Shock: How To Shock Your Hot Tub For A Start
Using Hot Tub Chemicals If You Have Kids
Kids having fun in the water
Spending time in a hot tub is the favorite way for children to have fun on a summer day. But having used sanitizer, shocking products, and other chemicals, you may worry about the effect of the chemicals on your childs health. And yes, there are some concerns to keep in mind.
According to the research of the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids are likely to have chlorine sensitivity. Symptoms include red eyes, breathing problems, chest tightness, wheezing, a stuffy or runny nose, and sneezing. Doctors recommend taking a shower to eliminate mild symptoms. There are also corticosteroid creams and antihistamines which can help deal with chlorine sensitivity but always consult with your pediatrician first .
Besides chlorine sensitivity, there are other serious health concerns caused by chlorine. US Medicine National Institutes of Health researched to figure out whether there is a connection between chlorinated hot tubs/ swimming pools and pre-school asthma onset. A dose-response relationship was indicated, although with limited statistical power .
Taking into account scientific evidence, we would recommend that you stick to the bromine sanitizing system if you have children.
- Dont allow children under 5 years to use the hot tub
- Check the water temperature before entering a hot tub. It shouldnt exceed 104°F or 40°C
- Check the sanitizer level before entering the tub. Poorly sanitized water can cause rashes and ear infections
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.
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Don’t Forget About Filters
Most acrylic spas will have a cartridge filter system and hot tub pump. You should regularly check that your filtration system is in good working order at least once a week. Please note that when your hot tub cartridge filter is dirty, its performance will deteriorate. This can lead to dirty and potentially contaminated water.
Usually, spa cartridges will need cleaning weekly , however, we would advise more regular cleaning if your hot tub is being used a lot. Other factors that can affect how often you should clean your filters are contaminants like grass, leaves, fake tanning products, body creams, make up, soaps and detergents.
Bromine: The Other Hot Tub Sanitizer
This guide can answer the popular questions: What is Bromine? and What sanitizer should I use in my hot tub? Its a perfect resource for new spa owners looking at all the sanitizer options. Its also a guide for established hot tub users who want more information on bromine. Ill go into detail on what it is plus why and how to use it.
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Adjust Sanitizer Levels Like Chlorine Or Bromine
Nows the time to add your chlorine granules or liquid bromine directly to the water. You can also use bromine tablets in a floating dispenser system. As always, start with a smaller amount of sanitizer, test your water, and add more if necessary.
Bromine does not dissolve as quickly as chlorine, so youll need to wait a bit longer to retest these levels. And if youre using bromine tablets in a floater, this can take several days to disperse in your water before you get a proper reading.
If youre using chlorine to sanitize your hot tub, we recommend using dichlor granules over trichlor tablets. Its easier to control your dosing with granules compared to tablets. And trichlor can damage your hot tubs acrylic shell.
Clean The Empty Hot Tub
One of the most vital steps of the setup process is cleaning the empty hot tub. As with a bathtub, you dont want to soak in bacteria or last years gunk.
If you have a new hot tub, you want to remove any outside dirt and grime before adding water. Then, spray and wipe down all surfaces with a soft cloth and a non-abrasive cleaner to prevent any damage but still clean the surface.
If restarting your old hot tub, you may consider performing a deep clean.
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Floating Oil & Scum Absorber For Pool & Spa
Floating Scum Absorber absorbs up to 40 times its weight in residual body oils, suntan oils, grime, slime, and scum to help keep your pool or hot tub sparkling clean.
Simply place the scum absorber in the hot tub or pool water. Replace when it becomes dirty.
- Prevents scum build-up on the waterline, cloudy pool or hot tub water, and clogged filters.
- Scum Absorber shape may vary
What Hot Tub Start
There are five essential hot tub chemicals you need to add during start-up.
- Baking Soda raises alkalinity. Slightly raises pH
- Soda Ash raises pH in large steps. Slightly raises alkalinity.
- Sodium Bisulfate or muriatic acid lowers alkalinity and pH
- Calcium Chloride to raise calcium hardness levels
- Chlorine or Bromine sanitizer to kill bacteria
Remember, before you start blindly adding chemicals, youll need to test your hot tub water first using a test kit or test strips.
