Are you struggling to manage your hot tub water? Read this!

After purchasing the hot tub of your dreams do you feel like you have been abandoned when it comes to maintaining it? You are not alone - many hot tub retailers focus strictly on the features and benefits of a hot tub but don’t spend a lot of time with customers post sale to teach them what is needed to keep your water happy and healthy even though retailers have all the products to help you!  Here is a quick overview of what you need to look after but please remember you may not need to do all of the actions listed depending on the nature of your water supply .

pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of your water, proper levels being in the 7.2 to 7.8 range. Outside of that range your sanitizer will not work as well as it should, you may have scale build up (too high) or damage may occur to the spa pack (too low). Usually your water supply will be biased in one direction when you flush and refill but be prepared with pH up and pH down products.

Alkalinity allows your water's pH levels to remain stable. The target range is 80 to 120ppm and you will need both booster and decreaser products available

Sequestering Agents remove excess metals and calcium from your water. Excess of either can turn water brown, red, orange, or green. Add an agent if this occurs and then every time you flush and refill as your water supply likely requires it.

Calcium Hardness is the measure of dissolved calcium (lime) in your water. The target range is 100 to 250ppm. Too high and you mlay experience calcium deposits, cloudy water and dry skin. Too low and your spa pack may be damaged as your water will try to draw calcium out of everything it touches. Sequestering agents help with the removal of excess calcium and you can increase your calcium with a booster

Test Strips are the simplest way to check on your balances with color coded visuals and .targets. Make sure to run your spa pump for at least 20 minutes after you add any balancing products before retesting

Sanitizers keep bacterial growth at bay and essential to a healthy hot tub. Chlorine (1-3ppm), bromine (3-5ppm) or salt water chlorine generation are your choices. Chlorine is very effective but the odor and effect on bathers skin may not be desirable. Bromine has a low odor but is somewhat less stable so you may need to use more if your hot tub is in direct sunlight. Salt water chlorination is gentle on skin but may cost more than chemical sanitizers based on the replacement life of the cells and generator.

Non-Chlorine Shock is a very good way to support your sanitizer. This product oxygenates your water for a short period, killing bacteria. It is a great way to extend the time between flush and refills.

Defoamers are often needed when your hot tub gets overwhelmed with body oils and cosmetics aka SCUM. This is my area of expertise and by using my ScumRay product you will have no foaming issues with your hot tub, use less sanitizer and extend the time between flush and refills. Visit www.scumray.com to learn more.

Filter, Plumbing and Jets are out of sight but should not be out of mind. Biofilms are the deposits that occur from body oils, exfoliated skin and cosmetics and readily deposit on the internal surfaces of these items. Regular use of specialized degreasing products will keep your hot tub sanitary on the inside. Filter cleaner, plumbing and jet cleaner and ScumRay hot tub cleaner are the perfect trifecta to keep hot tub scum at bay. All three are available at online ScumRay store.

Storage of your various hot tub chemicals is important. Cool, dry and safely out of the reach of children is the perfect spot.

I hope this blog helps you understand hot tub water maintenance. This is the shameless promotion part of my blog. My products can be found at www.scumray.com and our My Hot Tub is Always Clean program will keep your tub sparkling, save you money by minimizing your sanitizer use and allow you the most enjoyment your hot tub can provide for you, your friends and your family.