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Is Your Hot Tub in the Path of a Hurricane or Tropical Storm?
Your hot tub is probably the least of your worries if your area is threatened by a hurricane or tropical storm. But whether you are evacuating or staying put there are a few chores to add to your list if you own a hot tub. At the top of the list is electrical:
Hurricane Hot Tub Electrical Chores
If you are evacuating you are probably already shutting off your main breaker to the house. Be sure to include the hot tub breaker at the main panel as well. (In fact, a good practice is to turn all circuit breakers off.) When you return and your power is restored, you don’t want the hot tub to come on just because you’ve turned on the main breaker.
If you are not evacuating, always, turn off the breaker to your hot tub. If you loose power completely, when it is restored, you do not want your hot tub to come on without your observation. There are often intermittent power outages and surges during a storm. You really don’t want to put your hot tub through those electrical surges and voltage drops. Turning off the breaker is the thing to do.
Starting Your Hot Tub After the Hurricane
Before the hot tub is energized after a storm you will want to inspect it for damage, and signs of flooding before you energize. You also will want to observe it’s start up procedures. If you believe your hot tub equipment area has been flooded, Do not energize the hot tub circuit at all. You can usually tell this by the debris line or water line in the equipment area. If there are signs that pump motors or control systems have been underwater DO NOT ENERGIZE. The equipment is most likely ruined and will have to be replaced.
Don’t energize your hot tub If the area around the hot tub still has standing water. You want to be sure that the area is dry before attempting a start up. Electrical shock can occur if there are problems with the hot tub equipment. Again, check for water levels at the equipment area before attempting a start up.
Protecting Your Hot Tub BEFORE the storm.
First of all.. do not drain your hot tub! In fact, leave it full. You want the weight of it. It may overflow but that’s better than it blowing over. Cover it tightly with your hot tub cover. Don’t just rely on the the locking straps. Reinforce the locking straps on the spa cover with additional ratcheting straps to hold it in place. These straps should be placed length and width and possibly doubled up. You want to try and keep wind from getting under the spa cover. If you have a tarp or an over cover, be sure it is tightly strapped down around the outside edge. Hot tub covers easily become giant flying objects that can damage your home or your neighbors home. Tie it down tight! If for any reason you can not secure your hot tub cover, Your best bet would be to bring it inside so it does not become a hazard if it blows off.
Hot Tub Water Chemistry Before the storm
It can’t hurt to add a little chlorine bleach or granular sodium dichlor to the tub before you leave. This is not critical as the tub may need to be drained after the storm but it is a supply of water that you may be grateful to have as a fresh water source for flushing toilets etc. upon your return.
Protecting Your Hot Tub From Windblown Debris
The standard practice of picking up all objects from your yard is important when trying to protect your hot tub. Obviously, in the worst case scenarios there will be flying debris in the air no matter what you do at your own property. But even though a hurricane may threaten you, you never really know where exactly it’s going to come ashore. The Hurricane Flags can be flying for your area and you may fear a direct hit, but 10 miles can make huge difference in the severity of a hurricane over your house! You always want to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. There is nothing you can do about the 100 year old oak tree that succumbs to the hurricane forces and lands on your hot tub. But, you can keep your trash cans, lawn furniture potted plants etc from battering your house or hot tub in a more minor storm event.
Prayers and Best Wishes to all Readers!
I know you wouldn’t be here at all, if you weren’t being threatened by a hurricane. My best wishes to you. Please let me know your experiences of the storm.. As a Florida native, I’ve prepared for 12 storms in my life, and never experienced a direct hit. I’ve had power outages, wind and rain, trees down but never serious damage. I pray your experience is the same!
Beclecto
Losing my mom to Alzheimer’s happened in 2007. It was a 5 year road of gradual decline, leading to the end. Now, it’s my aunt’s turn I guess. To the family, the signs have been unmistakable for some time, but accepting it and actually bringing it up to her was just too hard. My aunt, is an independent, never married, 85 year old lady of the south who insists “there is nothing wrong with me, my memory is fine!” But the truth is, there is something very wrong. It was very difficult to reason with her why she needed to go to the doctor. ” I’m not sick, I’m fine, and I’m not going.” Nevertheless, the appointment was made and we convinced her to go. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not sure what happened during the growing up period for my dear friend. I’ve spent significant time anguishing over it and, well, wishing I could “fix it.” I know I can’t but I can report the story. Maybe some people will be touched enough to help.
Liza, an identical twin, has always been hated by her family. Maybe hate is a strong word, so I’ll be kind and say “unfavored.” She was born into a family with thick pioneer roots that shaped Florida’s history. You would easily recognize the names. I too come from pioneer roots, only my roots sprout from a preacher on horseback carrying the gospel. Her pioneer family roots were in land: cattle, oranges agriculture and politics.
This didn’t mean that her mother and father had it made from the beginning. Quite the contrary. Her father’s matriarchal mother didn’t like his choice of a bride and made no secret about it. Sharing the same 40 acres was probably difficult for Liza’s mother. Perhaps this is the root of all the pain. I’m sure that there was much family pressure to conform, to present the family in the best light, to show no crack in the type family they should be.
The arrival of twins was unexpected and apparently unwelcome. Liza was the little surprise that slid out after the “planned” one. Her twin would remind of this again and again as they grew up. “I was PLANNED, they didn’t want you.” Read the rest of this entry »
Her teacher could feel the fear emanating from the page as she read the days entry in one of her 6th grade students’ journal. The pretty 12 year old was new at school and a quiet good student with all A’s and B’s. Shocked as she read, she glanced over to the girl and noticed uncontrollable trembling.
She’d written that since she’d left 5 minutes early that morning to meet a friend and walk to the bus stop, her stepfather had chased her down as she boarded the bus and screamed that she was going to get a beating when she got home for this “infraction.” She was not a stranger to beatings but most were delivered by her mom. Anxiety wracked her all day and when she sat before her journal that day, all of it came out. Read the rest of this entry »
Kalle and I wanted to reinforce the efforts of whoever had the courage to drive over there and tell them to turn it down and we both screamed something refined, in unison like ” YES ASSSHOLLLLLES ITS TOOO LOUD!!!”
Arriving at the privately owned campground at Ginnie Springs is a bit overwhelming. Ginnie Springs Outdoors LLC operates this privately owned nature park, with over 200 acres of pure woodsy Florida located on the Santa Fe River. It is a very popular north Florida destination for campers, divers, tubers, and folks with all night partying on their mind. Checking in on a weekend involves lines to the check in area inside a well appointed dive shop, filling out forms and signing away your right to sue the owners for any possible mishap.
Security is high. Sneaking into Ginnie Springs will probably not be an option unless you are in someone’s trunk. You can’t even leave Ginnie Springs park without driving past a guard.
The 7 dramatic crystal clear springs located on the property, make the park popular with scuba divers, snorklers and cave divers. All springs feed the Santa Fe River and tubing down the river from one end of the park to the other is popular pastime. Certified Cave divers can explore over 30,000 feet of passageways in the Devil’s Eye and Devil’s Ear cave system.
Fees are a bit steep. Campers pay a per day per person charge and must also pay a per day per person charge for use of the park. Our party, 2 adults and one child were charged over 150.00 for a 3 night stay. In return, you are turned loose in the campground to choose from a huge plethora of campsites, plenty located directly on the river. It probably doesn’t matter what time you arrive.. there will still be an acceptable campsite at Ginnie Springs. While there are a lot of sites on the river there are still more in the woods surrounding. You will find a suitable site just about on any weekend There is much property, all wooded all with primitive campsites set up. Read the rest of this entry »
