There’s nothing quite like soaking in the toasty relaxation of a hot tub. However, it can range from three to eight hours to heat up a hot tub, so it’s useful to implement techniques and tools to help speed up the process and get you in the tub faster.
A hot tub will heat up faster with the cover on. The cover helps trap the existing heat inside the tub, while also helping prevent cooler outside air or exposure to the elements lowering the water temperature.
Even if a hot tub doesn’t have a cover, it will eventually heat up to the desired temperature. The process will be much slower though than if a cover is placed on top and a few other handy techniques are utilized.
Why does a cover help speed up the heating process?
Heating up a hot tub without the cover can be compared to heating up a pot of water without a lid on it. It will take longer to heat the water in either circumstance, as heat is being allowed to escape into the surrounding air from a large surface area.
Cooler ambient air will lower the temperature of the water. Additionally, if rain or snow enters the hot tub, this colder water will lower the temperature in the tub as well.
Using a cover creates a barrier to prevent this and will ultimately speed up the heating process. There are various kinds of covers available but for the best heat retention you should use a good-quality thermal cover.
If you don’t have a thermal cover, you can use a tarp in a pinch though it won’t be as effective. It’s also worth noting that hot tub covers will eventually need to be replaced as the chemicals used in the hot tub will slowly begin to degrade the cover.
You can expect a quality cover to last for about four to five years, possibly longer if it has been reinforced by the manufacturer.
How else can you speed up the heating process?
There are several other methods you can employ to reduce the time needed to heat up a hot tub. Switching the jets on will help heat up the water faster, as the water circulates with the jets on, which in turn evenly disperses heat and helps flush out cold water from the hot tub pipes so it mingles with the warmer water.
In addition to using a cover and switching the jets on, one of the easiest ways to speed up the heating process is to replace the existing hot tub heater with a more powerful one.
Also consider where the hot tub is situated. Ideally it should be placed in a sheltered area that protects it from the elements such as rain, snow and excessive wind.
Ensuring your hot tub is properly maintained and serviced will also allow it to run more efficiently and heat water faster. Make sure the hot tub is properly insulated and check that the filters are clean as this will reduce heating time and also help the hot tub retain heat longer.
It may be tempting to fill the tub with hot water to try and heat it up faster but this should be avoided. Directly filling the hot tub with hot water can damage it in a variety of ways, such as damaging the lining, the acrylic, the pump, the jets or the filters.
Tips on hot tub care
Depending on the nature of the household’s water supply, it may be softened water. Softened water can damage the hot tub by causing corrosion to metal.
On the flip side, water that is too hard can damage the hot tub through scaling. It’s therefore important to ensure water is properly tested and treated to get suitable alkalinity and pH levels for the specific type of hot tub being used.
It’s important to ensure that hot tub water is tested regularly so you can get a suitable chemical balance that maintains your tub for longer, not to mention benefiting hot tub users too.
Cover up to heat up
Bear in mind that a variety of factors will affect how quickly a hot tub heats up, from the size of the tub and the power of the heater, to whether the jets are on or off and where the tub is positioned. Regardless of these factors and varying hot tub designs, the use of a cover will help the hot tub heat up faster, so you can enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation sooner rather than later.