Your hot tub is a toasty escape to relaxation – and it all starts with clean, safe water. Whenever you soak, you want the confidence that your spa has balanced chemistry. Luckily, achieving the right water quality only takes a few simple steps. We recommend testing and adjusting water on a weekly basis, then a quarterly drain and refill.
Weekly Check
Just like a pool, hot tub water needs to be treated on a regular basis. You want to avoid bacteria or biological growth starting to breed. This can be harmful to human health as well as damaging to your spa. Chemicals like sanitizer and balancer keep the water sparkling and secure.
Before you begin, make sure have your cover off for the entire process, including 30-60 minutes after adding chemicals. Some treatments are concentrated, and their vapors can deteriorate your cover material. Give them a chance to dissipate before replacing the cover.
- Use test strips or bring a sample to our store for a free test. If any levels are off, adjust them in this specific order: alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness, and then chlorine or bromine. Always add them individually, letting the jets run at full speed for 15 minutes. Circulation ensures each chemical has time to activate and disperse throughout.
- Next add metal and scale control, which reduces stains. We recommend the brand Brilliance, which we carry at our store. Circulate on high speed for 30 minutes.
- Add 4 ounces of oxidizer or oxidizing tablets (3 tablets per 250 gallons). Circulate again on full throttle for 30 minutes.
- Double check your Spa Frog cartridges as well. If you aren’t familiar with this type of sanitization system, read our post on Why We Love In-line Hot Tubs.
- Lastly, clean filters using filter cleaner, which removes deposits. Make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove all soapy residue.
As tempting as it is to jump into your newly treated water, give it a chance to breath just a little longer. Wait 15 minutes after adding any product as well as 30 minutes after sanitizer. Your skin, lungs, and bathing suits will thank you.
Spa Chemistry Chart
| Alkalinity | pH | Calcium | Chlorine/Bromine |
|
Ideal range: 80-120ppm |
Ideal range: 7.2-7.8 |
Ideal range: 200-400ppm |
Ideal range: 1-5ppm |
|
Low: Add alkalinity increaser |
Low: Add pH increaser |
Low:
Add calcium hardness increaser |
Low:
Add chlorine/bromine granules |
| High:
Add pH decreaser |
High:
Add pH decreaser |
High:
Partial drain and refill |
High:
Dilute water |
Quarterly Drain
It’s always a good idea to periodically refresh your water. After about four months, your water chemistry is spent. You can dump in all the treatments you want, but they won’t restore the right levels. Read our post To Drain or Not To Drain for detailed instructions, but in short, the steps are:
- Drain your hot tub – a submersible pump can speed up the process.
- Give your shell a thorough scrubbing – this is one of the few times it’s not submerged! Use a microfiber towel and wipe away dirt and grime.
- Refill and follow all the start-up procedures, which are described in our post 5 Steps To Prepare Your New Hot Tub. You’ll also want to use jet cleanse at least once a year during one of your refills, which will help clear buildup from your internal plumbing.
If you are looking for more spa care tips, we have you covered!