Snow has arrived in the greater Seattle area! The Spa Doctor would like to provide their customers a quick reminder to protect your spa cover. Though not much snow is expected tonight, most spa covers are not designed to hold the added weight of snow. Laying a plastic tarp over your cover will help prevent damage from a snow shovel, and light snow can be removed by simply pulling off the tarp.

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The greatest danger of using your spa in the winter time is that damage will occur from water freezing in the piping system. Most portable or self-contained spas have a system designed to prevent this from happening. Many spas have a “mode” switch on the main control box labeled, “timer/thermostat” or “timer/no-freeze” (or something else to that effect). When the switch in in the timer mode the spa will generally heat only during a preset time throughout the day. During the rest of the day, the heating system is off and the spa can be prone to freezing. The switch should be in the ‘thermostat‘ or ‘no-freeze‘ setting so that the spa will always maintain a constant temperature. The thermostat should also be turned up to the normal operating setting.

If your spa does not have a “mode” switch and operates only by a timer, you’ll need to reprogram it to give  the best possible protection against freezing. It’s a good idea to set the timer to come on for at least 15 minutes each hour. This will ensure hot water circulation through the pipes and equipment (the piping is the place most prone to freezing). Please note, in areas of intense cold, i.e. -10 or below, 15 minutes per hour may not be a long enough time to keep things from freezing.

If you have any questions, our would like to have us service your spa, please contact us at 1-800-SPA-DOC1 (1-800-772-3621).