Prepare your spa for Winter

For many of us, the arrival of cooler weather means putting the cover on the swimming pool and preparing the spa for regular winter use.

If your spa has been out of use over the Summer, here are a few easy steps that will have it ready for the cooler months ahead.

STEP 1:

If your spa has a cover, remove it and clean it.

STEP 2:

Even though it is treated, spa water needs to be emptied and replaced every three or four months. The start of the winter season is a good time to do this. Add BioGuard SPA Defence while filling. This will help protect spa equipment and prevent stains caused by metals in the water.

STEP 3:

Once you’ve filled the spa, start it up following your manufacturer’s directions. Then add BioGuard SPA Crystal Clear and allow the water to circulate for about five minutes. Follow this with either BioGuard SPA Perfect Balance or the correct mineral balancing chemicals.

STEP 4:

After the water has circulated for about 30 minutes, add BioGuard SPA Purity to oxidise the water, then add the initial dose of your preferred spa sanitiser as detailed in the product’s start-up instructions.

STEP 5:

You will need to test the water to check the balance; you should have a chlorine residual of 2-3 ppm or bromine residual of 4-6 ppm.

An optional extra step is to add BioGuard SPA Velvet, which improves the feel of the water, reduces the chance of red eyes and irritated skin and helps reduce chemical use.

STEP 6:

Once you’ve started up your spa for the season, ongoing maintenance is straightforward. Just circulate the water each day, keep the filter clean and get rid of contaminants such as dirt, scale and oil from the waterline by using BioGuard SPA Squeaky Clean.

It’s also a good idea to bring a sample of your spa water to us once a month for testing and advice.

Don’t forget, it’s important to clean your filter every 4 to 6 weeks to remove debris. BioGuard Filter Renew is the perfect product for this.

Which temperature to set your spa in Winter

How hot should you have your spa? There aren’t many nicer things than slipping into a warm, bubbling spa. But when it comes to setting your water temperature, how hot is too hot?

Before you touch your control panel, there are a few factors to consider: safety, budget and personal preference. Finding the perfect balance can take some fine-tuning, so to save you some time, we have formulated this guide to heating your spa.

As there are a wide range of models on the market and the way you control the heating system varies. Some models even enable you to manage your spa temperature remotely with your smartphone.

New spa models will generally prevent you from increasing the water temperature too high as a safety precaution. Your maximum spa temperature should not exceed 38°C, and bather time in spas at this temperature should be no longer than 15 minutes. Any water temperature above this level is considered unsafe for adults to swim in and can cause harm to bathers.

DOES WATER TEMPERATURE MATTER?

Water temperature is a personal preference, and we recommend you do some experimentation between the safe levels of 36°C to 38°C. You need to be careful, however, about keeping the water within the safe range, so you don’t damage your body.* We also recommend having a spa thermometer on hand to double check the temperature before using your spa.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

One of the main concerns of a spa owner is how to prevent an astronomical energy bill. For this reason, it may be tempting to keep your spa at a significantly lower temperature when you’re not using it. Doing this, however, could cost you more! Constantly turning your spa temperature up and down will use more power and can also wreak havoc on the heating element.

Instead, turn the temperature down only slightly when your spa isn’t in use, and keep your spa cover on. This minimises energy wastage by using unnecessary energy to keep your spa at a higher temperature when it’s not in use and it also keeps the water warm enough so when you’re ready to heat it up again, only a small amount of energy is required to reheat the already warm water, rather than the huge power surge that would be required to heat up cold water.

FINDING THE SWEET SPOT

Finding your perfect spa temperature will require some experimentation, but we suggest starting at 37°C (the average body temperature) and then altering it from there if it’s too chilly or too hot.

* It’s important to know that prolonged periods in hot water can present a risk to any swimmer, especially if they have a pre-existing health condition. So, if you have a health condition, it’s a good idea first to discuss the suitability with your healthcare provider before you jump in.

Original article posted by Bioguard