If there is a hot tub accessory that hot tub owners should not skip for maintenance, that would surely be your hot tub filter.
Any hot tub’s operation depends on its hot tub filters. Without an effective hot tub filter, dirt, dust, and other particles would easily accumulate in the water, making it hazy and unusable. However, hot tub filters must be changed periodically to guarantee that your hot tub operates properly.
Does this mean you have to replace it often? Pretty expensive, right? Thankfully you don’t have to do it as often as you might think. Tune in to this article until the end to know how long it lasts before replacing it and how you can extend its life.
What Does A Hot Tub Filter Do?
Every hot tub includes some sort of filter because even if the water appears clear, it frequently contains impurities like body oils, lotions, grime, and other environmental detritus. Filters are quite simple: As water flows through them, undesirable particles are caught in their folds.
Today’s hot tub filters are often made as simple cartridges to detach, clean, and replace. Each cartridge comprises a filter medium wrapped around a core structure, which is often plastic. Pleated media, consisting of polyester or other materials, considerably improves the surface of the filter for improved cleaning action.
As a hot tub owner, you have a major part in the filter’s efficacy since the contaminants collected by the filters stay there until they are cleaned. Your hot tub compressors and heating system may become overworked if you neglect routine filter maintenance and replacement, as dirt and grime may begin to accumulate.
That is why you will need to change your filters at some point in your hot tub ownership to ensure you enjoy crystal clear and clean water.
How Long Does Hot Tub Filters Last Before Replacing It?
Most filters are made to last for a year, so in theory, you should replace them every 12 months. You’ll have to change the filters sooner than a year if you utilize the hot tub regularly and the water or construction materials are of poor quality. The hot tub filtration system can only be used for a minimum of six months.
Here are some telltale signs that your filters need to be replaced:
- You must frequently apply to clarify agents. Clarifying agents must keep the water clear as the filter material loosens.
- The filter needs to be taken out and cleaned more frequently than usual to maintain the water clear. No, a hot tub filter will never be completely clean, regardless of your hard work. The filter will need to be cleaned more frequently as it gets older.
- Regular FLO errors in the hot tub are resolved whenever the filter is taken off. Water flow through filters becomes increasingly difficult as they clog, resulting in FLO mistakes.
- Even after cleaning, the hot tub filter is already brown, like a paper bag, gray, green, or dark yellow.
- The hot tub has been given to a new hot tub owner.
- The pleated portion of the filtering element flattens out and loses its fibrous shine.
- The top or bottom of the pool filter is fractured or cracked.
- The pool filter component begins to tear or disintegrate.
4 Factors That Affect Hot Tub Filter Longevity
If you have just recently checked your hot tub filter and find it in a distressing state, chances are you have been making your hot tub work harder than it normally should. Here are some factors that shorten and affect the hot tub filter�s lifespan.
1. Heavy Hot Tub Usage
If you use your hot tub every day or so often a week, you always use the filters in your hot tub. That will put too much strain on the hot tub pump, raising your utility expenses. When you run the filters more frequently, it will work with each cycle lasting a minimum duration of two hours. This will cause too much strain to your hot tub filter and eventually lead to its damage early in your usage.
2. Heavy Presence Of Debris
Your tub may require more frequent filtration cycles if the place it is located accumulates dirt and debris. The same holds if hot tub users bring in waste like swimsuit fibers, body oils, conditioners, or body lotions. It perpetuates the growth of bacteria in the hot tub system, which can infest the dirty filter and the hot tub water.
3. Poor Hot Tub Filter Maintenance
Since your hot tub filter is the one that works to ensure that you are not soaking in dirty water in your hot tub, you have to keep your hot tub clean by maintaining it regularly. You must take it out and clean it once a week with running water from a garden hose or sink faucet and spray a specialist chemical on your filter once a month before cleaning. Likewise, your filter must be immersed in a particular chemical solution every three months. If you don�t practice this maintenance and keep your filter clean, expect it to wear and tear easily.
4. Low-Quality Filters
If you buy from a brand from a hot tub manufacturer with low-quality filters, it will most likely not endure months or years of service. This is why you need to invest in a good filter, even if it costs a little extra. In the long run, you can save from having to repair it and changing it often.
Ways To Extend Hot Tub Filter�s Lifespan
Luckily, you can extend your hot tub filter lifespan by making the filter clean through the simple, proven, and tested steps like the following:
- Regularly rinse your filters. To keep your hot tub filters as clean as possible, rinse them every one to two weeks.
- Clean the filters with chemicals. In addition to routine rinsing every three to four months, you should chemically cleanse your dirty filters with a professional hot tub filter cleaner. These cleaners disintegrate and eliminate oils and creams that conventional rinses can’t get rid of.
- Rotate through the two filters. Allowing the hot tub filters to dry completely occasionally is among the best ways to lengthen their lives. The filtration system will contract back up when the filters dry, enabling them to filter the water more successfully. Simply switching between two filters is the simplest approach to ensure that your filters are completely dry. Put the other filter in after cleaning one with a spa filter cleaner and letting it air dry. A hot tub filter’s lifespan can be readily extended by a few months by sticking to this regimen.
Here are some super hacks to help you lengthen your filter�s lifespan.
- Avoid using a power washer or a brush when cleaning.
- Avoid using home cleaners, soaps, or detergents.
- After cleaning, drying aids in the elimination of any lingering pollutants and microorganisms. This is an essential part of hot tub care.
- Use a filter cleaner every three to six months to eliminate mineral and oil buildup.
- Always keep an extra spa filter while cleansing and drying the dirty one.
- Use hot tub cover lifters to avoid debris from coming in contact with your water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions to guide you in knowing how long spa filters last before replacing them.
How Long Do Filters Last In A Lazy Spa?
You should take the filter cartridge out of the cabinet and clean it after each usage or at most every other day. New filters should be installed in your hot tub on a regular basis, depending on how frequently you use them, especially when it becomes hard and colors start to change.
How Do You Know When Spa Filter Is Bad?
You can see if the hot tub filters are bad when upon checking, you notice that the surface of the filter has become worn, and you can see some tearing. Additionally, when the water does not run smoothly through it, it becomes too dirty, which you can check by its colors.
How Many Hours A Day Should A Tub Filter?
Suction-side filter cartridges need to run for at least eight hours per day, but most need to run for 12 to 24 hours to adequately screen the water inside a hot tub. Energy prices rise as these systems are used for longer periods of time.
How Often Should You Change Hot Tub Water?
Every three to four months, owners of hot tubs are advised to change the water in their hot tubs. It is recommended to do this because if you keep adding chlorine, it will begin to disintegrate in your hot tub more slowly and eventually won’t dissolve at all.
Conclusion
Never skips filter maintenance in the checklists if you want to enjoy warm baths in your hot tubs now and in the future. Make sure to regularly clean your hot tub filters weekly and occasionally add chemicals that are especially used to clean hot tub filters. After 12 months, you should replace your hot tub filters to keep your hot tub water clean. If you want to extend its lifespan, simply follow the super hacks presented above.
