Hot tub water care, matched to your spa.

Use the right readings for your equipment.

Find your spa's model and year, then identify the installed sanitizer system and any monitoring or dosing equipment. A brand name alone does not settle the routine. Freeflow's current manual, for example, includes both FROG @ease and standard-care instructions.

These values apply to the equipment and documents listed, not every hot tub. If you use an approved bromine system, its product label and spa instructions supply the bromine target; the chlorine column does not. Confirm the correct manual before changing systems or ordering supplies.

FreshWater Salt makes chlorine. With Smart Monitoring or Dosing installed, the compatible product list changes: those instructions prohibit MPS non-chlorine shock, ozone and silver products. FROG @ease has its own testing and shock routine; ordinary chlorine strips can misread its SmartChlor reserve. Follow the path that matches your spa.

Before a soak, and through the week.

1. Test before using the spa.Use fresh strips or the test kit specified for your system and read them as instructed. Check sanitizer and pH, plus the other parameters your system requires. Freeflow's standard-care instructions also call for testing after use. An automatic system's reminder does not replace its pre-use checks.
2. Correct the readings, then test again.Choose products approved for the installed equipment. Measure using the actual water volume and the chemical label; follow the specified addition point, circulation and cover instructions. Make separate adjustments in the order your care program gives. Return to the required readings and meet the label's re-entry instructions before bathing.
3. Look at water level and filtration.Keep water at the level shown in your manual. Remove debris from the basket and weir on the model's schedule and inspect the filter. Reduced flow, dirty pleats or a control warning need attention, even if the next scheduled cleaning is days away.
4. Check what has changed.More bathers, added fill water or a different supply source can change the routine. Record readings and adjustments so recurring problems have a history to work from. Test the required balance parameters again after top-ups and follow the system's additional checks.

Clear water is not a sanitizer test. Keep your test supplies and equipment instructions together so the check happens before the cover comes off for a soak.

Clean the filter you actually have.

Match the cartridge and removal procedure to your spa. Keep suction fittings installed and never run the spa without its required filtration. Use the cleaner's directions for soaking and rinsing; a quick hose rinse does not replace every manual's cleaning procedure.

Highlife Tri-X

Its manual calls for power disconnection, the specified cap and cartridge removal, approved filter cleaner and rinsing around the sides and through the nine bottom openings. Use the Tri-X method rather than instructions written for a pleated cartridge.

Limelight and Hot Spot

Limelight specifies filter-cleaner soaking at least monthly. Hot Spot specifies weekly basket and weir checks, with cartridge cleaning about every four weeks depending on use. Follow the power-off removal procedure before cleaning.

Freeflow

The cited manual calls for monthly cleaning and power off before removing its screw-in cartridge. Rinse and use spa filter cleaner for oil or mineral deposits; do not brush the cartridge. Follow its replacement schedule and replace sooner if needed.

Watkins Special Edition

The cited 735 / 735L manual uses power-off cartridge removal. The 532L / 772-family manual instead specifies HOLD mode and its own basket-removal sequence. Check the exact model before starting.

Ask for a replacement matched to your model and filter part number. A similar-looking cartridge is not enough to establish a fit.

Plan a refill around the model and water condition.

Conventional and salt systems have different water-change guidance. Use your actual care program and water condition, not a universal calendar promise. Follow the complete model instructions for drain connections, fill-water requirements, cold-weather precautions and startup.

1. Disconnect the spa from power using its specified procedure before draining. Do not restore power while the spa is empty.
2. Use the correct drain connection and an appropriate discharge location. Keep discharge away from equipment and consider the sanitizer level before directing water onto plants or grass.
3. Clean the shell using an approved method, clean or replace the filters as required, and restore the drains and filtration before refill.
4. Fill at the point and to the water level specified for the spa. Review source-water treatment needs and complete the exact startup and pump-priming sequence. Do not leave a pump running without proper water flow.
5. Test, establish the required balance and sanitizer readings, and follow the product's circulation and re-entry directions before using the spa.

A routine drain and refill is different from winterization. Emptying the shell can leave water in plumbing that may freeze. Contact our service team for the right shutdown procedure if the spa will be unused in freezing weather.

Test first when water looks or smells wrong.

Cloudy water

Check sanitizer and balance with the correct test method, then inspect filters, flow and water age. Dirty filters, organics, improper sanitation and old water are possible causes. Use the treatment that matches the findings and your system.

Chlorine or chemical odor

Smell alone cannot establish the free-chlorine level. Chloramines or low pH can contribute to odor. Test and check the care program before adding chemicals; Smart Monitoring, Dosing and FROG @ease do not share one shock-product list.

Foam, stains or scale

Review balance, fill-water minerals and products or residues entering the water. Suppressing foam does not remove accumulated soap. Bring the readings and care history to the team to identify a compatible treatment or decide whether a refill is appropriate.

Musty odor or visible growth

Use the manufacturer's troubleshooting procedure. Its guidance calls for draining, cleaning and refilling when the problem is visible or persistent. Get help if readings or water quality will not recover; do not use appearance as proof that the spa is ready.

Pause bathing until water readings and conditions meet the applicable instructions. Have your model, installed care system, recent readings and product names ready when you contact us.

Choose how you want to handle the routine.

Care for the water yourself

Keep the right tests and approved supplies on hand and use this guide alongside your equipment instructions. Ask the team to help identify the correct manual or product before making a change.

Pick up equipment-matched supplies

Find the cartridge, filter and products that match your spa. Call to confirm availability and fit, then pick up and pay in the showroom. New auto-ship enrollment is unavailable.

Explore SoakReady recurring care

Talk with our service team about the maintenance options available for your spa. Confirm the visit scope, schedule and the checks you remain responsible for between visits.

Call Tyler: (903) 561-7565 or call Longview: (903) 238-8021.

Common owner questions

Find the instructions for your equipment.

• FreshWater Salt owner’s manual304262 Rev. C (10/22), pp. 4–6, 11
• FreshWater Smart Monitoring manual305324 Rev. A (1/24), pp. 1–3, 5–7
• FreshWater Dosing manual304927 Rev. B (8/26), pp. 2–6, 13, 19–20
• 2026 Limelight owner’s manual303759.26 B (06/26), pp. 8–10, 27
• 2026 Highlife owner’s manual303755.26 E (6/26), pp. 30–31
• 2026 Hot Spot owner’s manual303761.26 C (06/26), p. 27
• 2026 Freeflow owner’s manual303552.26 A (12/25), pp. 16–20
• FROG @ease inline / filter-basket instructions20-48-0193 / E09220824R6, pp. 1–2
• Watkins 735 / 735L owner’s manual305331.24 A (8/23), pp. 8–10, 18–19
• Watkins 532L / 772-family owner’s manual305342.26 A (7/25), pp. 19–20
• Hot Spring water-care troubleshootingManufacturer problem / cause / treatment reference