Owning a hot tub is a good investment to make nowadays, especially when you love to pamper yourself after a long day of work. So, you have already chosen the ideal model from the best hot tubs available, picked the right location, and is now very much excited to experience your spa. The only problem is understanding the water care requirements of your tub so you will have a great spa experience every time you step into it.
The chemical science of hot tubs is one of the essential considerations that every hot tub owner should know. Good thing this hot tub water care guide is available and handy so you can easily learn proper ways of taking care of it. On this guide, you will know the important factors that you need to maintain and balance such as shock treatments, sanitizers, pH levels, and alkalinity. The following water care procedures and hot tub chemicals are so easy to apply and you don’t even need to be an expert to get started.
Alkalinity
Contents
The first lesson you need to learn in this hot tub chemistry guide is the alkalinity requirement of the hot tub. Proper alkalinity level prevents fluctuations in your tub’s pH levels. If it’s too high, it won’t make your disinfectants such as chlorine effective in any way. In other cases, it may also build up minerals and create cloudy water in your tub. As a result, it may irritate your eyes with the algae and scales formed at the bottom and the sides of your spa tub. The normal range when testing your alkalinity is from 80ppm to 120ppm.
How to Balance Alkalinity
But how do you balance your hot tub’s alkalinity? Check out the following for some quick tips:
- Test the strip first. Before you remove the bottle’s strip, make sure that the tip of the bottle’s opening is faced down. Use your hand to catch the strip that falls, but never touch other strips while one is in your hand to keep the oils from getting into your hand. That would just ruin your test.
- Put the strip into the water. Be careful in dipping the strip into the hot tub. Make sure that it’s not too wet. After removing it from the water, check the back of the strip and compare the color. Your next step will be determined on the color result. Just follow the instructions that you will get.
- If the alkalinity level is too low, you can use the increaser kit. Carefully read the directions and follow the proper way of adding an increaser into the hot tub water.
- If the alkalinity level is too high, it may be due to the hard water available in your area. To correct this, you can contact a local dealer near your area so you will be provided with the best solution for this problem.
For accurate test results when re-testing, be sure to allow the hot tub water to circularize overnight or even just for several hours after you add the chemicals into the tub. Add each chemical separately in order to clearly see how it affects the hot tub’s chemistry. That way, you also get the exact results you need by following the directions properly.
pH Levels
Testing your tub water’s pH level before adding sanitizers is important. This will help you gauge if the water is basic or acidic. The recommended range of a good pH level is between 7.2 and 7.8 – be very particular in this test.
How to Balance pH Levels
Here’s how you can balance pH levels:
- Use the testing strip to know what you need to do next. Do not let the strip touch other strips when you remove it from the bottle.
- Put the strip into the water and see the back to know if the level is too high or low based on the color.
- If the pH level is too high, you can use the decreaser kit to correct it. If it’s too low, use the increaser tool to improve the level and balance of your hot tub’s water pH.
- Add the right chemical after balancing the pH levels and follow the directions at the back of the bottle.
Sanitizers
Viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing elements can still live in warm water. Hence, you need to make sure that your hot tub is free from germs by adding sanitizers like chlorine and bromine into the water. This will keep the water smelling fresh and clean all throughout your use. But how can you balance the sanitizer levels? Below are some tips for the perfect hot tub cleaners:
How to Balance Sanitizer Levels
- Test the water by using the strip once again. This will help you in determining the alkalinity and pH levels of your water.
- Add chemical sanitizers in order to balance the water. You can try bromine and chlorine separately to see how it reacts in the water.
Shock Treatment
Shock treatments are essential in maintaining the water in your tub. They break down organic contaminants that usually give unpleasant odor and cloudy water to the hot tub. This process oxidizes the contaminants and released them as gas to eliminate algae, viruses, and bacteria. You can do this weekly to make sure that the water is fresh and clean when you use the tub. The following are steps in shock treating your hot tub:
How to Perform Shock Treatment for Hot Tubs
- Test the water by doing the same first step mentioned in the previous procedures.
- Do not move the water to avoid agitating the oxidation process. Keep the circulation pump working to allow the shock in circularizing the water.
- Follow the directions for a proper shocking treatment. Measure the hot tub filters to know if you need to add more or not.
Draining
You cannot keep the same water in your hot tub forever. Time will come when you need to change it so all germs will be removed from the tub. Here’s how to drain your hot tub properly:
How to Drain the Tub
- Find the best place when draining the tub.
- Make sure that the power is turned off to avoid accidents and injuries.
- Read the manual. If it’s your first time to drain your hot tub, make sure that you are guided accordingly.
- After draining and cleaning the tub, you can now refill it with clean water again. Use hot tub covers to keep away dust and other contaminants.
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