jacket or foam cores smell musty or have a mildew stench, a quick spray with Lysol brand disinfectant will stop the odor. Please note that the construction of many spa covers do not allow for removal of the foams, so you may not be able to do this with all covers. Some cover foams may be covered with plastic too. If the plastic is heat-sealed around the foam core, then don't unwrap it. You will break the seal. However, if the foams are waterlogged, even under the plastic, then you really can't worsen matters by unwrapping them and letting them air out.

J- Check out Spa Pack.

If the spa was closed properly or professionally, there should be a number of fittings in your spa pack that have been left unscrewed or open. You want to make sure they are all re-connected and tightened before you attempt to fill the spa with water. Also, make sure any drain plugs that were removed are properly re-inserted.

Visually inspect the spa pump, filter container, valves, and any plumbing pipes. You can easily see around the equipment area. Make sure there aren't any obvious cracks or splits !!! The most common problems encountered at opening time are cracks in the wet end of the spa pump or filter container. Cracks are caused by water freezing inside these components which then causes expansion and eventually cracking. Sometimes these are evident before you fill the spa. Sometimes they will not appear until the system is full and pressurized. If you see any obvious cracks or other problems with the equipment, contact a local spa professional to check it out for you.

If all looks well, then simply tighten all quick disconnect fittings. Check the pump, filter, and heater thoroughly. Make sure the air blower is still connected to its pipe too. Make sure any drain valves are closed and that any slice valves are in the open or up position to ensure adequate water flow to the system.

If you have an external gas heater, make sure it is properly connected and that any drain plugs or petcocks are properly installed correctly.

IF YOU SMELL GAS WHEN YOU TURN ON THE HEATER, IMMEDIATELY TURN THE GAS OFF AND CONTACT YOUR GAS COMPANY OR A LOCAL SPA PROFESSIONAL. DO NOT PLAY AROUND WITH GAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

K- Fill the spa.

Put a hose inside the tub and turn your water on. As the tub starts to fill up, the jet piping will slowly start to fill with water and therefore start to reach each piece of equipment in your equipment pack. If a leak exists, THIS IS WHEN THE MONSTER WILL REAR ITS UGLY HEAD !!!!

Keep an eye on everything as the tub fills. If you see a leak (or flood) anywhere, turn off the water until you have diagnosed and repaired the leak. The most common leak areas are around the pump and at all quick disconnect fittings by the spa pack. These drips or leaks can usually be fixed by simply tightening the fitting. Sometimes you may need a new gasket or o-ring to stop the leak. In any event, make sure all leaks and drips are fixed before you continue to fill the tub.

L- Power up spa.

Assuming that the filling procedure went well, you are now ready to power the tub up. Make sure the spa pack area is dry and no standing puddles of water are present when first powering up the tub. Make sure the spa heater thermostat is turned to the off position before you turn on the tub. Turn on the circuit breaker that controls the electric power to the tub. Go back to the spa pack and check the GFCI to make sure it tests and resets. Not all spa packs have a built in GFCI, but most of them do. You want to make sure that the GFCI and/or the main house circuit breaker that controls the electric to the spa are functioning properly. If the GFCI and/or breaker works, proceed to the next step.

M- Start pushing buttons

Make sure the spa pump goes from high to low speed. Makes sure the air blower comes on and off. Check the light and booster pump (if applicable). If all those seem to be working well, then turn the heater on and turn up the thermostat. DO NOT TURN THE HEATER ON UNTIL YOU ARE 100% SURE YOU HAVE WATER FLOW THRU YOUR PIPES !!!!! YOU COULD BURN OUT YOUR HEATER IF YOU TURN IT ON BEFORE YOU HAVE ADEQUATE WATER FLOW.

If you are getting good flow through the jets, then turn on the heater and heat the tub to your desired temperature. If you are not getting good flow thru your jets, or the pump does not seem to be running well you could have a number of different problems.

One common problem many people encounter at their spa opening is that the pipes become air bound and you get what's called an "air lock" in your system. This causes the jets to appear not to work well (or at all). Your symptoms will be that the pump goes on and off just fine, but little or no water comes out of the jets.

This is how an air lock can happen...If you are filling the tub up fairly rapidly, air can get trapped in the pipes that go to the suction fittings and the jets. The water level raises up past the openings in the spa. The air becomes trapped in the pipes. Then when you go to start up the spa pump, it tries to suck in water, but only air is in the pipes. The pump cannot prime itself at that point. So it just runs, but does not pump any water.

The way to fix this is to loosen the quick disconnect fitting in front of the pump. This will allow some air to get in and will break the "air lock" seal that has developed. There should be a hissssss noise and then you will see some water start to come out of the pump fitting. Once you see the water, simply re-tighten the fitting. Turn the pump on. It will surge for a few seconds, but then it should pick up the prime and start to pump properly. If it does not, you should repeat this procedure again. If it still does not work, there could be multiple problems. At that point, contact a local spa professional to check it out for you.

N- Adjust water chemistry.

Once the tub is filled, running, and fully operational, add your necessary chemicals and enjoy your tub.