Are hot tub chemicals really a necessary component in owning a hot tub? The answer is yes, in order to properly maintain the water inside of your spa; you must add certain types of chemicals to the water.

There is a wide variety of hot tub chemicals available on the market and choosing the correct one can be a bit confusing and overwhelming! With this article, I am going to discuss some of the more popular hot tub chemicals and how to correctly use them in order to maintain the quality of your spa water.

Owning your very own backyard spa is a rewarding addition to your home. A hot tub can provide hours of enjoyment and relaxation for you and the members of your family. However, the joy of owning a spa is often outweighed by the required maintenance procedures.

By doing some research, asking some questions and educating yourself on how to properly use hot tub chemicals, you can be certain that the money you have invested will provide you with enjoyment for years to come.

Sanitizers are probably the most important type of hot tub chemicals that are available on the market. The reason for this is simply because any type of sanitizer will remove bacteria from the water in your tub and keep it from growing.

I would have to say that the two most popular forms of hot tub sanitizers are Bromine and Chlorine. Some people actually enjoy the smell of Chlorine whereas other people cannot stand it. Depending on your personal preferences, pick the sanitizer that will be right for you.

Both of these hot tub chemicals can be used in your spa in various forms such as tablets or granules. It is very important that you stick to one particular form of sanitizer and do not combine the Bromine and Chlorine as this may cause spontaneous combustion.

Now that you have decided on which type of hot tub chemical you are going to use, you must determine how high or low the pH levels are in your tub. pH refers to the amount of hydrogen ions that are present in the water.

These levels are measured on a scale from 0 – 14. The lower numbers represent levels of acidity and higher levels represent levels of alkalinity. In order to prolong the life of your investment, it is very important that you maintain a pH level of 7.2 to 7.8. There are a few reasons for the range of pH levels that is acceptable.

For one, if your hot tub water has a pH level of less than the minimum requirement of 7.2, this can cause the water to erode the walls of your spa. On the other hand, it is equally dangerous to have a pH level of 7.8 or higher as this will cause scaling.

In order to test the water, you can purchase test strips from any pool or hot tub store. Once you have determined exactly where your pH levels are, you can take steps to adjust it to the correct level.

This is a simple process; pour a small amount of the correct chemical into the water and run the spa jets for approximately 30 minutes. Once the jets have run, test the water again, if the pH level is still not right, repeat the process.

There are several other basic hot tub chemicals that will keep your spa in working order. Shock oxidizers are chemicals which are used to get rid of dead skin, oils, lotions and cosmetics. Use of the oxidizers will help kill any bacteria that may have survived the sanitizing process and clear cloudy hot tub water.

If you and your family are using your hot tub on a regular basis, then you will want to do this process at least 2-4 times per month. This may seem like quite a bit of work, but, try and keep in mind that you want to keep your family safe from potential health hazards.

On a final note, water can contain metals which can cause damage to your spa by staining the walls and causing damage to the water heater. In order to protect your hot tub from this issue, I strongly suggest that you purchase a metal remover in addition to the rest of the hot tub chemicals that are needed. The metal remover will shock the hot tub to keep it in proper working condition.