Black Friday hot tub filters and spa care (2026 dates)
Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. Amazon’s news post states both dates and says shoppers can browse early Holiday Shop deals now, and it says to check back for more information[46]. It does not name a hot tub filter, a percent off, or a start and end time for a Black Friday event. This page does not invent one. What is worth doing before guests arrive is the same thing the filter makers already say: keep a second cartridge, and clean the one that is in the tub[4][1][10].
One product this answer points to
Listing title: cartridge cleaner, 32 fl oz.
Disclosure: we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through retailer links on this site, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check price on Amazon opens a listing whose title we checked. The line under the name repeats only that title. Amazon links on this page go to Amazon.com and are affiliate links; they never change what we write, and the list is not ranked by commission. Each “Check price on Amazon” button opens a specific listing whose title we checked. There is no product photo unless Amazon provided one through the Product Advertising API or a SiteStripe image link. Each “Search on Amazon” button opens an Amazon search for the part or product name shown, not a single listing we pre-checked. Check size, quantity and your spa maker’s guidance before you buy. See our affiliate disclosure.
The dates, and only the dates
Every date below is a date a carrier or Amazon published. When that page says the real delivery day can move, this page says that too.
| What | 2026 | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Thursday, November 26 | UPS is closed. It labels the day Thanksgiving[49][50]. |
| Black Friday | Friday, November 27 | Amazon says Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving and that this year it is November 27. UPS labels November 27 “Day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday).” Its year-end schedule lists normal pickup and delivery that day[46][49][50]. |
| Cyber Monday | Monday, November 30 | Amazon says Cyber Monday is always the following Monday, and that this year it is November 30[46]. |
| The five-day shopping period | Thanksgiving through the following Monday | The National Retail Federation describes Black Friday and Cyber Monday as part of that five-day period, and says retailers now spread holiday deals across the season rather than holding them for one day[47]. |
FedEx’s holiday page lists November 26 as closed, November 27 as modified service, December 24 as modified service (including modified Ground pickups), and December 25 as closed. FedEx says that schedule can change[51]. UPS is open on November 27[50].
What Amazon has not published
Amazon’s Black Friday post says customers can shop early deals in the Holiday Shop now, and it says to check back soon for more information[46]. That is the whole product claim we are willing to repeat. The post does not list a spa filter, a cover, or a chemical, and it does not give a percent off. NRF makes the same broader point: holiday deals now show up through the season, not only on the Friday[47].
The button on a product card below says “Check price on Amazon” because the price lives on Amazon. We do not type a price, a star rating, or “was / now” pair onto this page. If a listing is not one we opened, the button says “Search on Amazon” and the note says so.
What to have on the shelf
Stocking up, on this page, means the spare the manufacturers already tell you to keep. It does not mean buying a cartridge because a banner said the price changed.
- A second cartridge that fits. Unicel, Pleatco and Jacuzzi all say to alternate two sets so one can be cleaned and dried while the other is in the spa[4][1][10]. Jacuzzi also says not to run the spa with no filter installed[10]. Start from the number on the end cap: Hot Spring C-6430 (OEM 31489 / 71825), Caldera C-7375 (OEM 1019301 / 73531), Sundance C-8326, Intex Type S1, Bullfrog 10-00282. The homepage search takes OEM, Unicel, Pleatco and Filbur numbers. If two cartridges share a size, read open-end vs threaded and Sundance and Jacuzzi look-alikes before you order the look-alike.
- Filter cleaner for the soak. Unicel and Pleatco describe a hose rinse and then a degreasing soak of at least an hour[4][1]. The steps are in how to clean a hot tub filter.
- Test strips, sanitizer and shock. CDC says to check disinfectant and pH[13]. Hot Spring’s published ranges are free chlorine 1–5 ppm, pH 7.2–7.8, total alkalinity 40–120 ppm and calcium hardness 75–150 ppm[18]. CDC’s rash page uses a free-chlorine floor of at least 3 ppm, bromine 4–8 ppm, and pH 7.0–7.8, which is not the same band[13]. Follow the manual for your spa when the numbers differ. The order of balancing is in pH and alkalinity, and storage rules are in chemical safety.
- The cover, before the weather does the choosing. Hot Spring says to remove snow so the foam core is protected, and not to put a plastic tarp over the cover[22]. That is the winter page: winter spa care. A gift-shaped version of the same list is gifts for hot tub owners 2026.
Pleatco says most spa makers recommend a monthly clean, every two weeks with heavy use, and after a party[3]. A holiday weekend is that party. Jacuzzi’s weekly rinse shortens to every two or three days with heavy use[10].
Shipping cutoffs, from the carriers
These are send-by dates for expected arrival, not a promise. USPS says the actual delivery date depends on origin, destination, when the Post Office accepts the piece, and other conditions[48]. UPS says some lanes need an earlier ship date and tells you to check Calculate Time and Cost, and it says a limited number of Ground packages from November 16, 2026 through January 8, 2027 need extra time in transit[50][49].