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How To Add Chemicals To Hot Tub Water
Adding the right chemicals in the right order can prevent cloudy water, slimy surfaces, and nasty hot tub smells. And if its the first time youre starting up your hot tub, its extra important to add them in the correct sequence. Luckily, all the chemicals you need to start up your hot tub are the same ones we mentioned before that you need to maintain your spa throughout the year.
You can watch this video tutorial or keep reading for the step-by-step guide on how to add chemicals:
Before you start adding any chemicals to your spa, youll want to know how many gallons your hot tub holds. This will help you add the correct amount of chemicals to your hot tub. You can find your hot tubs volume or water capacity in your owners manual or with a quick Google search.
Heres how youll be adding chemicals to your water:
Can You Use Crushed Bromine Tablets In A Hot Tub
You can use crushed bromine tablets, either to establish an initial bromide bank or reserve in your hot tub, or to top up your spas bromide reserve in place of tablets.
Whenever Ive bought a bottle of bromine tablets, theres always been powder in the bottom, where the some of the tablets have been broken or crushed. It seemed a shame to waste, so I experimented with using it in my spa.
What were the results?
I found that it works well in both cases, but a little goes a long wayespecially for regular top-ups.
Start by adding a teaspoon of crushed brominating tablet powder to the water. Check the sanitizer levels next time you shock your spa, to make sure its still within the 2-6 ppm range.
The powder dissolves much more quickly than it would in tablet form, so its easy to end up with higher levels of sanitizer than you want.
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Chemicals & What They Do
Chemical or Accessory & What Does It Do
ClearWater® is our chosen and recommended chemical provider. Developed with Lay-Z-Spa in mind, the range of ClearWater® hot tub chemicals includes everything needed to make sure your Lay-Z-Spa’s water stays safe, clean and clear. Explore the table below which includes each products use and function.
Why Are Hot Tub Start Up Chemicals Important
In short, hot tub chemicals ensure the water stays clean and clear. If you dont use the necessary hot tub start up chemicals, you risk bacteria and other germs growing in the water. If this happens, you must drain the water and start over.
Proper spa chemicals also ensure the longevity of your hot tub. When the bacteria grow in the water, it can cause other tub parts to break down, resulting in unnecessary wear and tear. Show your hot tub how much you care by using the proper hot tub start up chemicals listed below.
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Adjust Alkalinity And Ph
Your pH helps your sanitizer work more effectively. And Alkalinity helps prevent fluctuations in pH, so its important to adjust this level first. Alkalinity and pH go hand-in-hand, so adjusting one can affect the other. Thats why its important to add your chemicals one at a time, wait for them to dissolve, then retest your water. And remember, you can always add more, so dont overdo it. Start with a few tablespoons if your levels are only a bit off.
- Both pH and alkalinity are low: Add alkalinity increaser first. Then test the pH again to see if it needs a pH increaser.
- Low pH: Add a pH increaser. If your pH is too high, add a pH decreaser.
- Low alkalinity: Add an alkalinity increaser.
- Either pH or alkalinity are high: Use pH decreaser to drop them back to the right level.
And after adding each chemical, let them circulate for at least 20 minutes, then retest your water.
Draining Your Hot Tub
Over time your spa water will absorb minerals, chemicals, and other soluble materials, which will lead to an increase in Total Dissolved Solids . TDS reduces the efficiency of spa chemicals, making the water harder to maintain.
With the above in mind, The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association advises that the change of water should ideally be done once every month, but it may be extended up to once every 3 to 4 months if tub usage is low. When doing so, it is a good idea to clean your hot tub pipework using Jacuzzi Pipe Cleaner to maintain clear, working pipes.
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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!
Treating Your Hot Tub For The First Time
Note: Once your hot tub is powered on, let spa heat to temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit . After adding chemicals in steps below, be sure to turn on Jets using Jets 1 or Pump 1 buttons to continuously circulate water.
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How Soon Can You Use A Hot Tub After Adding Chemicals
Youll want to wait until your chemicals completely dissolve and your water levels are adjusted correctly before using your hot tub. This means waiting at least 20 minutes after adding chemicals before soaking in your hot tub. And if youve just added chlorine shock, youll need to wait even longer.
Water Hardness: What Is The Ideal Hardness Level For Hot Tub Water
Water hardness is critical in determining how well your hot tub will function. The ideal hardness level for hot tub water is between 50 and 100 ppm. This range perfectly balances preventing mineral buildup and ensuring the water is soft enough to be comfortable.
