Published on August 27th, 2014 | by Peter Young

How To Check Your Pool And Hot Tub Filters, Change or Clean Filter

Changing or cleaning your pool and hot tub filters is a great way to prolong the life of your pool and hot tub and save money on your monthly electric bills. When filters become dirty it causes your pool and hot tub pumps to work harder, which in turn adds to your monthly electric bill. However, cleaning or changing out these filters is a quick and easy task. Just follow these easy steps.

Instructions: cleaning your hot tub filter

This can be done with a simple garden hose or with approved detergents. Check out this video for more:

First, remove any notably large chunks of debris or hair from the filter with a gloved hand. Then, just spray it down. Note that a simple side-to-side motion with a somewhat pressurized spray (from a hose nozzle) will get the job done. This should be done once per week, depending on the use of the tub. If you want a more thorough cleaning, pool supply stores sell approved detergents (do not use anything not approved for pool and hot tub filters, as harsher detergents may damage the filter…this, of course, is a way for chemical companies to sell you specialized chemicals at higher prices than regular detergents, but as you know all too well, a hot tub is a huge money suck all around, so some extra expense for “special” detergents should come as no surprise.) If you use these “special detergents, spray them on, wait 15 minutes, and then spray them off somewhere where the residue from these detergents won’t hurt anyone or anyone’s pets. As noted, spray them off excessively, so as to remove as much of the chemical as possible before putting it back in the tub.

Instructions: how to change your hot tub filter

It may be necessary to drain the water from your hot tub in order to access its filter. If this is the case, consult your owners manual that came with the hot tub for the proper draining procedure.

Thing you’ll need for the job:

A New Filter

1. Turn off the power to your hot tub. Before beginning any work on your hot tub you should turn off the power at the circuit breaker. Open up the panel and turn the switch that controls the power to the hot tub to the off position. After all, safety first!

2. Locate your hot tub’s filter. This should be easy to do. The filter will be located somewhere inside the body of the hot tub itself and have a large lid on top of it. If you’re unsure of where that is on your hot tub, refer to the owners manual that came with it.

3. Unscrew and remove the old filter. Once you’ve located the hot tub’s filter, simply unscrew and remove the both the lid and filter from the from the hot tub. The filter should lift out easily.

4. Inspect and replace the filter if needed. Give your filter a thorough visual inspection. If the filter appears dirty and covered in grime, it’s time to replace it. Simply take your new filter and screw it into place of the old filter.

5. Put the lid back in place and enjoy! Yup, it’s just that simple to do. After you’ve out the lid back in place you’re ready to go.

To help show you just how easy it is, check out this video on how to change our your hot tub’s filter:

Changing out your pools filters is a slightly more involved process. To help give you a better idea of what this process looks like, check out this video:

If you don’t consider yourself to be much of a handy-person, or feel comfortable changing these filters, we recommend you contact your pool’s installer. Their trained technicians will be able to help you with replacing your pools filters.

Be sure to check out more of our green home improvement projects: Green Living Ideas, after all, is a top 20 home improvement website!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

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Tags: care, energy-efficiency, filter, hot tub, maintenance, pool, pool and hot tub, pump, re-usable filter

About the Author

Peter Young graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) with a degree in journalism and has made sustainability and eco-conscious living mainstays of both his professional and personal life. It was during his time at PLU that he began his journey with sustainability and it's what has led him to writing for Green Living Ideas. He currently resides in Honolulu and works for Pono Home, an energy efficiency company focused on reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthier, greener lifestyle.