Hot Tub Start Up Procedures

First Time Start Up Proceedures

Starting your hot tub up for the first time requires a few important steps, the first is to read your owners manual for specific instructions pertaining to starting your hot tub for the first time

1. Breakers MUST be OFF until your tub is full of water
2. It is a MUST to fill your hot tub to the fill line, at least halfway up the skimmer opening. Do not attempt to start with a partial fill.
3. While filling your hot tub,  open your cabinet door to be sure there are no loose fittings or open drain lines.  You can easily HAND tighten pump unions, heater unions and close open drain lines.  Tee handled valves should all be open. (Tee Valves are open when the stem is visible)
4. Once your hot tub is full, turn on the breaker and wait for any " boot up"  processes to complete. Be at the hot tub to observe what is happening and the sequence of events.
5. Do not start pressing buttons or setting temperatures until you are certain the boot up is finished. Many hot tubs have a sequence of events that occur at start up.  Be patient and let the electronic equipment control the pump (s) blower etc until it appears to be finished with its job of  sampling water temperature and self checking operations,  what it is supposed to do.
6. Air in the lines will be purged and it might make a bit of noise as it is expelled through the jets.  Let this process take place and wait until it appears stabilized.  When all the air is out of the system, the low speed pump or circulation pump will/should remain on.
7. Once the system seems to be operating properly, you can experiment with your buttons and settings while consulting with your owners manual.

Most hot tubs are equipped with an ozone purification system.  Since it takes some time for the ozone to build up, its a good idea at start up to add a couple of tablespoons of Sodium Dichlor, a granulated chlorine compound that should be in your hot tub supply inventory. More on this in the article on water chemistry.

It is not unusual for there to be bits of glue and maybe some plastic shavings in the water.  You can dip them out with a net, easily.

Your hot tub is filtering anytime the pump is on. It will turn over the entire quantity of water in the hot tub several times during the heat up period. It should be looking pretty good by the time it's ready to use.

If your hot tub is connected to 240 volts and is between 250 to 450 gallons, it should heat around 4 to 6 degrees per hour.  Taking into account the temperature of the fill water, you can calculate when it should be at temperature.

Common Start up issues

No power?

There are usually two breakers, one in your main electrical panel that feeds the GFCI breaker, and the GFCI breaker itself. Are they both "ON?"

Is your GFCI breaker tripped?  Try resetting it.  If it trips immediately, see troubleshooting.

EEEK a LEAK?

Don't panic, this is usually something quite simple like a drain line being open of a union fitting that may have loosened.  Union fittings are compression fittings. They should be hand tight only. The compression is on an oring inside the union.  Union fittings do not require sealant or glue!  If hand tightening doesn't work, try re-seating the o-ring.

Power on but nothing happens in the hot tub?

The system will usually shut down if there is no flow.  If you hear the pumps running but there is nothing happening after a few seconds  in the tub turn off your breaker and  check to be sure that your valves are open. Tee handled valves are open with they are pulled OUT and the stem is showing.  They are closed when close to the pipe.

Sometimes a pump can develop an air lock.   The symptom is that the pump is running but not pumping.  Start by turning off your breaker.  Then loosen the union on the very front of the pump. Loosen it enough to wiggle it a bit to break the o-ring seal.   If your pump is air bound, you'll hear the air hissing out.  Just let it hiss until  water starts leaking.  let it leak a bit  to be sure all the air is out.  Then hand tighten the union back up again.  Re power and let it go through the boot up process. You should now have flow to the hot tub plumbing system.

Your hot tub  owners manual is your friend!  Keep it close by and refer to troubleshooting procedures you find there.  If all else fails, call the manufacturer at the number provided.

This guide is for informational purposes only.  It does intend to replace or substitute for the information in your owners manual. Local building codes, electrical codes, and engineering practices must be followed. Consult with qualified individuals in your area!