Hot Tubs and Chemicals

Hot tubs serve as great dwelling place for bacteria to multiply water disinfectant levels must be controlled to kill bacteria and keep the water safe at all times. In view of this, hot tub chemicals are specifically used to do the job of preventing build up of bacteria that can endanger the health of the user. The water in your hot tub is a delicate balance of chemicals, however using these chemicals can be complex. Changing one component to bring it into the correct range can have an adverse effect on another component and can adversely affect the entire hot tub.

Some of the required knowledge for keeping your water correctly balanced includes- using chlorine in the range of one to three parts per million. The total alkalinity should be between 80 to 150 parts per million. PH levels should be between 7.4 and 7.6. Hardness should be 200-400 parts per million. And total dissolved solids should be less than 2000parts per million. Of course chlorine is mot the only sanitizer you can use in your spa so if you choose something else then the appropriate level may be different.

Water being a solvent will absorb substances until it cannot take anymore and then it will react and dump any excess. If your water is too acidic or alkaline the water will need to be rebalanced. If you have a plastered spa then the water will take the alkaline lime until it is no longer acidic. Once this happens the water will then dump the extra alkaline lime and you will get calcium deposits building up which will affect all the equipment including piping, valves, pumps etc. therefore you need correct water balance to keep the water in good order.

The amount of sanitizers such as chlorine you will use has to be enough to kill all bacterial in your hot tub while not leaving too much residual amounts in your tub. Chlorine for hot tubs mainly comes in granular or tablet form and its use is mainly because of its relatively low cost. Chlorine oxidizes with other components and that is how it kills the bacteria. However due to ammonias being present due to human seat etc the chlorine will also mix with the ammonias and produce chloramines which reduce its power to kill bacteria. When you have sore eyes and a strong smell in the water this is not due to too much chlorine but because of the chloramines. The amount of chlorine you will use is based on the amount of people using the spa and the amount of bacteria, ammonia it has to overcome.

Bromine is an alternative sanitizer to chlorine. However it requires a catalyst to activate and a small amount of chlorine is added to bromine granules to activate it. UV light can be used as a sanitizer but the water must pass through a device to do this. But although it kills bacteria it does not prevent its growth and still requires chlorine in the water.

The next important water factor is the PH level. Ph is on a scale from one to fourteen where one is extremely acidic and fourteen is extremely alkaline. Seven is regarded as neutral but a level of 7.4 to 7.6 is regarded as the beat level. If the ph becomes too acidic through sweat and urine then it has the capability to turn corrosive and will eat any metals it comes into contact with. When water becomes too alkaline then calcium deposits can form in pipwork and inside equipment. Changes in the ph level will affect the ability of the sanitizer from doing its job properly. The PH level can be adjusted using different substances of acid or alkaline substances. These substances can be dissolved slowly into the water in tablet, granular or liquid form. One safety precaution is to keep your acid and chlorine apart from each other and never mix them together. This can create the deadly chlorine gas.

Total alkalinity is a measure of the amount of alkaline in the water. Total alkalinity should be between 80 to 150 ppm and if it drops below 80 then you have too much acid in your water. Hardness of the water is one component of the total alkalinity. It is a measure of the amount of calcium present. Calcium is an alkaline substance and if there is too much present in the water it will become present on the hot tub sides and in the equipment. It forms a white hard scale and can be tricky to remove. Levels of calcium are acceptable between 100 to 600 ppm. Any higher and you will probably see scale forming in your tub. If your water becomes too hard (over 600 ppm of calcium) then the only solution is to remove the water from your tub and refill it.

Total dissolved solids in your tub are another measurement of the amount of minerals in your water. As the name suggests it is a measurement of everything in your water. The main reason for these minerals being present is because of evaporation. When the water evaporates it leaves the minerals in the water behind so every time you top up your water you add more minerals which mean that the total minerals in the water increases the more evaporation and topping up that goes on. Tap water has about 500 ppm of minerals, adding chemicals also adds about 500 ppm per year and evaporation will add approximately another r500 per year. When your total mineral count has reached 2000 to 2500 ppm it is time to do a complete water change.

One thing about keeping a clean spa and chemical balance is to prevent algae. Algae are a microscopic plant with about 20,000 different varieties. Algae will thrive in a warm spa and sunlight speeds up the growth. Things that can attribute to algae growth are incorrect circulation of the water, extreme weather and nutrients added to the hot tub because of too many bathers. Keeping the spa clean helps prevent algae growth. But if it does occur then use trichlor or what is called super chlorination using high chlorine content. You should refer to your manufacturer for instructions on this as too much sanitizer can discolor certain tubs. Algaecides should be added to your spa on a regular basis according to the manufacturer,s instructions.

Keeping up with regular maintenance and checks will keep your spa clean and healthy and may be help cut down on the amount of hot tub chemicals.