Cleaning the jets in your hot tub is a crucial part of your hot tub’s maintenance. If the jets are left unchecked and dirty, they can get blocked by a buildup of debris and grime in the hot tub. Having your hot tub jets blocked by debris and grime creates different problems.
Not only does it put you at risk of different health issues and water-borne illnesses, but it also reduces the effectiveness of your hot tub’s jets. So, how to clean hot tub jets? Let’s find out.
How Often Do You Need to Clean Hot Tub Jets?
You should clean hot tub jets every 4-6 months if you don’t use the hot tub regularly. If you use the hot tub regularly, you need to clean hot tub jets every 2-3 months.
The hot tub waterline should be filled above every jet, which means that the jets will be in contact with the water all the time. The water also circulates through the jets all the time, which also means that all the dust, debris, and dirt will go through the hot tub jets.
Just like your hot tub water, the hot tub jets will also get dirty, and in some cases also clogged. That’s why it’s recommended to clean hot tub jets so often.
Method 1: Clean Hot Tub Jets By Removing Them
There are two main ways to clean the jets in your hot tub. You can either remove the jets from the hot tub and clean them or clean the jets without removing them from the hot tub.
Both methods if executed properly will ensure the jets are clean and grime-free. But there are a few steps to follow while executing both methods. Let’s check out the first method.
This method involves removing the hot tub jets from their positions and cleaning them after. But how do you go about this?
1. Turn Off the Hot Tub and the Jets
The first thing to do is to turn off the jets and the hot tub. You can use the control panel to turn off the jets and you can unplug the hot tub or turn off the GFCI breaker.
The GGCI breaker of your hot tub is usually located away from the hot tub and it’s the device that ensures your hot tub gets power. Ensure to turn off the jets by using the control panel of your hot tub. Then turn off the GFCI breaker because water and electricity aren’t exactly the best of friends.
2. Unscrew the Jets From the Sockets
The next thing to do is to unscrew the hot tub jets. To do this, you might need a wrench and, or a screwdriver. You can check the manual of your hot tub for instructions on how to remove the jets.
Usually, you will just need to rotate the jets in an anticlockwise direction until you see the jet pop out. If you can’t get a good grip on the jets with your hands, you can use a wrench to unscrew the jets. Just get a good grip with the wrench and turn anticlockwise till you can pull the jet out of its socket.
If the jets in your hot tub were screwed down with screws or nuts, you will need to remove them first. This is where the screwdriver will come in handy. Ensure you know where you removed each jet from, so you can screw it back in place correctly.
Depending on the size of your hot tub, removing the jets might take you a few minutes or longer. Larger hot tubs like the 7-8 person hot tubs usually have several jets and unscrewing them all will take a while. So, prepare yourself for the task ahead.
2. Mix Water and Vinegar
Mix a few tablespoons of vinegar in a bucket of water. Then mix thoroughly. You can also add a bit of powdered dishwasher detergent to the mixture or a tablespoon of bleach.
Just ensure you don’t add too many acidic products. Detergent, bleach, Vinegar, and the likes have a very acidic level. Adding too much of these products to the water can corrode the jets.
If you don’t want to mix all of these or you are worried about the acidic content of the mixture, you can buy jet cleaning chemicals from your local hardware store or local pool store.
The jet cleaning chemicals have been specially formulated to clean jets without corroding or damaging them but they will cost you a bit of cash.
3. Soak the Jets in the Solution or Chemical
The next thing to do is to soak the jets in the mixture or the jet cleaning chemical. Just put the jets one after the other inside the chemical or solution and leave them for a while.
Depending on how dirty or clogged the jets are, you can soak them for a few minutes or a few hours. You can even soak the jets overnight. Ensure the jets are well submerged inside the chemical or solution.
The acidic content of the mixture of the chemical will break down and remove mineral deposits and grime inside the jets. The grime in the jets may have accumulated or solidified over time. The chemicals will break them down so they are easier to clean.
4. Use a Brush to Scrub the Jets
After soaking the jets for the required time. Remove them from the chemical or solution and scrub the internal parts of the jets with a brush. This will ensure all the debris and grime inside the jets are removed. Scrub the jets till you can’t notice any grime inside them but be gentle.
5. Rinse the Jets
After scrubbing the jets, you should rinse them in clean water or spray them with a hose. Ensure the jets are properly rinsed because any chemical or solution left on the jets can cause foamy or cloudy water inside your hot tub.
The chemicals and solvents used to clean the jets will mix with the water in the tub when you replace the jets and this can cause cloudy spa water. This can also corrode other parts of the hot tub like the media in the filtration system.