USPS, for delivery before December 25
USPS also notes that Hanukkah in 2026 is December 4–12, earlier than Christmas, so the Christmas dates below are too late for the start of Hanukkah[48].
| Service | Contiguous U.S. (not Alaska or Hawaii) |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | Thursday, December 17 |
| First-Class Mail | Thursday, December 17 |
| Priority Mail | Friday, December 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Saturday, December 19 |
For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, USPS prints the same First-Class (December 17), Priority Mail (December 18) and Priority Mail Express (December 19) dates, and it does not print one Ground Advantage date. It says Ground Advantage to or from those places has a service expectation of 10 days or more, and that you should look up the ZIP codes[48]. International First-Class Package and Priority Mail International are Wednesday, December 9, and Priority Mail Express International is Wednesday, December 16, for every region on USPS’s international table. Military mail is earlier: USPS recommends Ground Advantage to the APO/FPO/DPO ZIP groups it lists by Wednesday, November 4[48].
UPS, for delivery on December 24
| U.S. domestic service | Recommended last ship date |
|---|---|
| UPS Ground | No single date. UPS says to check ups.com/ctc[50]. |
| UPS 3 Day Select | Monday, December 21. UPS also says a limited number of 3 Day Select packages tendered December 14 or 15 may take an extra day[50]. |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | Tuesday, December 22. A limited number tendered December 14, 15, 16 or 21 may take an extra day[50]. |
| UPS Next Day Air | Wednesday, December 23, with a scheduled pickup or a drop-off at a UPS Store or UPS Authorized Service Location[50]. |
December 24 is a delivery day. Pickup that day is Air and international Air only, and only if it was prearranged by Friday, December 18. There is no Ground pickup on Christmas Eve. December 25 is a UPS holiday: no pickup or delivery[49][50]. November 26 is also closed, so a filter ordered for the Thanksgiving weekend does not move that day[50].
FedEx’s holiday page is the open-and-closed schedule cited above, and FedEx says that schedule can change[51]. That page does not print one nationwide Ground send-by date, so this page does not invent one.
Where to go next
Match the cartridge on the homepage or the size lookup. The replacement schedule and reorder calculator applies the published interval to the cartridge you pick and lists the cross-reference numbers with a buy link. Water-care guides are grouped on supplies. Replacement timing is in how often to replace a hot tub filter. A correction to any date on this page: contact, which reaches [email protected] and no other address.
Filters and care products to check on Amazon
Care products with a listing we checked
These are not a sale and not a ranked list. Each button opens a listing whose title we read. The price is on Amazon. We do not print it, and we do not claim a percent off.
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Leisure Time O Filter Clean Cartridge Cleaner Listing title: cartridge cleaner, 32 fl oz.
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AquaChek SPA 6-in-1 Test Strips Listing title: reads total bromine, total chlorine, free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and total hardness.
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SpaGuard Enhanced Shock Listing title: Enhanced Shock, 2 lb.
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Cover Valet Cover Rock-It Cover Lift (96 in) Listing title: hot tub cover lift, gray, rectangular, 96 inches.
Replacement cartridges, by the number on the old one
A search is not one cartridge we pre-checked. Read the listing title against the part number, then confirm diameter, length and both fittings.
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Hot Spring 71825 / C-6430 6" cartridge used on many Hot Spring, Hot Spot and Solana tubs. Some housings hold more than one.
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Caldera 73531 / C-7375 Open-bottom Caldera cartridge. Match the bottom, not only the length.
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Sundance 6540-488 / C-8326 The 125 sq ft body. C-8326 and C-8327 differ by a core plug. Compare before you treat them as the same gift.
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Intex 29001E (Type S1) PureSpa Type S1. Not the taller Type S2 cartridge (29012E).
Questions
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026. Amazon says Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and that this year it falls on November 27. UPS labels that day “Day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday).”
When is Cyber Monday 2026?
Monday, November 30, 2026. Amazon says Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday.
Are hot tub filters discounted that week?
We do not know, and we do not print a percent off. Amazon’s Black Friday post says early Holiday Shop deals are available and to check back for more. It does not name a spa filter or a price. The price is on the Amazon listing.
What is the USPS send-by date for Christmas?
For the contiguous United States, USPS recommends Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail by Thursday, December 17, 2026, Priority Mail by Friday, December 18, and Priority Mail Express by Saturday, December 19, for expected delivery before December 25. USPS says the actual day can vary. Hanukkah is December 4–12, so those Christmas dates are too late for the start of Hanukkah.
Does UPS publish one Ground cutoff?
No. Its 2026 year-end schedule says to check Calculate Time and Cost for Ground. It does print last ship dates for delivery on December 24: 3 Day Select on December 21, 2nd Day Air on December 22, and Next Day Air on December 23. It also says some of those air packages, and some Ground packages from November 16 through January 8, may need extra transit time.
Sources
- Pleatco Catalog & Cross Reference Guide: filter care FAQ
- Pleatco FilterWash information sheet
- Unicel: Maintenance & FAQ
- Hot Spring Hot Spot Collection Owner’s Manual (2026)
- Jacuzzi: Hot Tub Filter Cleaning Made Easy
- CDC: Preventing Hot Tub Rash
- Hot Spring: How do I choose the right spa chemicals for my hot tub?
- Hot Spring Hot Spot Collection Owner’s Manual, 50 Hz (2024): cover care
- Amazon News: When is Black Friday 2026?
- National Retail Federation: Winter Holiday FAQs
- USPS: 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
- UPS: 2026 U.S. Holiday Schedule
- UPS: 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule (recommended last days to ship)
- FedEx: Holiday schedule and last days to ship
This guide summarizes published manufacturer and public-health guidance; always follow your own spa’s owner’s manual. See our disclaimer.