How To Properly Balance the pH Level in Your Hot Tub

Why should you know how to properly balance the pH level in your hot tub? It turns out that an improper pH balance in your hot tub water can lead to issues that could cause skin and eye irritation to bathers or even make them ill. An imbalance in the pH can also cause scale and corrosion of your spa equipment. How do you tell if your pH level is off? More importantly, how do you correct it?

What’s pH Anyway?

Determining the pH level of your hot tub water tells you how acidic or basic your water is. pH levels range from 0 to 14, with 7.4-7.6 being ideal for a hot tub. If the level is too low (acidic), your sanitizer will not work effectively, and your water could develop bacteria. Too high a pH level (basic) and your sanitizer will also not work well. Plus, your spa could develop scale and cloudy water.

How to Measure pH

To get an accurate pH reading, use test strips or a liquid test kit. Get in the habit of testing your spa water weekly, at a minimum. Your test results will also tell you what the “Total Alkalinity” of your water is.

Why Total Alkalinity is Important

To get to the perfect pH level, you need to first start with a check of your water’s total alkalinity and make any necessary adjustments. Total alkalinity is a buffer to pH, keeping it stable. The ideal range of total alkalinity is 80-120 ppm. Your total alkalinity must be in the proper range before you attempt to adjust the pH. Getting your total alkalinity in balance may be enough to fix your pH issues.

How to Adjust Chemical Levels in Your Hot Tub

If the total alkalinity is too low, you can raise it with an alkalinity increaser product. If your pH level is too high, your alkalinity will be high also. Both can be lowered with a pH decreaser product. It is essential to pay attention to the dosage directions on the package of your products. Only once your total alkalinity is balanced should you move on to adjusting the pH. You may be interested in watching Freeflow® Spa’s helpful video on using test strips to measure the important chemical levels in your hot tub.

What Products to Use

Fronheiser Pools recommends Leisure Time® spa products to maintain a balanced pH level in your hot tub. Three products you should have on hand are Leasure Time Spa Up®, Spa Down®, and Alkalinity Increaser®. You can conveniently order these products from our online store. We also recommend Leisure Time’s spa troubleshooting guide on their website, where you can learn many troubleshooting methods to solve common spa problems. We hope you have found this information helpful on how to properly balance the pH level in your hot tub. The expert staff at Fronheiser Pools is on hand to help you get your spa chemical balance in order. We offer free water testing services with professional equipment that gets accurate results. Our technicians can also offer advice on what products and methods will solve your water care issues. Come by our Bally or Sinking Spring locations to get started on balancing the pH level in your hot tub.

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Fronheiser Pools

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