Hot Tub Chemicals: A Guide
Soaking in a hot tub can be an excellent way to soothe away aches and pains by alleviating tension in muscles and tendons.
Your hot tub requires various chemicals, including sanitizers such as chlorine and bromine, calcium hardness increasers and decreasers, pH adjusters and decreasers and metal sequestrants that bind metal ions found in water to help reduce stains and scale formation.
Clarifying Chemicals
Hot tubs require regular maintenance in order to maintain clean, healthy water that smells great. One effective method of accomplishing this task is using appropriate chemicals such as sanitizers, PH adjusters and shock treatments; always read and follow their directions prior to adding anything into your hot tub or swim spa.
Sanitizing chemicals are crucial in keeping water clean and safe to soak in. This involves killing off bacteria and microorganisms that could potentially cause illness.
Chlorine is the go-to sanitizer in spas; when added it forms an acid that kills bacteria quickly while leaving behind chloramines that leave behind an aromatic fresh chlorine scent.
For optimal skin, eyes, and lung protection chlorine’s levels must stay between 3-5 ppm; other options such as bromine and biguanide offer less harsh solutions.
Stain and scale prevention chemicals coat minerals such as calcium and iron to keep them from clumping together to form scale or stains in your spa, thus reducing sanitizer usage and leaving your water feeling silky smooth.
Aromatherapy products are designed to give your spa an alluring scent, often by adding oils or fast dissolving crystals into the water at an appropriate dosage. For best results, add aromatherapy oils according to the instructions on their packaging.
Anti-Foam Chemicals
Foaming in your hot tub may be caused by organic matter such as lotions, soaps and body care products that build up in its waters. This can be potentially hazardous if left to accumulate for too long. Defoamers are chemicals designed to stop this buildup while breaking down existing foam.
Before using your spa, it is wise to shower in order to reduce oils, lotions, and soaps entering the water. In addition, it is wise to wash any bathing suits or clothing likely to get wet as these could contain detergents and fabric softeners which cause foam in your hot tub water.
If an anti-foam treatment has not worked to resolve your foaming, then it may be time for a full drain and clean of your hot tub. Once this process has been completed, test for total alkalinity, pH level and calcium hardness before adding a sanitizer and getting back in to enjoy your hot tub again. You can visit this site to learn more about pH levels.
Biofilm Removing Chemicals
If your hot tub water smells odd or you notice white flakes floating near jets and skimmers, these could be telltale signs of biofilm formation. Biofilm is composed of bacteria secreting a slimy layer that resists sanitizers like chlorine and bromine; additionally it coats surfaces like plumbing in your spa making removal difficult.
Biofilm can become an issue when used in hot tubs as it can lead to skin rashes, sores and itching for those using the tubs. Furthermore, it serves as a breeding ground for disease-causing germs like Giardia and E. coli that cause diarrhea and vomiting if left unchecked. You can click the link: https://medlineplus.gov/giardiainfections.html to learn more about Giardia.
Removing biofilm from your hot tub is vitally important, as it prevents harmful microorganisms from breeding and surviving within its waters. Furthermore, this reduces chemical usage since less bacteria needs to be dealt with by chemical sanitizer.
Along with draining and cleaning once or twice annually, biofilm remover should become part of your routine maintenance regime. This means you should add it to your supply of hot tub chemicals, so you have it at hand when you need it. It is important to have the right chemicals to treat common hot tub issues.
Shock Treatment
Hot tub chemicals go beyond simply sanitizers to include tools for stain and metal removal.
Stain and scale prevention chemicals use fast dissolving crystals to coat minerals and metals in your water, stopping them from clumping together to form unsightly deposits or scaling, while metal sequestrants bind metal ions for removal through flushing away.
Shock treatments, also referred to as oxidizers, work by eliminating harmful microbes that could make hot tub users sick. A good quality sanitizer should normally break down these harmful organisms on its own over time; however, adding an oxidizer after heavy usage such as after hosting a party may accelerate this process further.
When adding chemicals, it is vitally important to follow the instructions on the label. Too much of any one chemical may lead to unpleasant side effects like creating an offensive smell or raising pH levels too far above their optimal ranges.
Waiting 20 minutes between adding new chemicals is recommended; running jets helps ensure their proper distribution.
