High pH and alkalinity in your hot tub Posted on

High pH and alkalinity in your hot tub

High pH and alkalinity in your hot tub

Balancing pH and alkalinity in your hot tub.

It is important to keep the water in your hot tub clean. Depending on how you maintain it, this may be a hard task, 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, try 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 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 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 crucial component to balancing your pH levels. The alkalinity levels are 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 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 recommend that you check the pH level of your water a minimum of twice a week, as sanitisers and minerals in the water can impact 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 harm your hot tub’s appearance, cause knock-on problems to your pH readings and even affect your skin.

High pH readings, however, can cause scale build upon your hot tub components. 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 sanitiser, 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 and alkalinity Reducer as typically, if your water is either high in pH or naturally high pH from the source, then your Alkalinity usually follows suit.

If your pH is too high, we 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 typically 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 correct 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 three 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 will likely have minimal 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. Many poor-quality batches of chemicals are 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 we supply from Total Chemical Solutions are of the highest quality and stored to industry standards in our dedicated warehouse – it is just how 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 at 0333 772 73 79