Which Hot Tubs Are Easiest To Maintain?

Hot tub maintenance is probably a topic that should be at the top of your list when shopping for a hot tub. Your hot tub should bring your life more relaxation & enjoyment. You shouldn’t be stressed over balancing your water care so much that it becomes a headache. Thankfully, with years of research and today’s technology, hot tub maintenance is actually easier than ever – if you have the right systems in place. Want to learn which hot tubs are the easiest to maintain? Let’s dive in & learn more about the top water care systems on the market today.

We’ll break this down into water care systems, and filtration systems. Both are important to touch on in order to understand which hot tubs are the easiest to maintain.

Visit our article Hot Tub Maintenance FAQ’s for all topics related to hot tub water care.

Easiest Hot Tub Water Care Systems

#1 Salt Water Hot Tubs

By far the easiest option on the market today are the exclusive to Hot Spring & Caldera FreshWater Salt Systems. These brands have been the leading innovators in the industry for many years now & for good reason. They’re the first to ever create a salt water system that is completely compatible with their hot tubs. On the market for over 10 years now, the salt water systems have truly been perfected to create the easiest to maintain hot tubs on the market. Simply insert a “Salt Water Cartridge” into place, set your use level, and the hot tub will generate natural chlorine with water (H20) and salt (NaCl). Your use level will be determined by how often you use the hot tub and with how many people. You can easily adjust the chlorine level by increasing or decreasing the use level – it’s really that easy. You do still have to clean your filters & occasionally balance the pH levels depending on who is using the hot tub. However, maintenance doesn’t really go much more than that. Also, you only have to empty & refill your water 1x per year as opposed to 3x-4x per year with all other water care systems.

#2 Ozone Water Care Systems

If your hot tub isn’t compatible with the Salt Water System, don’t worry – Ozone systems are pretty easy, too! There are two types of Ozone systems, the Corona Discharge & the UV light. The best ozone systems on the market are Corona Discharge Ozonators. Corona Discharge Ozonators are the only ozone systems that actually kill bacteria immediately on contact. This bacteria killing ozonator allows you to keep your chlorine level to a minimum. The UV light ozonator neutralizes bacteria on contact. Still efficient in keeping your water clean with a tiny bit more maintenance & a higher chlorine level. For more details on the difference, visit this Love Your Hot Tub Forum. With Ozone Systems, you typically only need to chlorinate 1x-2x per week depending on use & supplement with a non-chlorinated shock like MPS after each use. You’ll also need to replace a mineral cartridge every 4 months – a key component in proper sanitation for your hot tub. Without this element, you are actually not properly sanitizing your hot tub. You’ll empty & refill your water 3x-4x per year. A little more maintenance than a salt water hot tub, however, still cleaner & easier than no water care system.

#3 In-Line Chlorine Systems

So, your hot tub isn’t salt compatible or ozone compatible – don’t worry. Another great water care system that is easy to maintain is an in-line system. This basically means that when your jets are running, water is running through some type of sanitation – usually chlorine and mineral cartridges. You’ll still need to regularly chlorinate and shock your hot tub along with a non-chlorinated shock. However, it’ll be easier to keep your hot tub water clean with the constant sanitation from the in-line system. Some constant sanitation is always better than none!

Easiest Hot Tub Filtration Systems

No-Bypass Filtration

Currently only offered on Hot Spring hot tubs, 100% no-bypass filtration is by far the best filtration system in the industry. Why is Hot Spring the only hot tub company offering this? It’s very expensive to properly build a hot tub to offer such filtration. What does it mean? 100% of your water is being filtered 100% of the time. Whether your jet pumps are on or your circulation pump is on, your water is being pulled through the filters & the water care sanitation system. There’s just no cleaner hot tub filtration system out there – it literally can’t get any better than that. In terms of which hot tubs are the easiest to maintain, pair this with a salt water system and it truly can’t get any easier.

Circulation Pump

A circulation pump is a component of a hot tubs filtration system that runs 24/7. That might sound a little scary, but it’s really an industry standard on premium and luxury hot tubs. They run at a very low amperage that actually keeps operation costs lower. Why is a circulation pump important in terms of filtration? Your water being filtered 24/7 means cleaner hot tub water for you. Some hot tubs simply cannot offer this option because of electrical requirements. So, it is considered an upgraded option.

Your other option is cycled filtration where your jet pump comes on at a low speed throughout the day. This option is okay for filtration, however, you want to make sure you set the filter cycles properly & have large enough filters to keep up.

Some Bypass Is Okay

If your hot tub is not compatible with a circulation pump or 100% no-bypass filtration – some bypass is okay. How do you know how much bypass a hot tub has? Look in the footwell of the hot tub and you’ll see the plastic mesh screens that pull in the water & are connected directly to the jets. If you see them practically lined up around the bottom of the footwell, it’s probably too much bypass. Too much bypass will not allow the water to go through the filters enough to keep the water clean.

Filter Size

We talked about this a little bit in What Hot Tubs To Avoid. However, we can’t stress enough how important filters are. If your hot tub is a 7 seater and has a single tiny filter, chances are you’re probably going to have a tough time keeping up with your water care. You want to make sure your hot tub has either multiple small filters or one or two large filters. The more filtration your hot tub has, the easier it is going to be to maintain clean and clear water.