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Hot Tub Chemicals & Water Testing

Water Quality Maintenance

hot tub chemicals

Sparkling Clean Water

Maintaining the quality of the water within specified limits will serve to enhance your enjoyment and prolong the life of the equipment. It’s a fairly simple task, but hot tub chemicals require regular attention because the water chemistry involved is a balance of several factors. There is no one-and-done formula, but there is no avoiding it. A careless attitude in regard to water maintenance will result in a bad overall experience poor and potentially unhealthy conditions for soaking.

In fact, it could even cause damage to your spa. For specific guidance on maintaining water quality, please contact us, or bring in a sample of your water, so we can recommend appropriate products for sanitizing and maintaining your spa.

pH is a measure of the relative acidity or alkalinity of water and is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. The midpoint of 7 is said to be neutral, above which is alkaline and below which is acidic. In spa water, it’s very important to maintain a slightly alkaline condition of 7.2 to 7.8. Problems become proportionately severe the further outside of this range the water gets. A low pH will be corrosive to metals in the spa equipment. A high pH will cause minerals to deposit on the interior surface (scaling). In addition, the ability of the sanitizing agents to keep the spa clean is severely affected as the pH moves beyond the ideal range. That is why almost all spa water test kits contain a measure for pH as well as sasanitizer. Of course, don’t also forget to maintain your alkalinity. If your alkalinity falls outside of the range of 80-120 ppm, you can experience drastic swings in your pH levels.

To destroy bacteria and organic compounds in the spa water, a sanitizer must be used regularly. Chlorine and Bromine are the two most popular sanitizers used to date but other secondary sanitizers, like Spa Frog, can be used to supplement and lower the use your primary sanitizer. While many other alternatives are available for your spa, these two tend to provide the best blend of user experience and ease of use. Sanitizers should not be confused with oxidizers as oxidizers do not kill bacteria in the same effective manner.

Do not use chlorine tablets (Trichlor) in your spa. This chemical is not only very acidic, but it can have an extremely corrosive effect on certain materials in the spa. Damage caused by use of this chemical, or improper use of any chemicals, is not covered under the spa’s warranty.

There are some other different ways to give your spa water a softer, more enjoyable feel and take the edge off of your mainstream hot tub chemicals. While mineral sanitizers can help, the two best methods we have seen to date are TRIO from SpaGuard or Jacuzzi®’s ProClear Plus from Aqua Finesse. These systems give people that lovely salt water feel while protecting your spas equipment and without the potentially destructive side effects of salt. If you havent tried either of these products, especially if you have sensitive skin, add these products to your existing regiment of hot tub chemicals and see how it improves your hot tub experience. At the end of the day, there are lots of different products available and methods for using them. For more information on how to take care of your spa and how to use the different hot tub chemicals, visit one of our Aqua Paradise stores today.

This is something a little different and also an important component to maintaining your hot tub chemicals. The most popular oxidizer, like SpaGuards Spa Shock, is commonly referred to as MPS. Spa shock is there to break up the organic compounds that can cause cloudy water, foaming, and most importantly chemical odor. Our recommendation is to add spa shock at least once a week.

Never store spa chemicals inside the spa’s equipment bay.

Chlorine Care Sheet

Caring for Your Jacuzzi® Hot Tub with SpaGuard Chlorine

Bromine Care Sheet

Caring for Your Jacuzzi® Hot Tub with SpaGuard Bromine

TRIO Care Sheet

Caring for Your Jacuzzi® Hot Tub with SpaGuard TRIO & Chlorine

Reserve Care Sheet

Caring for Your Jacuzzi® Hot Tub with Reserve & Aqua Finesse

ProClear Plus & @Ease Care Sheet

Caring for Your Jacuzzi® Hot Tub with ProClear Plus & @Ease

SunPurity Plus & @Ease Care Sheet

Caring for Your Sundance® Spa with SunPurity Plus & @Ease

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