How Much Chlorine To Add To A Hot Tub For The First Time
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Buying a hot tub is a large investment so its important to take good care of it. Chlorine is something you will need to add frequently but adding too much chlorine can make your skin itch and give you a rash.
The first time you fill your new hot tub with water, how much chlorine should you add? Do you need to add chlorine at all? After all, you just filled it with city water that is safe for you to drink!
Getting chlorine levels right on the first setup of the season is important, especially if you have a new hot tub or it has been empty for a while.
In this post, well discuss how to get your hot tub set up for the first time, including achieving the correct chlorine levels and the other chemicals, as well as how to take care of it to keep it at its best all season long.
Hot Tub Chemicals For Beginners: What You Need And How To Add Them
There are a few hot tub chemicals you absolutely need to keep your water clean and clear. And there are a few that arent really necessary. It also matters what order you add each chemical to your hot tub. Adding the wrong chemicals and in the wrong sequence can create a spa water nightmare.
So heres a complete step-by-step walkthrough on which hot tub chemicals are definitely required, which ones you can skip, and how to add each chemical to your hot tub .
You can watch the quick video below or keep reading for the complete guide on spa chemicals.
Waiting The Proper Amount Of Time
Again, as a general rule of thumb, people should wait at least 30 minutes after adding chlorine before getting in the hot tub. Those who use bromine might have to wait a little while longer.
Make sure the hot tub cover is off, allowing chemical vapors to escape. Turning on the hot tub jets will also help the chemicals distribute more quickly.
Finally, everyone should always test the water before getting in to make sure the chemicals are at the right level.
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So Lets Talk About Total Alkalinity And Total Hardness
Maintaining a balance between Total Alkalinity and Total Hardness of the water is essential. Low levels of alkalinity can cause scale within a hot tub. You can raise the alkalinity with Total Alkalinity Plus and lower the alkalinity by pre-dissolving pH minus in a water bucket and pouring it directly into the centre or deepest part of your hot tub with no jets running.
However, high pH levels due to hard water can be prevented with regular doses of Jacuzzi No Scale. Please note this product does not reduce the level of hardness in the water, it prevents the build-up of scaling so hot tub elements are not damaged by the hardness.
Read our guide to balancing a hot tubs pH level and total alkalinity here.
Chemicals To Put In When Starting Your New Hot Tub
Before putting in any kind of chemicals, the first step is to fill your hot tub with water. After filling your tub, you can check for chemical levels. Different hot tubs come in different sizes and brands. The amount of chemicals you will use for the start-up process will vary depending on the size and brand of the tub. You need to know how many gallons of water your hot tub will hold. You can usually find this information in the user manual that comes with the hot tub. The owner manual also has recommendations for how much water to use with the specific chemicals needed to start a hot tub.
After filling your hot tub with water, you will want to adjust your pH level and complete alkalinity. You can purchase tester strips to help you balance the pH level and alkalinity. You simply add the pH increaser or pH decreaser as needed until the tester strip shows the pH level to be between 7.4 and 7.6. Similarly, the alkalinity should be between 100-120 parts per million.
You must balance your pH level before moving onto the next step of the process which is adding a sanitiser to the water. If your pH level is not balanced, the sanitiser might not be effective. When you are adding chemicals to the water, you will want to turn on all of the therapy pumps and spread the chemicals evenly throughout the water.
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Setting Up Your Shiny New Hot Tub
When a hot tub is filled with fresh water, it is important to add a sufficiently high dose of sanitiser. This can be done by adding 60g of chlorine granules per 1,500 litres of water to start the sanitation process and allowing the level to drop to 3-5mg/l before using your spa.
To dose your hot tub ready for use, we advise using chlorine or bromine granules. Then, ensure your spa water is at a normal level of 3-5 parts per million for free chlorine and 4-6 ppm for bromine before taking a dip.
Clean Out The Jet Lines
This is an important, but often overlooked step. Before you get to work adding chemicals and balancing your tubs water, you first want to clean out the jet lines from all the algae, bacteria, and other contaminants that have built up over the past few months. To do this, use a product such as Proline Jet Line Cleaner. This will clear out all those nasties so they dont get in the way of balancing the water later on.
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What Chemicals Are Best For My Hot Tub
by backyardmasters | Mar 3, 2022 | Pools, Spas
Hot tubs are a fantastic means of relaxing and enjoyable for everyone around the globe. It doesnt matter if youre enjoying your brand-new tub to ease tension in your muscles or to unwind from your day. You should ensure youre using the right stuff after researching chemicals for my hot tub in Farmington NY the first time you use it to make sure you are safe for yourself along with your household.
