Water Care FAQ
What is the importance of Total alkalinity?
Maintaining the proper range of total alkalinity will prevent wild fluctuations in pH, will reduce the tendency toward corrosion of pipes and fixtures, and will reduce the scale forming potential of the spa water.What do you add to raise Alkalinity in Hot tubs?
You can raise your TA level with a good quality alkalinity increaser chemical such as, Total Alkalinity Increaser.What do you add to lower Alkalinity in Hot tubs?
You can lower your TA level with a good quality PH Decreaser. Although this may sound incorrect, the PH Decreaser is actually a form of acid that is used to lower Alkalinity levels when used in a hot tub.What is the importance of pH?
Maintaining proper pH level is essential for proper operation of a hot tub spa, regardless of the sanitizing method used. If the pH falls too low, resulting in water that is too acidic, the sanitizer will dissipate rapidly, pipes and motor seals will corrode, and bathers will notice eye discomfort. If the pH rises too high, resulting in water that is too basic or alkaline, damaging scale may form, water may become cloudy, and eye discomfort may also result.How do I raise PH in my hot tub?
Use a high quality PH IncreaserHow Do I lower PH in my hot tub?
Use a high Quality PH DecreaserWhat is the importance of Calcium Hardness / Total Hardness?
The hardness level of spa water– measured as the amount of dissolved calcium, is important. Insufficient calcium hardness can sometimes promote equipment corrosion and also result in water foaming problems.How do I adjust Calcium Hardness Increaser?
It is easy to increase Calcium levels which are too low by adding Calcium Hardness Increaser. Depending on your chemical system, on occasion you may need to lower the spa calcium hardness (Total Hardness). If your system requires this, we recommend the Vanishing Act Calcium Remover that can be found in any of our Lifestyles Hot Tub Showrooms or on our website.Can I fill the spa with softened water?
This may depend on the reason your water is being softened. If you have high levels of iron or manganese in your fill water, you should probably use softened water to fill your spa. With softened water it is important to use special test strips that measure total hardness in addition to pH and total alkalinity to insure the water is properly balanced when the spa is refilled. Depending on the chemical system you are using on the spa there are a couple great ways to adjust your calcium levels.Can you put soap into a hot tub?
The idea of bubbles in your hot tub may at first appeal, but when the bubbles rise up out of the spa and block the light, and then start to blow around the garden, you will probably change your mind. As a general rule no soap or detergents is best. I personally shower before I use the hot tub, to clean off any shampoo, body wash or detergents in my swimming costume. If I have guests around, I also ask them to shower, so they do not bring any soaps in to my spa. If there is a small amount of soap in the water, then a few drops of Foam Reducer / Anti-Foam will make the water nice again. The detergents which get into the spa from shampoo and body wash are not really doing any damage, but are not nice to bathe in either.How long do you have to wait to get into your hot tub after shock dosing it?
If you are shocking the spa with Non Chlorine Shock then allow 10 minuets for it to all mix in and get right in. If you are using Chlorine granules then you must wait until the Chlorine level has returned to 5 PPM which may take 24 hours.If you over-chlorinate your hot tub, what should you do?
The safe maximum bathing level for Chlorine is 5 ppm. If you have put too much Chlorine into the water, then you must now wait until the reading drops back to this safe level. You can open the spa cover and run the jets and this will help a little, but depending on how over-chlorinated it is, it might take a while until it’s safe to use the hot tub.My water immediately turned green. What is going on?
Most colored water problems result from the presence of metallic impurities such as iron (rusty color), copper (green) or other minerals (black, brown, etc). These discolorations may be present in the source water, or can be the result of the acidic action of water with low pH on: pipes, metal heater parts, and equipment.After recently using a hot tub I got some small reddish bumps under the skin. What would cause this?
Check for symptoms of Hot Tub Folliculitis (Pseudomonas). Typically this symptom and reaction is caused by under sanitation of your hot tub water that can lead to the spread of this infection. Contact your health care provider if you have these symptoms.White flakes occasionally collect on the bottom of my spa. What causes them, and how can I get them out?
These are most likely calcium scale deposits which have formed on heater parts, and then flaked off. The easiest way to remove them from your spa is to vacuum them out. A SpaVac able to be purchased at one of our stores can help with this. Remember to keep your water balanced (TA & pH). This will help prevent future scale formation.My spa / hot tub is really foaming. What causes the foam and how can I treat it?
Many times foam is caused by products being brought into the spa on our bodies. (i.e. Lotions, Make-Up, Hair Products, Perfumes, etc..) However there are two culprits that cause foam more than the rest: Unbalanced water and swim suits..Unbalanced water can cause foaming, especially if your calcium hardness is too low. So staying on top of your water maintenance is very important in helping prevent this..As for swim suits, it’s not necessairily the swim suit causing the foam, but the detergent being used to clean the swimsuit. Many times clothes put in the laundry do not get all the detergent out that is used when washed. So when the swimsuit is put back into the water with jets running this causes the leftover detergent to spread into the spa water causing foam to form on the surface. The best way to help this is to have a suit dedicated just for the hot tub. Only clean the suit when absolutely needed and try to use as little detergent as possible. Many clients will hang dry their suits after use and only wash in rare instances. And when they do wash, they will typically run an extra rinse cycle on the washer to rinse out any excess detergent that may be lingering in the suits.ACE Salt System How To / Instructional Videos - Introduction
Spa Start-Up for ACE Salt System
Decreasing Calcium Hardness for ACE Salt System
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