Hot Tub Maintenance Safety – The Cautionary Tale Of Chris Smalling

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling made headlines earlier this year when his hot tub was found to have caught fire. Luckily, the hot tub was outside in his back garden at his home in Altrincham and the smoke was spotted by police. The officers called the fire brigade who came and extinguished the fire.

The Champions League footballer had a lucky break in some respects – not least because the fire services were alerted early on – having been out at a poker party that day with friends. The fire services claimed that, had they not been on the scene so promptly, the fire could have spread rapidly causing considerable damage. The cause of the fire has been put down to electrical faults, though there is no official word on the exact cause.

So what can we learn from this cautionary tale of hot tubs? The first thing is that maintenance to your hot tub is essential. This should be self-explanatory given the mixture of electricity, water and heat. However, there are some minor things you can do yourself to keep your hot tub safe for use.

Disclaimer: Maintenance on hot tubs and jacuzzis is not simple DIY work – always bring in a trained professional to perform in-depth maintenance on your hot tub.

Electrical Safety

The first thing to point out here, is that if you aren’t qualified as an electrician, you shouldn’t be rummaging around with electrics in your hot tub. If you are, you’ll know to turn off the electricity supply and ensure you don’t have water in the tub when you carry out the work.

A trained electrician will be able to ensure your outdoor electrical lines are fitted with GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupters), so that should the supply of electricity come into contact with water, it will break the circuit and the flow.

Heating Safety

As with any high temperature heat source, it’s best to keep all flammable materials – such as towels and clothes – away from the heating element or any portions of the hot tub which get hot. Generally, most hot tubs will be fitted to ensure fires cannot break out easily, but it’s worth having regular maintenance from an expert technician to ensure everything is in order.

Chemical Safety

Keeping your hot tub clean and usable involves chemicals, and with chemicals come certain risks. Most chemicals are flammable and are dangerous to have strewn around your tub. Not only could children get hold of these hazardous liquids , but any spillages or forgotten products could easily provide a simple fuel for a fire. Keep your chemicals stored safely and out of the reach of children at all times.

 

Here at H2O Swimming Pools we can provide expert hot tub maintenance, ensuring that you aren’t faced with a fire risk in your own back garden. Contact us today and our professional team will be happy to assist you and provide hot tub maintenance advice.