Running hot tub during cold season

[lehacf]

Hello,

Could anyone with experience of running and using hot tub during cold season offer some advise on what works and what does not. Specifically how to control water, refilling, optimal temperature settings and how long the water temperature would stay above freezing during power outage? I personally have Marquis Euphoria that should be fully insulated. Thank you very much.

[Tman122]

Hello,

Could anyone with experience of running and using hot tub during cold season offer some advise on what works and what does not. Specifically how to control water, refilling, optimal temperature settings and how long the water temperature would stay above freezing during power outage? I personally have Marquis Euphoria that should be fully insulated. Thank you very much.

The term "cold season" can be very relative. In FL it's 50, in Northern Minnesota it's -20 so first off where are you? If your in the middle of the country or northern east coast where below freezing is common but only for short periods consider how many times your power has been out for more than a day when the temp has been below freezing. That would be 32F. And even at 25-30F that will increase the down time allowable. If your in a part of the country where it doesn't get about freezing for a couple months it's best to have a drain plan for the very, very rare occasion there will be a problem for more than a few hours. I know where I live (Northern Minnesota) we have never had a power outage for more than a few hours during the middle of winter. But we have had extended power outages in the fall/early winter and spring/late winter that have lasted for a day or so because of an ice storm. But then again the temps hovered around 25-40F no problems. I have been hired to drain during extreme cold because of a tub failure that wasn't going to be corrected soon enough. In these rare cases there are a few options. Drain and purge of course and also a simple trouble light or small heater run on a small generator can extend the freeze time to weeks if need be. There are also small tents that can cover the entire tub to heat a space to work and prevent freeze. This of course is expensive, so a last resort.

As far as refilling during cold weather. Only do it if you have to. Time your water changes for the late fall and early spring. You will be happy to get outside when it's 40 degrees on a sunny spring afternoon. At least here we are a bit stir crazy by late Feb, early Mar. And you should be able to find a 40-50 degree day in late Oct early Nov if your in the US or some of Canada.

If your tub is wired 220V you will be able to soak to your hearts content and not worry about the temperature dropping. I believe the Euphoria is a 220V only tub that has a 5 KW heater so no problems. I find that any thing below about 10 above zero isn't as comfortable as 20-30 above, and a light snowfall is cool. I have however soaked in -20F and enjoyed it. Set the temp to what is comfortable for you. I liked 102 no matter what season.

Winter soaking is the best.

Put a rug or 2 or 3 around where you get out of the tub to prevent ice build up. Bring the rugs inside to thaw/dry. Get a good long handle car snow broom and keep the cover clear of snow and ice build up. And get a good thick robe. Going in is the hard part, brrrrrrrrr. But getting out can be quite pleasant. Make some snow angels. Oh and you might need a winter hat depending on what's cold to you.

[lehacf]

I am in the North East so average temperature gets around 20-25 F. Do you keep your tub running at 102 F entire winter or only when you planning to use it?

[Tman122]

That can go either way. Depending on how often you use it the cost savings is so minimal. I say your worth it to just set it and forget it. Maybe as you find your use dropping during certain seasons or something than maybe turning it down is worth it. Some tubs have an economy mode that will maintain a lower temp except during pre-programed filter cycles.

[lehacf]

Is there a diagnostic (technical only) section in the balboa panels that let you see how frequently each system (heater, pumps, etc.) ran that I can use to optimize temperature settings and cleaning cycles? 

[Tman122]

Not sure I understand? Are you looking to gather data based on your use? You can set your own filter cycles.

I program them to run starting right after I use it (10-11 at night). and 10 hours after that cycle and so on. 2 hour filter cycles twice daily. During heavy use maybe 4 hours twice daily for a week. It heats when the temp drops below the variance threshold set at the factory, usually 2 degrees, except when in economy mode, then it only heats during those filter cycles. When it's not in economy mode it will heat during filter cycles and not during filters cycles as necessary. The colder it gets the more it starts and stops. But not all systems have an economy mode. A tub with a small dedicated circulation pump will run 24/7/365 and heat accordingly when required.

[lehacf]

This is my first winter, and I am thinking (and this is just my theory) to run tub in economy mode all the time. Set filter cycles to run BEFORE the time I want to use the tub. This way water would be heated up during those cycles and with 208V heater I expect this to be pretty quickly. If water does not heat up enough (I have temperature set to 100F) then I would increase duration of the relevant filter cycle (right now they are set at factory 1 hour each). This should eliminate need for me to maintain constant temperature at times when tub is not in use. After each use tub has "cleaning mode" where it automatically detects that no one has been using tub for more than one hour and starts cleaning cycle, time for which can also be adjusted.

What do you think about this approach?

[wmccall]

I live in Ohio, I will probably see my first below freezing morning mid October.  I put my hoses away about that same time.  I try to time my water changes to get me through as much of the winter as I can. I will probably make my current water last till the end of October, but I'll watch the weather forecast and change the water if a cold spell is coming. That way I can last into possibly February. (Keep in mind there is only 2 of us in our tub most times. (I would say we average 2 people for 20 minutes 6 nights a week)  My faucet is 6 feet from my tub, so I have a 10ft piece of hose I bring out and add water as necessary during the winter.  If we can an unexpected warm spell in Jan or February I will do an un scheduled water change.

We haven't had an extended power outage since I put my current tub, but my previous tub was without power for 5 days around the holidays in 2004. It went from 104 to 91.

[Tman122]

This is my first winter, and I am thinking (and this is just my theory) to run tub in economy mode all the time. Set filter cycles to run BEFORE the time I want to use the tub. This way water would be heated up during those cycles and with 208V heater I expect this to be pretty quickly. If water does not heat up enough (I have temperature set to 100F) then I would increase duration of the relevant filter cycle (right now they are set at factory 1 hour each). This should eliminate need for me to maintain constant temperature at times when tub is not in use. After each use tub has "cleaning mode" where it automatically detects that no one has been using tub for more than one hour and starts cleaning cycle, time for which can also be adjusted.

What do you think about this approach?

Right on.