Backyard masters would recommend those substances youll need to begin your hot tub include pH enhancers, pH decrease hardness, metal removal , and the Sanitiser. The chemicals need to be applied in a specific order to allow the process to function. You should aim to keep your pH within 7.4 between 7.4 and 7.6, and your alkalinity range between 100 to 200 parts for every million.
If youve just bought an all-new hot tub, it is likely that youre ecstatic about the purchase and are determined to do all you can to ensure its enjoyable and safe for your family and guests. Read on to discover the precise methods, chemicals, and suggestions for which chemicals work best in your hot spa.
Install & Clean The Filter
Step four involves installing and cleaning your hot tubs or spas filter. Similar to previous steps, step four will have different guidelines for a new hot tub versus one you are restarting. Follow these steps to install and clean your filter for new hot tubs.
- Install filter cartridges into all filter wells. Your hot tub might only have one filter wellcheck the user manual to be sure.
If you are restarting your hot tub, you should install and clean the filter with the following steps:
- Remove any filter cartridges in your hot tub.
- Inspect and clean the filter cartridges by spraying them with filter cleaner. You can also use an overnight chemical soak to clean your filters.
- Once your filters are clean, inspect them again to see if replacement is necessary.
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How Much Chlorine To Add To Hot Tub
A common amount of chlorine to add to a hot tub is about one teaspoon of chlorine granules per 100 gallons. Of course, this depends on what type of chlorine granules, tablet, or liquid you are using.
Refer to your manufacturers directions for what type of chlorine is best for your spa. In general, however, for the first fill of a hot tub, you want the chlorine level at 5 to 8 ppm, whereas it can be between 2 to 4 any other day.
The amount of chlorine needed depends on the size and shape of your hot tub, as well as how many gallons it holds. If youre not sure whats perfect for your tub, start with one ounce per every 250 gallons.
If thats not strong enough, you can add more chlorine to the water when it looks like there may be bacteria growing in your tub and start with one ounce per 100 gallons of hot tub water.
Adjust Calcium Hardness Levels
These levels do more damage in the long run, like eroding parts in your hot tub parts, so you can wait until your water is sanitized and balanced before adjusting your calcium hardness. Your calcium hardness levels should be between 175 and 250 ppm.
If you need to raise your levels, add a calcium hardness increaser. If your calcium hardness levels are too high, the best solution is to drain your hot tub, scrub it, and start over with fresh, filtered water.
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Can You Add All Of Your Hot Tub Chemicals At Once
You should never add all hot tub chemicals at once as this can cause a dangerous chemical explosion. You mustnt mix chemicals before application either.
Aside from a potential explosion, adding chemicals all at once will drastically affect each chemical concentration level making it very difficult to achieve the correct balance.
Therefore, requiring you to have even more chemicals to correct the levels. Here they are:
- Alkalinity 80-120 ppm
Starting Up Your New Hot Tub
Congratulations on the purchase of your new Sundance Spa!
Now that your Hot Tub is in the backyard, you’ve filled it with your garden hose and your electrician has wired it up, it’s time to get it ready for use.
The Sundance Spa Store has used its years of experience in the Hot Tub industry to carefully select a range of products that make Sundance Hot Tub maintenance simple.
In this blog, we will give you our step-by-step guide to maintaining your Sundance Hot Tub’s water.
Filling Your Spa
Regular Care
With just a little bit of regular maintenance, you can keep your hot tub water clean & clear, so it is always ready for you to enjoy.
When you are adding chemicals to your hot tub water, don’t add multiple chemicals at once. Your chemicals are more effective when they are added separately.
After you have added chemicals to the water, always leave your hot tub cover open and run your jets for 20 minutes so the chemicals can mix with the water properly. This also helps prevent a build up of unpleasant odors in your hot tub.
Water Balance
Having healthy, sparkling clean hot tub water requires that your water is balanced. having balanced water is equally as important as adding sanitizer and spa shock to keep your hot tub water clean & clear.
Unbalanced water can result in staining, scale build up and green or cloudy water.
Helpful Hints
Enjoy your new Sundance Spa!
The Sundance Spa Store Team.
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The Ultimate Hot Tub Set Up Guide For New Owners
Not sure what to do now that your hot tub has arrived? Of course we wish it were as simple as filling it with water and hopping in. However, it does take a little work to get your spa set up. Ive put together 7 easy steps on how to set up a hot tub.
Dont want to read? Print this Hot Tub Setup Guide!
