What does a moniker like this have to do with being Winnipeggers and owning a Hot tub? Well although some of the earliest recorded hot tubs trace back to the 4th century BC, the areas that they were made I can tell you never had temperatures that went below 32F/0C. First have a look at the 5 Coldest cities in the world then read along with how this impacts hot tub ownership.5 Coldest cities in the world.
It’s just different
We have had those funny conversations with people from the south that ask why do you have an electrical cord sticking out the from of the car. When we explain the concept of an engine block heater we get the look like we are from Mars or perhaps in the case of cold Pluto. As Winnipeggers we get that it is just different here and know the precautions that we need to take with our automobiles, but what about our hot tubs? At a base level the 1 thing that you have to do absolutely every single day is check your hot tub. This means that you need to go to the tub lift the heatshield, validate the temperature is at 40C/104F and test operate your pumps. At this time ensure that if you have an electronic key pad that no error codes are in effect. This is the only way to be sure that the tub is ready for the next day. If you are not prepared to do this daily you should NOT operate your tub through the winter conditions. Like the article suggests: Throughout its history, the city has experienced some of the most bone-chilling conditions imaginable. Temperatures as low as minus 49 F (minus 45 C) and minus 54 F (minus 47.8 C) So while people in most other places don’t have to go through this exercise as they don’t get the kind of deep freeze that we do, please make sure you make a commitment and stick to it to help protect your investment.
Sometimes you just need to call it a day
While there are maintenance tasks you can perform in the winter, with the most important being checking your filter condition at very least once per week. Note: the number 1 failure of hot tubs in the winter is caused by dirty filters that cause a flow restriction to the unit ultimately leading to heater failure and freeze up. There are repairs though that in freezing conditions are NOT recommended as trying to perform some remedial measures actually can cause more harm than good and put the tub in further jeopardy. It is sort of like taking the advice of a surgeon, they make a decision on when is the best time to preform a procedure based on many factors. A qualified hot tub technician is able to give this advice as well. Unfortunately sometimes the news is not what we hot tub enthusiasts want to hear though, at times the tech will give us the advice that the tub should be winterized to be protected and deal with the correction when temperatures return to mild. As lousy as it seems as the time always take the advice. It will only hurt for a little while.
Keys to success
There is a reason we love Winnipeg winters the way only a Winnipegger can understand, and enjoying our hot tubs in the winter can be a part of that for many of us so to try and enjoy as much of that time as we can remember to do these things:
- Check your tub daily
- Check your filter weekly and change if ever in doubt of its state
- Have your water tested monthly.
Enjoy the steam and icicles.
