QUESTION FROM Connie

We just bought a house that has an outside hot tub. It's up and running-- seemingly okay. When we are not using it-- should the motor be running? Like-- all the time? And what temperature should it be set at-- when we are not using it? I guess I just want to make sure we are running it energy efficiently.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Connie:

You are asking very good questions, and its great that you are thinking about energy efficiency for your hot tub.

Regarding your first question as to whether it is alright that your hot tub motor is running all the time, the answer is that it depends on the what kind of hot tub system that you have. Some hot tub systems are designed to have their filter motors running for 4 hours twice a day, however, other systems are low wattage and are designed to run continuously. The best thing to do is to contact the manufacturer for the particular system that is installed with your hot tub.

And regarding your second question about what temperature your hot tub should be set at when it is not in use, this will depend on how you plan to use your hot tub. Is it just once in a while? Or do you plan to use it once or more a day? And how long are you willing to wait for the tub to come up to temperature?

Here is a guide to hot tub energy efficiency that is published by Washington State University:

http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factsheets/spatips.pdf

It has some good suggestions on how to operate your hot tub in an energy efficient manner, and things you can do to reduce your hot tub energy bill, which it sounds like what you are looking for.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com