At some point or another you will have to fill your hot tub; and that usually the water will come from your household garden hose. When you fill the tub place the hose in the skimmer suction to try and remove any air locks from the draining and cleaning process. This is better for the pumps and plumbing and will keep your hot tub running years longer.
Well water can also be used as long as it does not contain too many metals. If the water is rusty in colour, use a prefilter attached to the end of your garden hose to filter out the impurities and use an anti-scale solution to remove the iron. If you are only able to use softened water, there are calcium hardness products that can be added once the spa is full to replace some of the needed minerals. No Matter your water source you may want to check the National water data-base to see if your water chemistry is listed.
It is important to remember not to add any water care products until your tub is full and running so you can make sure to achieve the correct water balance.
Filling the Tub
1. Make sure power to your hot tub is turned off to prevent electrocution and accidental damage to the pump by running it dry.
2. Remove the hot tub filters and place them in the bottom of the tub to absorb water while it fills. Wet filters will begin to work more quickly than dry ones once installed.
3. Put the garden hose in the skimmer area. Don’t walk away or allow yourself to be distracted while filling the tub as it will fill more quickly than you think – it only take about 30-45 minutes to fill most tubs depending on the water pressure in your area.
4. Look for a water line mark on the inside of the tub that will tell you where to fill to. If the tub is too full or not full enough, the pump and jets may not function properly.
5. Once you fill your hot tub, turn the power back on and run the Priming Cycle if your spa has one. This will check sensors and voltage before powering itself up and turning on the pumps.
6. If your tub uses a two pump system, turn on the jets now.
Before Walking Away
Make sure you hear the pump running and see water coming out of the jets and flowing back into the spa. Just because you can hear the pump, does not mean it is functioning properly. Make sure there are no air pockets in the filters by turning them upside down as you remove them from the water. Reinstall them.
Finally, be sure to check your water chemistry and add the necessary chemicals before use, and before you start up again its a great time to clean and rinse off your hot tub covers!
