As a first-time hot tub owner, you undoubtedly have many questions, and you are not alone! While most people know how to use a hot tub, very few understand what owning a hot tub entails.
Among the questions most frequently asked by new hot tub owners is should I keep my hot tub on all the time.
There are a few exceptions of course which I explain in the rest of the article.
Should my hot tub pump run all the time?
You certainly should leave your hot tub on all the time as they are designed to be used like that. Most hot tubs have significant insulation, which, together with a thick cover, means that heat loss will be minimal so electricity use is kept to a minimum to maintain the temperature.
Actually, although your hot tub may be an all the time it doesn’t mean it is constantly using energy in the form of electricity.
Hot tubs only use electricity when the hot tub temperature drops and as they have particularly good insulation they maintain the temperature well.
Always using a hot tub cover, particularly a good quality cover, also helps maintain the correct temperature and ensures you do not use more energy consumption than is necessary.
Why should you leave a hot tub on all the time?
It’s practical
The average six-person hot tub can hold anywhere from three hundred and twenty gallons of water to five hundred gallons of water. That is a lot of H2O!
The first time that you heat your hot tub, you can expect it to take around twenty hours for the water to heat up, depending on how cold your faucet water is.
Now, imagine if you had to heat your hot tub every time you wanted to use it. You’d have to wait almost a whole day for the water to heat up from cold each time.
Even if the water is still warm, you are looking at waiting four to six hours for the water to heat up to the right temperature again!
What good is a hot tub if you can’t use it on the spur of the moment when you want to?
It’s more affordable
Another reason why you should let your hot tub run all of the time is that it’s more affordable as they actually use very little energy just maintaining the desired temperature!
If you have to heat your hot tub from cold each time you want to soak, it means having to keep the heater running on overdrive perhaps for 24 hours until the water reaches the desired temperature. You can imagine how expensive the electricity usage would be.
How is keeping your hot tub running constantly more affordable?
Manufacturers build high-quality hot tubs with numerous insulating features to keep the water warm. These features in hot tubs are designed to reduce the amount of energy needed to keep the hot tub heated, so keeping hot tub running costs down.
Top-quality hot tubs also have high-quality heaters that are more efficient than those in other hot tubs.
So, even when the heater does come on and the hot tub pump runs, it requires much less energy to heat your hot tub water so your hot tub energy bill will be less too!
These features mean that when you want to use it and soak in your hot tub, the most you will have to do is turn the temperature up a few degrees – which is much more cost-efficient!
Personally, I keep the water in my hot tub running 24/7 every month of the year and keep the water temperature I prefer it to be at so I can hop straight in whenever I feel like it. That is the way hot tubs are designed to be used.
I have left my hot tub running constantly for many years now without any problems. If you like using your hot tub in a similar way too then I suggest you do the same.
It keeps the water clean
If you switch off the hot tub for days when you aren’t using it then the pump will obviously not run. This means that the hot tub’s water will not run through the filter so it will not be filtered.
This could lead to problems with the water quality resulting in using more chemicals to bring the water back to normal.
Is it safe to leave your hot tub on all the time?
When most new hot tub owners find out that you should keep your hot tub running all the time, their next question is whether or not it is safe to do so.
Again, the answer is yes, it is perfectly safe to keep your hot tub running all the time. My hot tub has been running constantly for 8 years now, apart from a few hours every month or two when I empty the hot tub to clean.
Manufacturers know that their hot tubs will be running all the time, and they test each of their products with that regular, constant use in mind.
There are also safety specifications that a hot tub must meet before it can be certified as safe.
How long can you leave a hot tub unattended?
You can leave a hot tub unattended for two weeks or so if you are going away on a vacation etc.
However, to allow for safe and worry-free unattended use, it is recommended to shock the water with chlorine to ensure it stays clean while you’re away. This will help prevent bacteria build-up, which can pose health risks to users.
You should leave it switched on so that the pump operates regularly on its filter cycle to keep the water clean.
