Adding a hot tub sanitizer into the hot tub water is a method that hot tub owners should master and understand in order to keep the water chemistry balanced.
A balanced hot tub water is crisps, crystal clear, and germ-free. This is indeed the ideal soaking environment that people look for in a hot tub.
In today’s article, we will look into several things, which include understanding what is a hot tub sanitizer, common sanitizer types in the market, and the best sanitizing method to apply.
Let’s get started!
What is a Hot Tub Sanitizer?
A hot tub sanitizer may come in various forms, but they basically have the same function, which is to keep the hot tub water germ-free and inhibits the growth of algae and other nasty microorganisms.
The sanitizers component that kills all the bad stuff in the water makes it even more popular among homeowners. But over the course of time, the excessive use of the traditional hot tub sanitizers has some people get concerned, especially those with sensitive skin.
Why? Apparently, chlorine is the most popular and commonly-used hot tub sanitizer even up to this day. But not all people can tolerate chlorine in their hot tub. Some are allergic to it.
For this reason, we want to introduce other types of sanitizers in the succeeding section.
Continue reading to find out!
Different Types of Hot Tub Sanitizers
There are basically 5 types of hot tub sanitizers, namely: chlorine, bromine, minerals, saltwater, and biguanide. We are going to go over each of these types below:
Chlorine
This is the widely used and most trusted hot tub sanitizer. But people with chlorine allergy are not so fund of this one.
Chlorine is also one of the most affordable options, not to mention the one that is easily available in most shops. Moreover, this one is available in various forms, such as liquid, powder, and tablet forms.
If you are using chlorine as a sanitizer, then you already know that this gives off a strong chemical smell and the hot tub cannot be used right after cleaning. You have to wait for a few hours before getting in the newly treated water.
Bromine
Bromine is another popular hot tub sanitizer next to chlorine. It is usually in tablet form and works by inserting the tablet into the bromine feeder so that the water is continuously cleaned.
Just like chlorine, bromine is widely known for being effective but some individuals suffer allergic reactions to it. Some of the reported skin allergies include rashes, itchiness, and excessive dryness.
The primary con when using bromine though is that it doesn’t work well if exposed to direct sunlight. It burns off and can’t be stabilized under the rays of the sun. Thus, this sanitizer is best used for indoor pools and hot tubs.
Minerals
Because of the issues that some people have with chlorine and bromine sanitizers, this pave the way for new sanitizer types. This time, one without chemicals and only make use of natural properties.
Mineral hot tub sanitizers have earned popularity recently. It comes in a stick form and is odorless and natural. This is also famous for not damaging the spa covers and does not fade swimsuits.
Mineral sanitizers are basically copper-based cleaner, which is also effective but works slow. Furthermore, they are best paired with a weekly hot tub shock to ensure 100% germ-free water.
Saltwater
Saltwater is yet another great alternative to chlorine and bromine. This type of sanitizer makes use of saltwater generator that converts salt into low-level chlorine through the process called electrolysis. (Click HERE for the best Chlorine Generator Reviews)
The chlorine generator only converts enough saltwater, thus avoiding excessive amount of chlorine in the water. What makes this even more amazing is that it automatically detects contamination and works on its own, so you do not have worry about forgetting to do the maintenance.
Biguanide
The fifth sanitizer type is biguanide. Biguanide is best known as the chlorine-free and bromine-free sanitizer that is sold in liquid, odorless form. Many considers this as the total opposite of chlorine, which is chemical-based and very cheap.
Biguanide is totally chlorine-free and the most expensive among all the sanitizer types mentioned on this list. But what’s even more surprising is that using this sanitizer is somewhat complicated and can potentially harm your hot tub when used incorrectly. For this reason, hot tub owners are not really keen in using this one.
Final Thoughts
So, which sanitizer type is the best? Personally, we recommend the mineral stick sanitizer. It may work slow as compared to chlorine, but it is still effective. Also, mineral sanitizers are affordable and easy to use.
How about you? Which sanitizer do you think is the best? Comment your thoughts below!
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