A few chemicals are essential to maintaining clear and clean water in your hot tub. Additionally, some aren’t truly required. What sequence you put the chemicals in the sauna in is also important. Ineffective chemicals can be produced, and hazy water can be caused by adding the incorrect compounds in the wrong order.
What Ingredients Are Necessary for a Cold Tub?
The following hot tub chemicals are essential to have on hand if you want to maintain the water balance in your hot tub and prevent serious issues like bacteria, biofilm buildup, and algae:
Hot tub disinfectant, such as bromine or chlorine
Shock from a hot tub
Alkalinity booster
pH booster
pH reducer
Calcium hardness enhancer
Cleaner with line flush
Optional: metal sequestrant, filter cleaner, and water clarifier
You must test your hot tub’s water before adding any more components. A sufficient quantity of test strips is necessary. Alternatively, you can utilize a fluid test kit to get findings that are more accurate.
If you want to test your source of water for metals and other minerals, you can also bring a sample of the water to your neighborhood pool and spa store. Once your baseline measurements are obtained, you may begin the process of adding your chemicals.
The ideal chemical levels for a hot tub are as follows:
Hot Tub Cleaner
The first thing you must do is choose between using chemicals or bromine as your sanitizer. Each has advantages and disadvantages. For more on cleaning home spas, https://www.watsons.com/louisville/hot-tubs-spas has helpful information.
Chlorine
Chlorine is often used by owners of outdoor hot tubs to sterilize their water. It kills germs and algae aggressively and is inexpensive, simple to add, and easy to monitor. The drawbacks?
The fragrance of chlorine. Through oxidation, chlorine destroys pollutants. However, waste chemicals known as chloramines are released during this chemical reaction, which is what gives out the scent.
In the event that you detect a chlorine odor in your water, it is likely necessary to add additional chlorine. Recall that a hot tub’s optimal chlorine level is between 1 and 3 parts per million.
Bromine
Your jacuzzi does not smell like chlorine when bromine is used. It is also less acidic than chlorination and lasts longer, which makes maintaining the pH balance of the liquid a little bit simpler.
Additionally, because it is kinder to the skin, a lot of jacuzzi owners choose to use it. However, it costs more and has a tendency to operate more slowly. It’s unstable as well. This implies that it will burn off quite fast in the sun if used in an unprotected outdoor jacuzzi.
For jacuzzis that aren’t exposed to direct sunlight, such as indoor models, bromine works well. 3–5 ppm is the ideal bromine level.
Systems of Minerals, Ozonators, and Salt Water
By adding a device like an ozonator or mineral dispenser, you may cut down on the quantity of sanitizer that you need to add to your water. Or you may get a jacuzzi system that uses salt water.
Shock of the Hot Tub
A jacuzzi shock is an essential tool for routine jacuzzi maintenance and an excellent issue solution. It helps replenish the sanitizer in your current container so that it continues to prevent the growth of bacteria, algae, and contaminants.
Restarting your sanitizer and getting rid of any leftover chlorine, also known as chloramines, may be accomplished with a weekly shock treatment with a non-chlorine shock (oxidizer). Additionally, a chlorine shock might assist in clearing up pollutant buildup if you observe hazy hot tub water or algae beginning to form.
Here’s when and when each kind of spa shock should be used:
Bromine Shock or Chlorine Shock?
Either use non-chlorine or chlorinated shock. You may quickly resume using your hot tub after using non-chlorine shock, which is excellent for routine maintenance. If you’re having difficulties with your water, apply shock every other week since it is more successful in eliminating germs and algae.
Furthermore, using shocking in a bromine sauna is acceptable. To maintain low amounts of chlorine in your mineral hot tub, use non-chlorine shock. However, apply shock if you have algae problems or murky fluid.
Use shock in your saltwater hot tub. For those who are concerned about very high chemical levels, using a non-chlorine shock is acceptable.
Alkalinity Enhancer, pH Reducer, pH Elevator
In hot tub water chemistry, pH and total alkalinity are two of the most elusive concepts. pH gauges the acidity of your water. Additionally, alkalinity buffers pH (https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Acids_and_Bases/Acids_and_Bases_in_Aqueous_Solutions/The_pH_Scale), preventing sharp fluctuations in pH by neutralizing incoming acid. These two are interdependent and have an impact on one another anytime they alter.
A total alkalinity of 100 to 150 ppm is ideal; 80 ppm is generally acceptable. The pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6.
Your spa may corrode due to a low pH. Moreover, burning eyes and dry, itchy skin might result from excessive pH. Many items on the market are made to simultaneously change alkalinity and pH. Having chemicals that can only do one task at a time on hand is crucial.