What Chemicals Do You Need For A Hot Tub
If you want to keep your hot tub water balanced and avoid major problems like algae, bacteria, and biofilm build-up, youll need to have these hot tub chemicals on hand:
- Hot tub sanitizer, like chlorine or bromine
- Water clarifier, metal sequestrant, filter cleaner
Before you add anything to your hot tub, youll need to test your water. Youll want a good supply of test strips. Or for more accurate results, you can use a liquid test kit. You can also take a water sample to your local pool and spa store if you want to test your water source for metals or other minerals. Now after you have your baseline readings, you can start adding your chemicals.
Here are the right hot tub chemical levels:
Hot Tub Video Course. Its an easy-to-follow guide to help you save time and money on hot tub maintenance.
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How Do I Add Chemicals To My Hot Tub
Yes, adding chemicals to a hot tub sounds like a relatively easy task, but you cant just add them indiscriminately like shaking salt and pepper on your fish and chips. The right chemicals have to go into the tub and just as importantly, the correct amount of chemicals. These are some handy tips for hot tub owners when it comes to adding chemicals to your water.
How To Add Chemicals To A Hot Tub
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Whether your time in the hot tub is therapeutic or recreational, having your own spa is a luxury you can get used to. Homeowners sometimes shy away from purchasing a hot tub, however, fearing that its upkeep will be difficult. Fortunately, setting up a new hot tub and keeping the proper balance of chemicals in the water doesn’t require a science degree. Most tubs require only weekly maintenance once established, and can add both value and enjoyment to your home. Spa test kits make this maintenance simpler by providing everything you need to measure and understand the chemical and alkalinity levels of your hot tub’s water, making it easy to determine any adjustments you need to make.
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Monitor The Water Fill Level
Your owners manual may have specific instructions on how high your water level should be, but generally, you want the water level to be about an inch below the headrests while still being high enough to fully cover the jets.
Try to resist the temptation to add a little more water. When you, your family, or your guests enjoy the tub, the water level rises. If you spill water, it can throw off the balance of your hot tub chemistry, which means more work for you later. Plus, if your hot tub is indoors, youll have a slippery mess.
You also want to make sure your water level is high enough. Low water levels can cause your heater and pump shut down, which means no outflow from the jets and less filtration. Plus, if you live in a colder climate, your water might not circulate properly and your pipes could freeze.
Balance And Sanitize The Tub Water
Now that you have fresh, pre-filtered water in your hot tub and youve rinsed off the filter, now is the time to balance and sanitize your tubs water by adding the start-up chemicals. But, before you begin, make sure your hot tubs water reaches a temperature of at least 82º Fahrenheit. The heat of the water will help the pH balancers and other chemicals to dissolve more effectively.
The best way to start up your hot tub is with a Hot Tub Chemical Starter Kit. This all-in-one kit includes all the essential items you will need to start up your hot tub, including:
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How To Store Hot Tub Chemicals
The option for chemicals storage
At first glance, it might seem that storing chemicals is pretty straightforward. I mean how hard could it be right? Perhaps you just put the chemicals where theres free storage space and take them from there when needed. However, its not that simple. If not stored properly, hot tub chemicals can lose their efficiency and pose serious risks for your health.
According to the CDC, in 2003-2012, the median estimated number of people visiting hospitals for chemicalassociated injuries per year was over four thousand. Injuries were caused due to several reasons such as improper ratios and unsafe chemical storage .
Here we provide you with information on how to store hot tub chemicals properly.
- Maintain the right temperature. Hot tub chemicals can be damaged by extremely high or low temperatures. The best temperature for storing hot tub chemicals is 55-70°F .
- Keep chemicals in a dry place. Hot tub chemicals can react to moisture in the environment, so make sure you pick a dry year-round place to store them.
- Avoid storage in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will reduce the effectiveness of spa chemicals.
- Keep chemicals out of the reach of children. There are many cases of chemical irritants inhalation. If a child swallows or inhales certain chemicals like chlorine, it can cause serious poisoning. Prevention is better than cure. Ensure that all chemicals are out of the reach of children.
What Does It Mean To Shock Hot Tub Water
A shock is adding a higher dose of a chemical, usually one that contains chlorine or non-chlorine sanitizer, to kill anything in the water. It can also be called oxidizing.
It removes organic contaminants and removes whats leftover when chlorine kills bacteria.
If the filter becomes clogged and cant keep up with excess dirt, bacteria start to build up in your tubs plumbing lines. A shock will turn all of those bad things into harmless chemicals you can just dump down your drain when youre done.
Different chemicals can be used for different types of shocks: bleach is typically used for a chlorine shock, while non-chlorine shocks usually use bromine.
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