In-ground Spa Water Change

[mzuniga]

Hi friends. I used to have an above ground, stand alone salt water hot tub and its instructions adviced to change water once a year. Applying the same logic we use for pools, there seem to be no real reason for that if the hot tub is properly cared for.

Now I have build an inground pool and spa. Spa is side by side but completely isolated from the pool and operating with its own pump, filter and SW cell with no spillover. Good chemical balance and filter cleaning notwithstanding, is there any reason I should change the spa water once in a while? I would certainly prefer not to do it as I am pretty anal with my maintenance.

Thank you guys!

 

[Mdragger88]

The advice here is to purge with Ahhsome, drain & refill standalone spas every 4-6 months as biofilms accumulate & protect nasties within the plumbing from being oxidized by fc.
There are some here that push that limit. Generally you will start to get persistent cc’s & higher fc consumption indicating it’s time for a change. This is especially true if it is covered & not often exposed to uv.
At any rate overtime the total dissolved solids (bather waste + other things) will build up leading to less than stellar water. Hot tubs are a big pot of people soup after all. The timing often depends on bather loads & frequency of use - for instance my tub doesn’t get used nearly as much in the summer as the winter so i can wait a little longer (let my water get a little older) before my fall purge than i can my spring purge.