McCall winters are beautiful. They’re also hard on hot tubs.
Temperatures regularly drop well below freezing, power outages happen, and most spa owners are either away for stretches of the season or using their tub more heavily than usual. After more than 20 years servicing hot tubs throughout Valley and Adams County, we’ve seen what goes wrong when winter maintenance gets skipped — and it’s almost always preventable.
Here’s what we tell every customer heading into the cold months.
Keep It Running — Don’t Shut It Down
The single most common mistake McCall hot tub owners make is turning their spa off or dropping the temperature too low to save on their power bill. In a valley where temps regularly hit single digits, a hot tub that isn’t circulating warm water will freeze — and frozen pipes, pumps, and fittings are expensive repairs.
If you plan to use your spa at all during winter, keep it running. Set the temperature to at least 98°F even when it’s not in use. Your heater uses far less energy maintaining a consistent temperature than reheating from cold — and the cost of a freeze repair is many times your monthly electricity savings.
If you’re leaving town for an extended period and truly won’t use the spa, the right move is a proper winterization — not just turning it off. Call us before you leave and we’ll handle it correctly.
Check Your Cover — It’s Doing More Work Than You Think
Your hot tub cover is the most important piece of equipment during a McCall winter. A good cover in good condition can cut your heating costs dramatically and keep debris, snow, and ice out of the water.
Check it before the cold hits. Look for waterlogging (a cover that feels heavy and soggy), tears in the vinyl, and a seal that no longer fits snugly. A waterlogged cover is worse than no cover — it’s actually pulling heat out of your spa instead of holding it in. If your cover is more than 5–7 years old, it’s worth replacing before winter rather than after.
We carry and install replacement covers. Give us a call at (208) 634-7570.
Watch Your Water Level
Cold weather increases evaporation, and a low water level in freezing temperatures is a serious problem. If the water drops below the skimmer intake, your pump can run dry — and in freezing temps, water left sitting in the equipment without circulation can ice up fast.
Check your water level at least once a week through winter and top it off as needed. If your outdoor hose is frozen (which happens in McCall), you can use an indoor faucet with a hose adapter, or call us and we’ll handle it during a service visit.
Balance Your Water More Frequently in Winter
Winter actually increases the demand on your water chemistry — not decreases it. Cold weather affects pH balance, and heavier use during the holiday season means more contaminants in the water. Cloudy or foamy water in winter is almost always a chemistry issue, not a temperature issue.
Test your water at least twice a week during cold months. Keep pH between 7.2 and 7.8, and shock the water after any heavy use or a period of sitting unused. If you’re not sure what you’re looking at, bring a water sample into our McCall showroom — we test for free and tell you exactly what to add.
Clean and Swap Your Filters Regularly
Dirty filters in winter cause more problems than in any other season. When filters are clogged, your circulation system works harder to push water through, your heater runs longer, and your water quality suffers. In extreme cases, reduced flow can cause freeze damage to the heating element.
Rinse your filters every two weeks during heavy-use periods and deep clean them monthly. Keep a spare set on hand so you can swap and clean without leaving your tub running on a dirty filter. We stock filters for all major brands at our McCall showroom.
Make Sure Freeze Protection Is Active
Most modern hot tubs — including Bullfrog Spas and Sundance Spas — have a built-in freeze protection mode that automatically activates your circulation pump when temperatures near freezing. Make sure this feature is turned on and working correctly before the cold hits.
If your tub is older or you’re not sure whether it has freeze protection, call us. It’s one of the first things we check during a service call, and it’s far cheaper to confirm it’s working than to deal with the aftermath if it isn’t.
When to Call Us
Some winter maintenance you can handle yourself. But if you see any of these, call Leisure Pool & Spa before it gets worse:
- Water not heating or taking much longer than usual to heat up
- Error codes on your control panel
- Jets with noticeably reduced pressure
- Water that won’t clear up despite correct chemistry
- Any sign of a leak — even a slow drip freezes and expands overnight in McCall temperatures
We service all brands and we’re open Monday through Saturday, including Mondays. Call us at (208) 634-7570 or stop by at 611 N 3rd St in downtown McCall.
Leisure Pool & Spa has been keeping Valley and Adams County hot tubs running through Idaho winters for over 20 years.