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Hot Tub Chemicals 101: Keeping Your Hot Tub Clean

Sanitizing your hot tub water is the most important maintenance you can do for yourself and family. Why? Sanitizers kill bacteria that can and does grow in warm water. The following is a quick rundown on sanitation and other related issues concerning the maintenance of a hot tub.

The main types of sanitizers:

Chlroine (granular or tablet)

Bromine (granular or tablet)

Soap & enzymes

Minerals & salts

Chlorine is a very effective sanitizer and it is used in pools as well as hot tubs. Some people can be allergic to chlorine. But ifpeople have no aversion to its use, it is a fantastic way to sanitize your water.

Bromine is a chlorine derivative designed specifically for use in hot tubs. It is not as hard on your skin as chlorine. For people who are very allergic to chlorine this product still will not work for them. Bromine must be activated when it is first put in water with either a chlorine or non-chlorine based shock. Once bromine is activated then the water has a bank of bromine in it that can be regenerated with either shock treatment or adding more bromine.

Soap and Enzymes are an alternative to using any type of chlorine-based sanitizer. These types of products kill bacteria by attacking the cell wall of the bacteria and weakening it thus making it easier to kill the bacteria. These products have no real odor but do create a little foam because of the soap.

Minerals are used in conjunction with a chlorine or bromine based sanitizing system to assist the sanitizer and help you use a little less chemicals. The main mineral used is silver and it helps weaken the cell wall of bacteria.

Salts are fairly new to the hot tub sanitation world and are typically generated in a hot tub to create a chlorine/bromine bank in the tub that then kills bacteria. These usually cannont keep up with an increased bather load and the salts can be very corrosive on a hot tubs components. We do not recommend them.

Ozone is not currently a product that Beachcomber recommends, but we do offen an xonator if the customer absolutely has to have one because of the demand created by the current market. The reason they are not recommended is that ozone is a gas and when the cover is on the hot tub the ozone gas builds up inside the space between the water line and the top of the cover, so when the cover is removed you breathe in all that gas. Ozone is also on oxidizer not a sanitizer and so when it is trapped inside the cover it is oxidizing the cover, thus breaking it down. Hot tubs on the market today have to have a contact chamber that holds the water and the ozone together for up to 30 seconds for the ozone to even work. Many of the hot tubs today sell ozonators but the tub does not even have a contact chamber, so they are really misleading the public.

Shock Treatment is used to oxidize the hot tub water and boost residual chlorine or bromine levels. Shock helps eliminate organic materr like dead skin, oils, cosmetics and lotions. If you have cloudly water in your hot tub the first line of defence is to shock the water because this starves out the bacteria, thus killing it. Shock also eliminates the old used up chlorine or bromine that smells so strong. We shock at least once a week or as needed if we have had a lot of people in our hot tub.

Test Strips are one of the easiest ways to test a hot tubs water chemistry. You just take a strip and swirl it around 3 to 4 times in the water and then hold it up to the water scale on the side of the test stripe bottle. This scale will show you total chlorine or bromine and where the ideal level should be. It will show you PH and a total Alkalinity and the ideal levels these should be at. Some test strips will show you the total liquid calcium levels as well and their ideal levels. We have a computer "wave" analysis system in store that can analyze any water that a customer brings in and print them out a detailed water analysis, that will help them diagnosis their personal water quality and what products they need.

PH is a measurement of hydrogen ions in your water. PH needs to be between 7.2 and 7.8 or you water will become acidic (less than 7.2) or too alkaline (above 7.8). Acidic water irritates your skin and if bad enough can eat on your hot tubs components. Alkaline water causes scaling and build up on the arylic surface of the hot tub that is very hard to get off. We sell products that increase and/or decrease PH, and products that increase and/or decrease alkalinity.

Total Alkalinity refers to the ability of the hot tub water to resist changes in its PH. If you control the alkalinity it really helps keep your PH in balance and in the appropriate range.

Calcium Hardness refers to the liquid calcium levels in the water that make it either hard or soft. We typically here in Central Oregon increase the hardness of the water by adding liquid calcium. The increase in calcium (hardness) helps in the reduction of the creation of foam. Foam can be created by a lot of things but the biggest hot tub foam creator is residual soap left in our swim trunks from washing them. Always reuse a bathing suit by just rinsing it out after a shower. We need to shower because foam is also caused by deodorants, ladies make-up and lotions just to name a few.

Heavy metals and iron can be contained in local water like copper. These can stick to the metal components in a hot tub like the heater core and this can cause them to wear out faster. We put additives in the water that basically coast/shield these metal components so the metals and irons cannot stick to them.

Change hot tub water often at least every 60 to 90 days to eliminate the build up of excess salts from sweating in the water and refresh old, tired dirty water.

Clean filters monthly, to reduce the build up of particulates in the spines of the filter. When the spines become clogged this reduces the flow of water throughout the tub and then the tub does not filter the water was well. The key to good clean water is turning over the body of water and filtering it multiple times a day. Filter fresh products that you soak the filters in; break down the particles stuck to the filter and make it easier to brush them off the filter spines.

Cleaning the tub should be done using nonabrasive cleaners that will not scratch the acrylic surface. If you do not let ring lines build up on the sides of the tub it is much easier to get them off the sides. A simple wash rag, wiped around the edge of the tub while you are in it, once a week really helps reduce ring lines. You should also put a UV protectant on the cover at least once a month. The cover takes more abuse from above and below than any other part of the hot tub, so putting UV protectant on it really can help extend its life.

Good chemical usage and simple basic maintenance on a hot tub can extend the overall life of a hot tub for years. For most people this is one of the largest purchases you will ever make and by knowing how to properly maintain it, will insure you of many incredible years of hot tub bliss, good health and total relaxation.