Having a hot tub is not only about relaxing and healing time, but you also have to pay attention to the regular maintenance that it needs. Most of the regular maintenance of a hot tub is all about keeping the chemical of the water at an ideal level so you can soak comfortably in safe and clean water. As you may have known that the hot tub water contains some chemicals and one of them is alkaline.
In short, alkalinity is the term that we use to refer to the measurement of how much acidity that it can neutralize. Alkalinity works to keep the pH level of the water in the ideal range. When the alkalinity level itself is not balanced, it can lead to several problems that make your hot tub water becomes green since the sanitizer’s effectiveness is reduced.
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Although high alkalinity is not a common hot tub issue, there are some things that can cause high alkalinity in a hot tub and those are:
The ideal total of alkalinity of a hot tub should be between 80 to 120 parts per million (ppm), if it’s higher than 120 ppm then you need to lower it. To find out the level of alkalinity, please prepare this tool and follow the steps below:
What you need:
The steps are:
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To lower the alkalinity, you will need muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate (pH decreaser). It can harm your eyes and skin, so make sure to wear some safety gear.
What you need:
The steps are:
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Once you have measured the acid, you need to dilute it with water instead of pouring directly into the hot tub. Keep wearing your gloves and goggles.
What you need:
The steps are:
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The last step is to recheck the alkalinity level of the hot tub water. Though it’s the last step, you may need to keep rechecking and readjusting until you get the ideal range of alkalinity. Lowering the level of alkalinity is a slow process so you have to be extra patient.
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Maintaining the alkalinity and pH of the hot tub water is really important for both your comfort and health because a high level of alkalinity can turn the water green. It means that the bacterias will grow faster and makes the water unsafe for everyone. Of course, it’s not only bad for your health but also your budget because the more you let the water green, the more it damages the hot tub itself.
The process can be quite tricky since you’re dealing with harmful chemicals and need extra patience and details but it definitely saves you more than hiring a pro. Please remember to change your hot tub water every 3 – 4 months and more often if you use it a lot. Also, checking the alkalinity and pH level of the water can be done weekly to make sure that it’s safe to use.