6. Return the Jets
When the jets have been properly rinsed, you can return them into the hot tub. Again, ensure to put each jet where you removed it. You should also ensure the jets are screwed in tight so they don’t come off when you turn them on.
After returning the jets into the hot tub, turn on the GFCI breaker and turn on the jets on a low setting to check if they work properly. If they work fine, you can switch the jets to run on a high setting for about 20 minutes. If everything works fine, then you can rest assured the jets have been well cleaned and replaced.
If you turn on the jets either on a low setting or on a high setting and you can hear loud vibrating noises, try to spot the jet making the noise and fix it in properly. Chances are you did not screw the jet properly. That’s why it was making the noise.
The main advantage of removing the jets and cleaning them is that you can be sure the jets are properly cleaned before screwing them back in. You also get to know which of the jets is damaged, dented, or needs to be replaced.
Now, let’s check out the other method.
How To Clean Hot Tub Jets (Without Removing Them)?
Another method to clean your hot tub jets is to clean them while inside the hot tub. For this method, you wouldn’t need to remove the jets.
You just need to add a jet cleaning chemical or solution to the hot tub water and let the water circulate through the jets. But that’s just the quick answer. Let’s check out this method in full detail.
1. Heat the Water
You need the jets on and working while you clean them. Before turning on the jets, ensure the waterline is above every jet.
The water in your hot tub should already be hot. If the water isn’t hot for some reason. Ensure to turn on the heater and let the water temperature rise to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or 38 degrees Celsius).
This might take a while if the water in the hot tub is cold. It might even take up to 8 hours or more for the heater to fully heat the water temperature to the needed level.
2. Add a Jet Cleaner to the Water
While the water is being heated and the jets are running, you should add a jet cleaning solution or a jet cleaner to the water in the hot tub.
The jet cleaner should be added to the water in the right quantity. Check the instructions on the container of the jet cleaner to know how much cleaner you need to add to the water.
If you don’t want to use a jet cleaner or you don’t have one nearby, you can add powdered dishwasher or detergent to the water. You can also add two or three tablespoons of bleach to the water in the hot tub for a thorough clean of the jets.
As an expert tip, you shouldn’t add too much bleach or detergent to the water in the hot tub. It’s not ideal to add such acidic products to the water in your hot tub because these products can disrupt your water chemistry and they can also damage the filters, headrests, the shell, and other parts of your hot tub. So, your best bet is to go with a jet cleaner. Only use bleach or detergent as the last resort.
3. Let the Jets Run on High
After adding the jet cleaner to the water, let the jets run on a high setting for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turning on the jets on high will ensure the water is well circulated through every jet in the hot tub. As the water circulates and flows through each jet, the active chemicals in the jet cleaner will break down and dissolve every grime and mineral deposit inside the jets.
The chemicals are usually potent enough to dissolve oils, slime, dirt, and grime that might have accumulated inside the hot tub’s jets. As the chemical breaks down the grime in the jets, the dissolved particles are flushed out as the water circulates.
These particles will also be picked up by the filtration system of your hot tub. After turning on the jets on high, switch it to a low setting and let the jets run too. Alternate between the low and high setting for about an hour. Then turn off the jets.
Related Read: Can You Use Hot Tub Jets With the Cover On?
4. Clean the Filters
The grime flushed out of the jets will most likely be picked up by the filters in the hot rub. So after turning off the jets, take out the filters and clean them properly with water or a filter cleaner.
5. Drain the Hot Tub
Yes, you should drain the hot tub, especially if you added bleach and other acidic products to the water. You don’t want to take a soak in such water. Doing that will cause skin irritation. There is a drain valve at the base of your hot tub. You can turn the valve or remove it to drain the water.
6. Fill the Hot Tub With Cold Water
After draining the hot tub, refill it with cold water. You don’t need to turn on the heater this time. Just turn on the jets and let them run for 20 to 30 minutes. This will rinse the jets and get rid of all grime and chemicals in the jets. After this, drain the hot tub again.
Then refill it with clean water and heat the water. You should also add sanitizers to the water after this and vacate the hot tub for about 24 hours before using it. This will ensure the jets are squeaky clean.
Can You Clean Hot Tub Jets With Magic Eraser?
Yes, you can use magic eraser to clean hot tub jets. But, you should only do this if you remove the jets from the hot tub first.
Just fill an empty bowl with water and magic eraser and put the jets there. Leave them for at least 30 minutes and take them out. Magic eraser will make all the dirt and mineral accumulation disappear. After that, you need to properly rinse the hot tub jets before putting them back on the hot tub.
