The Fundamentals of Hot Tub Care

Thinking about buying a hot tub, or do you need a refresher course on hot tub care?

A regular hot tub soak is one of the best things you can do for yourself. The warm, massaging waters can make you feel better every day. You’ll enjoy wellness benefits, relaxing massages, and time outside. Let’s look at the fundamentals of hot tub care so your hot tub is always warm, clean, and ready.

Hot Tub Water Care Basics

Treat your hot tub water so it doesn’t become unsanitary. You don’t want bacteria and other microorganisms to grow in your water.

Minerals can build up. This can harm internal systems or cause unsightly scale or residue to appear on the hot tub’s shell.

Hot tub water care doesn’t have to be difficult, but you do need to have a good understanding of your system. This way you’ll know the necessary maintenance schedules to keep the water clean and inviting.

You want to understand the chemistry of your water. In addition, you want your water to be free of metals (iron, copper, and manganese) and low in calcium hardness. Come see us and let us test your water (for free) so we can see where your water stands.

We touch on some hot tub water treatment options in this article. If you have questions, please come see us! We can help you decide your schedule for any daily, weekly, monthly, or annual tasks. We can also guide you to the simplest approach to water care. It’s important for you to understand the ins and outs of your spa so your water is clean and ready for you to step in at any time.

Types of Hot Tub Water Care Systems

All hot tubs use of technology and additives to keep the spa water fresh and clean. Without a system to remove contaminants and destroy microorganisms, the water in hot tubs is less inviting and potentially harmful.

To prevent problems, you can choose from a variety of  water treatment systems. Keep your water clean and clear with scheduled water testing, maintenance, and draining and refilling.

Hot tub water treatment systems work in different ways to achieve adequate sanitization. Depending on the technology, some require more effort to support the sanitation process. Some are more hands off. Some allow the hot tub water to last much longer before it needs to be changed. Others depend on more frequent draining and refills.

Some of the most popular hot tub water treatment systems include salt water chlorine generators, ozone generators, in-line chlorine sanitation, and manual chlorine addition.

Salt Water Chlorine Generators

Salt water chlorine generators, such as the FreshWater® Salt System*, are the ultimate in modern hot tub water care. These systems generate chlorine automatically from low levels of salt in your hot tub’s water. With this method, the FreshWater® Salt System can keep the water in your hot tub fresh and clean for up to a year of normal use**.

With this reliable and largely automatic system, your time and effort is minimized.

Inline Chlorine Sanitation

Hot tubs with in-line chlorine sanitizing systems, such as the FROG® @ease® In-Line Sanitizing System, dispense chlorine and important minerals into the hot tub’s water automatically. This maintains a constant residual amount of chlorine which prevents bacterial growth and eliminates contaminants. The minerals inhibit bacteria growth and soften the feel of the water.

These systems remove the need to continually test and adjust multiple chemical levels of the hot tub’s water on a daily and weekly basis. This technology can also keep the spa water clean with up to 75% less chlorine**** than manual chlorine systems require.

Ozone Generators

Hot tubs with ozone systems, such as the FreshWater® Ozone System, clean the water constantly, using a combination of ozone and FreshWater ag+. The ozone destroys contaminants.

With ozone systems, youneed to add a dose of chlorine to the hot tub on a weekly basis. These systems require less chlorine overall than hot tubs that don’t use ozone. You’ll find this reduction in chlorine may also reduce odors and irritation. Ozone systems can be used in combination with in-line chlorine systems but should not be used in combination with salt water chlorine generators.

Without an automatic water care system of some type, you need to manually add chlorine on a regular basis to get your hot tub water ready for use. This requires frequent testing of the amount of chlorine in the water as well as the water’s pH and calcium levels. Because chlorine dissipates quickly in water, and you need to replace it, this type of system requires more chlorine overall to maintain a constant residual amount for sanitation.

Water Treatments for New Spa Water

When you first install your hot tub, or after you drain and refill it, you need to take a few small steps to get your water ready for use. We can walk you through the process and answer any questions when it’s time to refill.

If your water care system comes with a separate sheet of start-up instructions—as the FreshWater® Salt System does, consult this as well. You can also ask us for help!

Testing and Balancing

Now that your hot tub is warm and ready, you want to test the water regularly to ensure that it remains clean and properly balanced. The amount and type of testing you need to do is determined by the type of hot tub water treatment system you have installed. There are several types of test strips you can use:

• Used at varying frequencies in hot tubs that are treated by ozone, in-line chlorine sanitizers, chlorine generators, and manual chlorine addition, FreshWater® 5-WAY Test Strips help you monitor your chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, and total water hardness. These are the basic test strips used regularly in many hot tubs.
• Designed to be used in conjunction with the MPS non-chlorine Oxidizer, FreshWater® MPS Test Strips detect your MPS, pH, and alkalinity levels.
• Used exclusively with the FreshWater® Salt System and other salt water systems, FreshWater® Salt Test Strips measure the amount of salt in your spa water
• @ease® Test Strips: Intended for use with the FROG® @ease® In-Line Sanitizing System, these simple single-color test strips measure chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness of your hot tub’s water.
• Phosphate Test Strips: Test phosphate levels of your spa water from 0 to 2500ppb. Recommended use for FreshWater Salt. System

When you test your water, if the levels of each chemical are within the acceptable ranges on your test strips, then there’s nothing more for you to do to get ready for a relaxing soak. However, if a test strip returns a reading outside of its acceptable range, you’ll need to take a few minutes to correct the imbalance. Come see us for your free test.

Sanitizing and Balancing

Balancing your hot tub’s chemical levels is relatively easy and doesn’t take a lot of time. Use the test strip results. You can see about adjusting your chlorine levels or pH/Alkalinity levels or shock your water using an MPS oxidizer. To do so, you use concentrated chlorinating granules, pH/Alkalinity Up, or pH/Alkalinity Down.

Each bottle of hot tub water care products you use comes with its own set of instructions. If you’re unsure of how much to add, consult us!

Hot Tub Filtration

The last portion of hot tub water care you want to keep in mind is the maintenance of your filtration system. While sanitizers and shock products reduce bacterial growth and destroy small amounts of contamination, you must filter larger foreign objects such as pine needles, pollen out.

It’s important to rinse hot tub filters with a garden hose once a month to keep them clean.

Balance Water Care

Hot tub water treatment is an essential part of using and enjoying your hot tub. With the right spa treatment system, your water care routine requires only minimal attention and effort. And with water care taken care of, you’re free to step into your hot tub and unwind any time.

If you have questions, come see us today! We can answer all your questions!

* The FreshWater® Salt System cannot be used on HotSpring® Spas hot tubs manufactured prior to 2019.

** Factors such as bather load and water chemistry can impact water life. When the spa is properly maintained, a 3-pack of cartridges with the FreshWater® Salt System keeps water clean and fresh for a full year. Product availability depends on your region Please check with your local dealer.

*** Check for availability in your region.

**** Compared to the minimum ANSI recommended chlorine level of 2.0 ppm for a hot tub.