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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Since 2007, Swim University has been providing home owners and industry professionals valuable information to help make caring for your swimming pool &/or hot tub as easy as possible. They provide simple how-to articles, videos, and online tools - all while saving you money!

Here is a great tip from SwimU for spa users:


It's that time of year where the weather is getting colder and most hot tubs are up and running. The question that many do not know the answer to is - how hot should your hot tub be to be both comfortable and safe?

All new hot tubs come with a maximum temperature limit of 104F. There is no way to raise this limit, but some older tubs may allow you to raise the temperature even higher.

Most experts agree that 104F is the hottest the water should be to remain safe for adults and it is not recommended you raise it beyond that limit. Even though the hot tubs come with a temperature control panel, you should keep an extra thermometer in the water to check before you enter.

Finding the best temperature for you and your family is very subjective. Most individuals prefer the water temperature ranging from 100F - 102F while others prefer to max out the temperature.

If you are buying a new hot tub, we suggest setting the temperature to 98F for the first time. Test it out, if it's to cold, slowly increase the temperature until it reaches the level that's right for you.

If you have children, their tolerance to heat isn't the same as adults. It is recommended that children aren't exposed to water temperature above 100F and shouldn't soaked longer than 5 - 10 minutes.

A common question we face with new hot tub owners is if they turn the temperature down after they use it, will it save energy? In reality, you won't see any energy savings at all. You will end up spending more energy heating the hot tub up again before your next use and it will strain your heating element as it has to work harder to raise the temperature of your hot tub.

If you are going away for an extended vacation or don't plan on using it for a long period of time (summer for example), it isn't a bad idea to reduce the temperature. When using it on a regular basis, you will actually save more money keeping it at the temperature you enjoy most.