10 Tips for Taking Care of Your Spa in the Minnesota Winter

1. Keep Extra Product on Hand

You never know when a blizzard is going to strike in Minnesota and make it too dangerous to make a trip to your local spa store. You will want to have a little extra of everything available so the spa doesn’t go south before you can leave your house. 

2. Drain and Refill Before Winter

Trying to drain your spa in the winter would be a mess. You might get all wet in the freezing cold, and all the water you let out of the spa will end up freezing wherever you put it. Take the time to drain before the temperatures go below freezing.

3. Use a High-Quality Spa Cover

A great spa cover will form a tight seal over your spa when not in use, keeping contaminants out, keeping the warm in, providing great insulation to prevent heat loss, and maintaining the temperature of the water

4. Keep a Close Eye on Your Water Level

The temperature difference between the hot water and cold air can cause the water to evaporate more quickly. If too much water evaporates, it could case your spa components to freeze.

5. Run a Tight Ship

Taking care of water problems during the harsh winter is no fun, every issue is going to be exacerbated and complicated by the cold. Prevent water problems before they occur by routinely checking and adjusting your water chemistry.

6. Use a Space Heater to Save a Spa From Freezing

If your spa loses power in the freezing cold, you can place a space heater inside the spa panel with a thick wool blanket over the top to prevent freezing until the spa is back up and running. Otherwise you can utilize a submersible pump to quickly drain the spa water. 

7. Go Easy on the Jets

When the spa jets are running, they are constantly blowing cool air into the water and lowering the temperature. This is much more noticeable in the winter time, so if you want to conserve some heat, take it easy on the jets. 

8. Keep a Constant Temperature

Speaking of spa water temps, it is much more energy efficient to keep a constant temperature at all times (even when you aren’t using it) than it is to keep the spa at a cooler temperature when not in use, and turning it up when you want to hop in. 

9. Protect Yourself From the Cold

Especially if you have a trek to get to the spa from inside your house, be sure to insulate from the cold with shoes and a hat when heading to the spa, and keep a robe and towels nearby so that you don’t freeze when you walk back inside.

10. Keep Sessions to 30 Minutes and Stay Hydrated

Sometimes when it’s cold and snowy out, it can slip your mind to stay hydrated. However, it is just as important to stay hydrated in the cold winter spa weather, so drink up! It can also be easy to stay in the spa for much longer than planned due to the cold weather, so try not to soak for more than half an hour. 

We love winter spa season in MN, there’s something about sitting in the hot water while snowflakes fall down all around you. If you are going to keep your spa running this winter, just be sure to keep this list in mind to get them most out of the season!