Spa Water Chemistry

Perfecting The Balance

When is the best time to test your spa water?

• After spa is full
• After spa water has circulated for at least 1 hour
• After spa water has heated
• Before adding water chemistry products
• Before adding a shock treatment
• When chlorine or bromine level is 5 ppm or lower
• After taking sample from about 18 inches below water surface and away from cartridge area
• As soon as it is removed from your spa

Alkalinity keeps your pH in range and is the key to water balance.

BALANCED WATER—Clear pool or spa water is not necessarily sanitized or balanced. After all, the water in your toilet bowl is clear, but not sanitized or balanced! Balanced water prolongs the life of your pool and spa equipment and ensures healthy swimming. Your family’s health depends on balanced water. 

Are You Having a Hard Time Clearing Your Spa Water?

The majority of water chemistry problems are related to poor filtration, poor circulation or an inadequate shock treatment schedule. Always make sure your cartridge is clean. If your cartridge is not clean, you can add water chemistry products until the cows come home and your spa water still will not clear. Periodically rinse off your cartridge with a garden hose about once every couple of weeks (depending upon spa usage). Chemically clean your cartridge about once per month (depending upon spa usage). Your cartridge should be submerged and soaked for a minimum of 8 hours but preferably 24 hours. And remember—rinsing your cartridge is NOT the same as chemically cleaning your cartridge. Have extra cartridges on hand so there is always a clean cartridge available and there is no ‘down time’ during the cleaning process. Follow these steps for chemically cleaning your cartridge:

1. Rinse cartridge with garden hose. 
2. Submerge cartridge in cleaning solution (read product directions for correct mixture ratio of cleaner versus water). 
3. Soak for 8-24 hours. 
4. Thoroughly rinse cartridge. This is very important as the cleaning solution is acidic in nature and will alter your spa water chemistry. 
5. Thoroughly dry cartridge before use because a dry cartridge filters better than a wet one.