Owning a hot tub does come with many benefits for your life, from relaxing massages to improved sleep and more opportunities for family time – They have many qualities. For you to be able to enjoy these benefits, it is important that you look after your hot tub and essentially treat the water so you can sit back and relax.
To help you make sure you make the right choice about spa water care maintenance, we have put together some top tips and hot tub water treatment options you should be aware of.
Chemicals and Eco Treatments
One of the first things that you should purchase with your hot tub is a water testing kit. There is a huge variety available for you to choose from, but essentially as long as it can test the quality and levels of your water then any will do the job. As well as a water testing kit, you can also purchase water balancing products which are designed to balance the pH and hardness of your hot tub or spa water.
Here at 1 Stop Spas, we offer a variety of cleaning starter kits that are good for the first steps to keeping your new hot tub in good condition. The longer you have your hot tub the muckier your water can become if it is not looked after, for this, we have shock treatments and clarifiers that are there to help keep water in your hot tub clean and clear.
The table below discusses some of the common hot tub problems that you could face and how to fix them.
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
| Cloudy water | Insufficient filtration | Check filters, power supply, and filtration Settings |
| Organic matter | Shock dose with a non-chlorine shock or replace some of the water | |
| Insufficient sanitiser | Test and correct sanitiser (chlorine or bromine) as required | |
| High pH or alkalinity | Test and correct pH and alkalinity (TA) as required using pH Reducer | |
| Too many dissolved solids | Add a water clarifier to free up the particles to aid filtration. Drain and refill some or all of the water | |
| Water odour | Organic matter | Shock Dose using non-chlorine shock or replace some of the water |
| Low sanitiser | Test and correct sanitiser (chlorine or bromine) as required | |
| Low pH | Test and correct pH as required using a pH Increaser | |
| Musty smell | Bacteria or algae in the water | Shock Dose using non-chlorine shock or replace some of the water. Re-test, if the problem is still apparent, add system flush and drain and refill. Multi-functional chlorine tablets are recommended to reduce the risk of algae. |
| Organic matter | Shock Dose using non-chlorine shock or replace some of the water | |
| Too many dissolved solids | Drain and refill some or all of the water | |
| Scum on waterline | Not washing before use | Always shower and rinse before use |
| Fake tan | Do not use hot tubs if wearing fake tan | |
| Foam | Re-rinse bathing costumes after machine washing or have a separate bathing costume for the spa and only rinse with warm water. | |
| Skin or eye irritation | Organic matter build-up | Shock dose using non-chlorine shock, drain and refill some/all of the water. Test for correct pH. |
| Sanitiser is “combined” | Shock dose using non-chlorine shock, drain and refill some/all of the water. Test for correct pH. | |
| Erratic pH | Low alkalinity levels | Increase Alkalinity (TA) levels (consider adding buffer) This will avoid ‘pH bounce’ |
| pH resists change | High alkalinity levels | Decrease alkalinity (TA) with “slug dose” of pH Reducer (Add three capfuls of pH Reducer (6 heaped teaspoons) to a large plastic test tube already full of water. Shake/stir until dissolved. Turn off all pumps etc. place in the middle of the spa at elbow depth and empty avoiding disturbance to water. This is called a slug dose) |
| Only use the above steps as a guide, ensuring all safety precautions are taken and suitable eye protection and clothing are worn at all times. Always use the chemical manufacturers instructions. The measures given above are guidelines only. 1 Stop Spas accepts no liability whatsoever for circumstances arising from its use. | ||
We hope the information above helps, but if you would like to speak to our team then please get in touch:
Email: info@1stopspas.com
Phone: 01522 300737
