With the kind of heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing here in the peak of summer in the Smokies, the thought of sinking down into a hot tub of steaming, bubbling water probably doesn’t sound as appealing as it might in, say, November or December. But if you’re a hot tub owner, whether at your primary residence or a rental property in the mountains, those days will arrive soon enough. Until then, you might be wondering about the best way to maintain and care for your hot tub during these scorching summer months.
In our last blog post, we got you started down that path, sharing several steps for the care of your hot tub during its off season. Those steps focused on draining the tub, cleaning it and covering it. This time around, we’re back with more things to consider.
4. Don’t try to move or store your hot tub alone – Sometimes, owners will move a hot tub to a storage facility during the warm-weather months, especially if it’s a smaller model that’s easily disconnectable. But if you do wind up moving one, get some help. Larger tubs can weigh 600 pounds or more, and even smaller ones can be heavy and unwieldy. Our recommendation is that you recruit at least one other person to help and — if possible — purchase, rent or borrow a couple of large, four-wheeled dollies.
5. Wrap the tub in blankets when storing – Let’s stick with this same storage facility scenario. When you do get the hot tub to your unit, wrap it in moving blankets. That will protect it during the moving process, and once you get it into your unit, it will protect the tub from dust, dirt, debris, critters, falling object or anything else that could seriously jack up your winter-time relaxation spot.
6. How to store an inflatable hot tub – This works slightly differently from how you would store a traditional unit:
• Unplug the hot tub’s electricity
• Remove all filters
• Attach the stop caps
• Disconnect and clean the pump
• Attach a hose to drain the water
• Drain the tub completely
• Clean the bottom of the tub thoroughly
• Clean and dry the tub’s inside and surfaces thoroughly.
• Deflate the tub completely
• Clean the tub’s cover
• Place in storage
One final note: You don’t necessarily need climate-controlled storage to house any kind of hot tub in summer. As long as your tub is thoroughly drained, cleaned and padded, it should do just fine, even during the hottest months.