If your water hardness is too low, you may find that it doesnt heat as efficiently or doesnt maintain its temperature. You may also notice an increase in the mineral buildup, which can lead to clogged filters and plumbing. On the other hand, if your water hardness is too high, you may find your hot tub water uncomfortable or dries out your skin.
The best way to ensure that your hot tub has the ideal water hardness level is to have it tested regularly by a professional.
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The Power Of Our Starter Kit
Hot Tub Things Chlorine Starter Kit is everything you need to start up your new spa, hot tub, or swim spas. Whether you are an experienced hot tub owner or just getting started, our kit helps you make a clean start.
Every region of the country has different water challenges. Some areas have iron content in the water, low pH from local wells, or airborne pollen and dust. Whatever your local water conditions, our starter kit has the chemicals and supplies you need. It also comes with our helpful and friendly guide to testing and adjusting your water.
Each kit comes with test strips for testing your water, instructions for how to read those test strips, pH & Alkalinity Up, pH & Alkalinity Down, Chlorinating Granules, Metal Out, Spa Clarifier, and our bestselling Chlorine-Free Spa Shock.
Buying a Jacuzzi, Sundance Spa, Bullfrog Spa, Nordic Hot Tub, or Hydropool Swim Spa is a huge investment in your health, fitness, and home value. Thats why a Hot Tub Things Chlorine Starter Kit comes free with every hot tub and swim spa sold by Paradise Valley Spas in Northern California.
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Add The Start Up Chemicals
Its not time for the step weve all been waiting for, adding the spa start up chemicals. Several measures need to be taken before adding the chemicals to the hot tub. First, ensure the water has reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit before adding chemicals to the hot tub for the first time. This ensures they dissolve and infuse into the water.
Next, determine how much water your hot tub holds. Knowing how much water is sitting in the spa will help you understand how many chemicals to use. Then, measure your chemicals accordingly. Refer to a hot tub chemical chart to make sure measurements are exact and accurate.
Finally, pour the chemicals according to the instructions into the water and begin the hot tub water treatment. Chemicals for hot tub startups are very important for the health of your spa.
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Shocking Your Hot Tub
Shocking your water just means giving it a super dose of sanitizer to kill everything bad off and kind of give all your chemicals a reboot.
Shocking your hot tub will keep you from having to drain your water too often, and its a good way to make sure youre not harboring any nasty bacteria that can build up in hot water.
For chlorine hot tubs, you can use either more chlorine than usual or some non-chlorine shock.
Either way, youll need to add the chemicals to the water and let the jets run for a bit to circulate it. Then let it work overnight and test the levels in the morning.
Never let anyone get in the hot tub until the sanitizer levels are back in normal range!
Bromine hot tubs can be shocked with an extra dose of bromine or also with non-chlorine shock.
Also Check: Calcium Chloride For Hot Tub
Chemicals Dosages & How
Get help with Shock Dosing your hot tub and advice on adjusting Chlorine, pH and Alkalinity levels.
Total Alkalinity is the measure of your hot tub waters ability to neutralise acids. Balanced Total Alkalinity helps control the pH levels and the correct level to aim for is between 80 and 120 parts per million .How To Balance Total Alkalinity Levels1. Dip a ClearWater® Test Strip in the centre of your Lay-Z-Spa, remove and hold it still for 15 seconds. 2. Compare your dip test strip results to the colour chart on the packaging.3. Total Alkalinity results:For low TA levels below 80ppm you will need to use Total Alkalinity Increaser. The amount of TA + you need to add to your hot tub depends on the volume of water and how low your readings are. As a guide – a hot tub of 1,000 litres requires 18g to raise Total Alkalinity levels by 10ppm .For high TA levels above 120ppm you will need to use PH Minus. The amount of pH decreaser you need to add to your hot tub depends on levels are and on the volume of water. Check the dosage rates on the back of the bottle and measure accordingly.Problems Caused By Unbalanced Total Alkalinity LevelsNot balancing the Total Alkalinity levels in your hot tub can cause a number of issues that can impact your spa experience.
pH
2. Compare your dip test strip results to the colour chart on the packaging.
| HIGH CHLORINE READINGS | |
| Red itchy eyes and skin rash | Bacteria Growth |
Lay-Z-Spa Chlorine Granule Dosage Recommendations Table
Shock Dosing
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