It’s always exciting to move into a new home, settle in and establish a new routine. This time, you are particularly excited because there’s a hot tub in the backyard! But—the dilemma here is you’ve used hot tubs, but never owned one of your own. What to do? Here’s a list of things to do to prepare to enjoy your hot tub.

1. Find out what kind of tub it is. Any time you need some help or service with a hot tub, hot tub companies will often first ask what kind of tub it is. This gives them some direction in how to advise you. Usually the brand of the hot tub is found on the control panel where you turn the jets on and off and set the temperature. The second piece of info to look for: the hot tub’s serial number. This is normally found in the equipment bay of the tub, where the jet pump(s), heater and control box are found. Most of the time the serial number is on the interior wall or the floor of the equipment bay.
2. Take inventory of your water care products. Hopefully the previous home owners left you some hot tub supplies. Gather together everything for the hot tub and bring it into the house—preferably to the kitchen where you have good lighting. Make a list of all the items you have, and how much each bottle still contains. Bring this list with you to Oregon Hot Tub so we can help fill in the gaps of anything that might be missing. (Sometimes it’s best to just start with fresh chemicals, so you’re not mixing brands, or using something you really don’t truly need.)
3. Call ahead of time. It’s helpful for us to know you’ll be coming over to one of our stores, so we can set aside some time to help you out with what you need, and give you some initial education on water care and general hot tub use.
4. Get new filters. Be prepared to get new filters for the tub. Most hot tub filters need to be changed every 1-2½ years, depending on the number of filters in the tub and the square footage of each. Most filters will have a number on the top cap—you may also see a brand name, like Watkins or Unicel. Be sure and write this information down, and bring it with you with your list of water care products. If you can’t find a number on the filter, bring it along with you when you visit us.
5. Get new testing supplies. Most water test supplies—whether they be drops or test strips—expire each year. Best to start with fresh testing supplies so you’re getting accurate readings, and set up for success to balance your water.
6. Not interested in becoming a hot tub chemist? The great news is we have a terrific option available for you to design out water balancing and testing—and help keep your skin silky soft while you soak! Be sure and check out SilkBalance (https://oregonhottub1.wpengine.com/silk-balance) when you visit us—we promise, you’ll never want to touch (or soak in!) traditional water care products again!
7. Want to make it all even easier? Call us today to set up a visit from one of our Signature Water Care Valet Techs. We’ll come to your home, perform a good draining and cleaning of your tub, assist you with some hot tub educations, and order up what you need to get you on the way to enjoying your hot tub every night—as it should be!

Happy soaking!