Hot Tub Filters
Almost every hot tub available has a unique approach to filtering the spa water. If you speak with the sales people for these companies they will all explain how their hot tub filters more, or better, than any other brand of hot tub. What is important to you should be the size of the filter medium, the turnover capacity for the pump and filter compared to the volume of the spa, and how much do replacement filters cost.While some hot tubs use 2, 3, 5 or more filters, this is not a situation where more is better. A hot tub can meet and exceed minimum filtration requirements with a singe good quality filter in most cases. Where adding a second filter to create a primary and secondary filter process can sometimes be an advantage, anything more than this is just not required.
Cleaning your hot tub filters will be one of your least favorite maintenance items to take care of on your spa. It is such an undesireable job that many hot tub owners will not clean their filters well enough or often enough. When you consider how you are supposed to clean your filters, and how often you need to do this, you begin to second guess the validity of owning a hot tub with a five filter filtration system.
Spa Pumps & Filters
There are way too many factors, makes, models and brands of pumps, filters and heaters on the market to get into specifics about which systems are the best. Remember to look at things like flow rating not horsepower ratings on pumps. Flow ratings show how much water the pump actually moves while horsepower tells you how much power the pump uses i.e. how much it costs to run.Spa Filtering Process
In terms of filters there are two basic setups available on acrylic spas. One involves filtering the water before it passes through the pump and the other where the pump pushes the water through the filter. The difference is critical to a well designed system.On a pool the pump draws water from the pool and then pushes in through the filter and then back to the pool. This in acceptable as the pump has a strainer basket on the suction side port to remove foreign materials. Hot tub pumps do not have this strainer basket and as such it is critically important that the water is filtered just prior to entering the pump.
How To Spot Faulty Spa Heating Elements
When evaluating the quality of a hot tub heating element be sure to read the warranty fine print for this part. Most warranties exclude this item, or at least have a clause about water chemistry quality standards that you must meet in order to not void your warranty.
The warranty for the heating element will be a transparent look into the confidence and history that a given company has with this component. This goes for the pump or pumps as well.
Hot tub plumbing is often overlooked. In actuality the plumbing materials and installation will determine the overall enjoyment of the massage as well as resistance to failure and leaks.
Proceed to the section that deals with Spa Plumbing