Balancing pH and alkalinity in your hot tub.
It is important to keep the water in your hot tub clean. This may be a hard task depending on how you maintain it, but there are ways of improving its quality by regulating pH and alkalinity levels. These two factors can make or break whether the water will stay safe for use, so if you want to have an enjoyable time soaking away stress without any worries about harming yourself with harmful chemicals then try out these tips!
It is easier said than done-balancing pH and alkaline levels in your home’s hot tub might seem like too much work at first glance; after all what good could possibly come from pouring various products into a spa or pool? However, when everything is balanced correctly it makes maintaining one heck of a lot simpler
The water management team here at Total Chemical Solutions have put together with the following guide for you so you can keep on top of your hot tub water chemistry, focusing on what causes high levels of pH and alkalinity and what you need to do to if your hot tub water is reading high range in either of these.
What is the difference between pH and alkalinity?
The water Alkalinity or Total Alkalinity (TA) of your hot tub is a measurement of how your water can neutralize acids and as such is a key component to the balancing of your pH levels. The alkalinity levels act as a buffer to help your water resist drastic changes. If the alkalinity of your water is unbalanced, it can cause the pH readings to be either too high or too low. The alkalinity of your hot tub should be between 80 to 120ppm.
pH on the other hand is a measurement of how acidic or alkaline your water is. The ideal range for pH in your hot tub water is between 7.2 and 7.8, as this will allow the chlorine in your water to work more effectively at keeping your water clean. We would recommend that you check the pH level of your water a minimum of twice a week as sanitizers and minerals in the water can have an impact on your reading.
Issues of having high pH and alkaline levels.
The potential issues of having unbalanced alkaline levels in your hot tub water are that it can have an adverse effect on your hot tub’s appearance, cause knock-on problems to your pH readings and even affect your skin.
High pH readings on the other hand can cause scale build upon your hot tub components and deposits on the surface of your spa, can contribute to the appearance of cloudy, dull, or even foaming water and affect the efficiency of your water sanitizer which in turn adds risk to your friends and family using your hot tub.
Recommendations for addressing high levels of pH and alkalinity.
When it comes to balancing the pH and alkalinity of your hot tub water, they follow the same principles; if your levels are low, use a plus increaser and a Total Alkalinity Increaser, always remember the rule of thumb and balance your Total Alkalinity first, then your pH, if your levels are too high, use a pH & Alkalinity Reducer or Minus product!
If your alkalinity is too high, we would recommend that you… use a combined pH & Alkalinity Reducer as typically if your water is either high in pH or naturally high pH from the source then your Alkalinity normally follows suit.
If your pH is too high, we would recommend that you…. use a combined pH & Alkalinity Reducer as typically if your water is either high in Alkalinity or naturally high TA from the source then your pH normally follows suit.
To ensure that you get the right hot tub chemistry, remember the rule of thumb, and always balance your alkalinity before you address any issues with your pH readings.
The balancing act of pH and alkalinity.
Remember, we have spent years in the water treatment industry, you are not always going to get the balance of your water right the first time but in general if you establish the right levels to begin with, they will be easier to maintain.
Do not forget your water level readings can change for many reasons, but if the water in your hot tub is over 3 months old, then the chemical saturation of your water may have been reached. If this is the case then even if you add the correct products in the correct order, the chemicals are likely to have very little impact and it is time for a water change.
When it comes to balancing the pH and alkalinity in your hot tub, it is worth mentioning that water treatment chemicals are like many other products on the market; you pay for what you get. There are many poor-quality batches of chemicals available to buy which are highly diluted resulting in you having to use much more of the product than other suppliers.
For your peace of mind, all the chemicals that we supply from Total Chemical Solutions are of the highest quality and stored to industry standards in our dedicated warehouse – it is just the way we like to work!
Our team of water management professionals is always on hand to help with your hot tub water chemistry, contact us today on 02921 280422 or message via WhatsApp on 07540184405.