How to Add Hot Tub Chemicals
Test your water's total alkalinity.When you fill up your hot tub you need to check the alkalinity of the water., Adjust your alkalinity accordingly., Test your water's pH., Adjust your water's pH., Retest your water's total alkalinity and pH.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Test your water's total alkalinity.When you fill up your hot tub you need to check the alkalinity of the water.
You may even want to repeat this twice per week.
The goal is to establish how alkaline your water is.
This needs to stay between 80 and 120ppm.
This will help your hot tub resist pH changes.Use testing strips from your local pool and hot tub maintenance store to test your water.
These strips can be submerged for as little as 15 seconds and provide you an accurate reading of your water's total alkalinity.
These strips will change color according to your water's alkalinity.
Match that color to the label to identify your water's alkalinity level. -
Step 2: Adjust your alkalinity accordingly.
Although 60-180ppm is acceptable,you want your water's alkalinity to stay between 80 and 120ppm.
Too low and your water may become too acidic.
Too high and your water may feel soapy.
Use pH increaser to raise the alkalinity and pH decreaser to lower your alkalinity.
Different pH increaser and pH decreaser kits work differently.
Some are liquid and others are powder.
Most adjust pH and alkalinity concurrently.
For this application, use one that adjusts both pH and alkalinity together.
Follow the directions on the packaging carefully.
The chemicals are powerful and you want all of them to go into the water.
Be careful if there is high wind and you are using powder.
Give your water time to settle.
It may take a few hours for the chemicals to disperse throughout your system.
Your system should stay on during this process as normal. , Although low pH means your water is acidic and high pH means your water is alkaline, be sure to adjust your water's alkalinity independently of your water's pH.
Quite often, adjusting the alkalinity will bring the pH into the normal range of
7.2 to
7.6 but this may not always be the case.Low pH will cause corrosion while high pH will case scale formation.
Use testing strips from your local pool and hot tub maintenance store to test your water.
These strips can be submerged for as little as 15 seconds and provide you an accurate reading of your water's pH.
These strips will change color according to your water's pH.
Match that color to the label to identify your water's pH level. , If you must adjust your pH be careful to not adversely affect your total alkalinity.
If your total alkalinity is already adjusted properly, your water will already resist changes to pH.Both pH increase and pH decrease will impact both pH and total alkalinity.
If you already have relatively high total alkalinity (e.g., close to 120ppm) try using a pH increase that is explicitly designed to increase pH but not increase alkalinity.
Give your water time to settle.
It may take a few hours for the chemicals to disperse throughout your system.
Your system should stay on during this process as normal.
If you are only worried about pH, you can retest your pH after half an hour., After your water has settled, retest both total alkalinity and pH.
Hopefully everything will be within the normal ranges.
Try to stay in the 80-120ppm for total alkalinity and
7.2-7.6 pH ranges for best operation.
It is generally better to stay in the high end of the range.This is because the consequence of high total alkalinity and high pH is scale build up which is preferred over acid corrosion.
Build up you can clean off but corrosion will require repairs. -
Step 3: Test your water's pH.
-
Step 4: Adjust your water's pH.
-
Step 5: Retest your water's total alkalinity and pH.
Detailed Guide
You may even want to repeat this twice per week.
The goal is to establish how alkaline your water is.
This needs to stay between 80 and 120ppm.
This will help your hot tub resist pH changes.Use testing strips from your local pool and hot tub maintenance store to test your water.
These strips can be submerged for as little as 15 seconds and provide you an accurate reading of your water's total alkalinity.
These strips will change color according to your water's alkalinity.
Match that color to the label to identify your water's alkalinity level.
Although 60-180ppm is acceptable,you want your water's alkalinity to stay between 80 and 120ppm.
Too low and your water may become too acidic.
Too high and your water may feel soapy.
Use pH increaser to raise the alkalinity and pH decreaser to lower your alkalinity.
Different pH increaser and pH decreaser kits work differently.
Some are liquid and others are powder.
Most adjust pH and alkalinity concurrently.
For this application, use one that adjusts both pH and alkalinity together.
Follow the directions on the packaging carefully.
The chemicals are powerful and you want all of them to go into the water.
Be careful if there is high wind and you are using powder.
Give your water time to settle.
It may take a few hours for the chemicals to disperse throughout your system.
Your system should stay on during this process as normal. , Although low pH means your water is acidic and high pH means your water is alkaline, be sure to adjust your water's alkalinity independently of your water's pH.
Quite often, adjusting the alkalinity will bring the pH into the normal range of
7.2 to
7.6 but this may not always be the case.Low pH will cause corrosion while high pH will case scale formation.
Use testing strips from your local pool and hot tub maintenance store to test your water.
These strips can be submerged for as little as 15 seconds and provide you an accurate reading of your water's pH.
These strips will change color according to your water's pH.
Match that color to the label to identify your water's pH level. , If you must adjust your pH be careful to not adversely affect your total alkalinity.
If your total alkalinity is already adjusted properly, your water will already resist changes to pH.Both pH increase and pH decrease will impact both pH and total alkalinity.
If you already have relatively high total alkalinity (e.g., close to 120ppm) try using a pH increase that is explicitly designed to increase pH but not increase alkalinity.
Give your water time to settle.
It may take a few hours for the chemicals to disperse throughout your system.
Your system should stay on during this process as normal.
If you are only worried about pH, you can retest your pH after half an hour., After your water has settled, retest both total alkalinity and pH.
Hopefully everything will be within the normal ranges.
Try to stay in the 80-120ppm for total alkalinity and
7.2-7.6 pH ranges for best operation.
It is generally better to stay in the high end of the range.This is because the consequence of high total alkalinity and high pH is scale build up which is preferred over acid corrosion.
Build up you can clean off but corrosion will require repairs.
About the Author
Amanda Wilson
A passionate writer with expertise in DIY projects topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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