Maintaining a pristine, healthy hot tub environment involves a few crucial steps. They include filtration and chemical treatment to eliminate debris and bacteria, ensuring a longer-lasting freshness.
Keeping Your Water Sparkling Clean
Regular water treatment is key. Ensure you use filtered mains water and let it run through your filter for 4-5 hours daily. Regular inspection of your filter cartridge enhances filtration efficiency.
Equally important is maintaining a balanced pH level in your water to preserve its hygiene and prevent metal components from corroding. If the pH deviates from the 7.0-7.6 range, the sanitizing chemicals may become ineffective.
Always remember to follow the manufacturer’s specific instructions for your hot tub model as they might vary from the general guidelines.
How Often Should I Change My Hot Tub Water?
Hot Tubs Without Filtration or Circulation
For hot tubs without filtration or circulation systems, frequent water replacement is necessary even with chemical treatment. Depending on usage, we recommend changing the hot tub water every two to three weeks. Before each use, bathing suit rinsing helps keep the water clean for longer periods.
Hot Tubs With Filtration or Circulation Systems
For hot tubs equipped with filtration or circulation systems, commonly found in electric hot tubs, the filter cartridge helps maintain water cleanliness by circulating the water through it. The pump and filter should run for at least 3 hours daily, regardless of whether the hot tub is in use. This way, the water can stay clean for up to three months, depending on the usage frequency.
Hot Tubs Without Chemicals
For a chemical-free bath in your fire-heated hot tub, draining and refilling the water every 1-2 days or after 1-2 uses is recommended. If multiple people use the hot tub, the water should be changed after every use.
Evaluating Your Water Quality
A starter kit with essential chemicals, a pH measurer, and more is a smart first step. Regularly checking the bromine levels – many times per week – is advised to keep the water clean. Maintain a bromine level of 3 ppm (or slightly lower) to prevent damage to the wood from larger doses. Convenient color-coded test strips allow easy bromine level checking.
Steps to Clean Water
A combination of a sanitizer (bromine) and an oxidizer (also known as “Shock”) helps keep your hot tub water clean. The sanitizer eliminates bacteria, and the oxidizer boosts the sanitizer and aids in removing organic pollutants.
For wooden hot tubs, avoid using chlorine as it can damage the wood and cause the hot tub stove to corrode, especially in wood-fired hot tubs. Instead, bromine is a softer alternative with a milder smell and is kinder to the skin. Plus, maintaining the correct pH balance becomes easier due to bromine’s lower pH compared to chlorine.
Remember never to combine bromine and chlorine, either dry or in hot tub water, to prevent harmful reactions. Before switching sanitizers, thoroughly clean, drain, and flush your hot tub’s plumbing line.
How Do I Apply Water Sanitizing Chemicals?
Use a floater for evenly distributing bromine in your tub. Avoid directly placing tabs at the bottom of the tub as they might damage the liner. Regularly fill your floater with bromine tablets, using approximately 1 tablet for every 100 gallons of fresh water (refer to the product label for specific instructions).
In addition to bromine, add 3 teaspoons of Shock per 500 gallons of water. Choose a Shock product without chlorine or tri-chlor for compatibility with bromine. If the hot tub usage is less than four times a week, treat it with Shock once a week. In case of higher usage or many bathers, treat the tub after every use or every other day.
- Fill the tub with fresh water.
- Start the heater and let the water reach your preferred temperature.
- Add bromine tablets to your floater according to the package instructions and place it in the tub.
- Shock the water by sprinkling the required amount evenly over the surface of the water.
- Keep the cover off and let the chemicals circulate and the gases escape for about 15 minutes.
- Test the water chemistry using a water testing strip or kit. If the pH is not in the 7.0-7.6 range, use pH increasers or decreasers to balance it.
- Check the bromine level. If it’s below 3 ppm, add more tablets to the floater.
- Do a final check on the water temperature, pH level, and bromine level before enjoying your hot tub.
Regular maintenance helps prolong the life of your hot tub and heater. Besides cleaning the water, inspect the tub’s interior for signs of wear and tear, and check the stove and flue for corrosion.
Avoid using soaps or detergents when cleaning your hot tub, as they can create excess foam when the hot tub is in use. Instead, use a specialist hot tub cleaner for removing grime or waterline marks.
Keep your hot tub covered when not in use to prevent debris from falling in and maintain the water temperature. A good quality hot tub cover also helps keep children and pets safe.
Remember, everyone’s skin reacts differently to hot tub chemicals, so adjust the amount of chemicals to what feels most comfortable for you and your guests. Regular maintenance, checking the water quality, and following the instructions for your specific hot tub model will help you enjoy a safe, clean, and comfortable hot tub experience.