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I bought Swim University’s Hot Tub Maintenance Course a while after I bought my first hot tub and struggled to maintain it. It was money very well spent and it has paid for itself many times over the years as I have saved by not needing to use as many chemicals as I did previously.
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When should you turn off your hot tub?
Just because you should not turn your hot tub off after each use does not mean that you should never turn your hot tub completely off. There are some occasions when it may make sense to do this.
Every three months for cleaning
If your hot tub is not in a rental or vacation property, plan on turning it off and draining it every three months or so.
Even if you use it year-round, you should drain, clean, and refill your hot tub periodically to keep it sanitary. Actually, perhaps the correct answer to should you leave a hot tub on all the time should be yes, except when you clean it.
You can vary this depending on the use it gets. For example, although my hot tub is on year-round, it gets much less use in the summer than in the winter.
So I empty and clean it less often during this period which may just be once in the 6-month summer period. Provided the water chemistry is ok then it isn’t a problem.
When it’s not being used
You also want to be sure to turn off your hot tub if you don’t plan on using it for a while, perhaps because you are off on a long trip.
In this case, you can turn it off, drain it, and clean it and leave it while you are away. Then when you’re ready to put the tub back in use, do a quick clean and refill, and you’re ready to start heating the tub again!
Can you leave a hot tub empty in summer?
If you don’t plan to use your hot tub during the summer then you can certainly empty it and leave it quite happily. This will save money by not using electricity and means you will not need to do any maintenance.
For safety’s sake, you should disconnect the hot tub from the power by physically disconnecting it or throwing the trip/fuse.
Can I leave my hot tub empty in winter?
If you do not want to use your hot tub during the winter then you can certainly empty it. However. if the temperatures will drop below freezing point you must ensure that it has been emptied completely, including from the internal pipework otherwise the pipes may freeze and split.
For safety’s sake, you should disconnect the hot tub from the power by physically disconnecting it or throwing the trip/fuse.
Vacation rentals
If your hot tub is in a vacation property or rental property, you are going to need to drain and clean your tub much more frequently.
It’s common practice for vacation homeowners to drain and clean their hot tub once each guest checks out. Such regular draining helps to prevent any sanitation problems for new guests in your property.
Although it’s common practice, it’s not always possible to drain and reheat your hot tub between guests, particularly if you are in peak vacation season and need to do a same-day turnaround.
If you find yourself in this circumstance, it is acceptable to check the water quality and do a partial drain and refill plus a chemical shock treatment if chemical levels are off.
FAQs
Should I turn my hot tub down when not in use?
If you know that you will not be using your hot tub for a few weeks, perhaps when going on vacation, then it may be worthwhile lowering the temperature a few degrees. Certainly, this is a better idea than turning it off completely as then the contents will just become stagnant.
Does turning down hot tub save money?
It will certainly save you money if you lower the temperature of your hot tub water but you should consider that it will not be available to use at a moment’s notice (which is how I tend to use mine) as it will need time to heat up to your preferred temperature.
Do hot tubs turn on automatically?
Hot tub pumps come on when it is time for a scheduled filter cycle or if the water temperature drops sufficiently for the heater to switch on. You do not have to control it
Does a hot tub use a lot of electricity?
Naturally, it does use energy to heat and run a hot tub. But due to the energy efficiency of most modern hot tubs, in the form of insulation and good quality heaters, they do not use as much electricity as you may imagine.
Does leaving a hot tub on all the time wear it out faster?
It makes little difference to the lifespan of a spa if you keep your hot tub on all the time. Hot tubs are designed with this in mind by the manufacturers.
Should I leave my Lay Z Spa on all the time?
You can treat a LayZ Spa in the same way as you would treat any hot tub so keeping it on all the time should not cause a problem.
I have had hot tubs for over 20 years and a pool for the last 10 years. I had to learn how to clean, maintain and fix them the hard way. Since then I have helped many friends and neighbors with their pools and now I want to share everything I have learned with you. About Me
