Wait for the thaw, then look before you touch anything
If the tub was shut down and drained, there is nothing to thaw and you can get started once the weather is mild. If it sat full and unpowered, let it thaw completely first. Trying to power up or pump a tub that is partly frozen can crack a pump or jam an impeller. Check the water: if there is still ice in the tub, in the lines or around the equipment, wait. A few mild days will do it.
When it is thawed, take the cover off and set it aside. Look at the shell, the jets, the skimmer and the headrests. Look at the cabinet. Are there signs of rodents, leaves, wet insulation, rust or corrosion? A quick visual pass now is the cheapest inspection you will do all year.
Inspect the cover and the cabinet
Lift the cover and feel its weight. A cover that has absorbed water over the winter is heavy, floppy and smells of damp, and it will not insulate. Check the vinyl for tears, the seams for splitting and the hinge for cracks. Snow load is hard on covers, so a sagging center is a warning that the foam inside has collapsed. Next, open the equipment bay with the power off and look at the pumps, heater and unions. Look for cracks in the plastic housings, wet or stained spots, gnawed wiring, and fittings that look misshapen or are crusted with residue. Anything that has been damaged by chewing or freezing is better found now than after the tub is full.
What freeze damage looks like
Water expands as it freezes and plastic does not forgive it. Typical signs include a hairline crack in a union or a pipe, a split in a flexible hose, a pump housing with a hairline crack near the wet end, and a heater with a cracked end cap. Sometimes the damage is invisible until you add water. You may see a drip, a spray or a slow weep from a spot that was dry in the fall. If you notice a crack, do not fill the tub. Our page on leak repair covers what to expect next, and we are glad to check the plumbing while the tub is still empty.
Refill and prime
If everything looks sound, reconnect any unions you loosened for the winter and close the drain valves. Fill the tub through the filter well using a hose, which pushes air out of the lines as the water level rises. Fill past the skimmer to the normal operating level. Before turning anything on, check again under the tub and around the cabinet for drips. Then restore power and start the pumps one at a time. If a pump runs but the jets are weak, it may have an air lock. Loosen the pump union slightly, let air hiss out, and retighten it by hand. Never run a pump dry for any length of time, as that can wreck the seal.
Startup chemistry
Start with a test of the fill water before adding anything. Adjust alkalinity first, since it steadies everything else, then pH, then raise the sanitizer to its normal range. If the tub spent the winter shut down or the water sat for months, a line flush is worthwhile: it clears the film that grew in the plumbing during the off-season. Circulate for several hours, run the filters, and retest. Give new water time to settle before you get in. If the water goes cloudy or smells, a deeper clean usually fixes it, as described on our cleaning and water care page.
Check the heat and the controls
Once the water is circulating, set the temperature and watch the tub warm up. A healthy heater should raise the temperature steadily, and the display should settle without error codes. Common spring surprises are flow messages from a filter that was never reinstalled, sensor codes from a loose probe, and breakers that trip because moisture crept into the equipment bay over the winter. If you see any of these, our electrical and error code page explains the usual causes. Test the GFCI with its test button as well. It should trip and reset normally.
A simple checklist
- Wait for the ice to melt before doing anything else.
- Inspect the cover, cabinet and equipment with the power off.
- Look for cracks, drips and rodent damage before adding water.
- Fill through the filter well and check for leaks.
- Prime the pumps and bleed out trapped air.
- Test and balance the water, and flush the plumbing if it sat all winter.
- Confirm the heater, the display and the GFCI all behave.
When to ask for help
Plenty of owners open their tubs without trouble. If you find cracks, if the tub drips after filling, if a pump will not prime or if the display shows codes that do not clear, that is a good moment to call. It is much easier to fix freeze damage while the tub is open and empty than after the water is in. And if you would rather not do the whole routine yourself, spring opening is something we do regularly.
Want it opened properly?
Choose Opening or closing on the booking page, or call or text and tell us how the tub spent the winter.