Hot Tubs 101

Matt Giovanisci: 00:00

Hey, everyone, and welcome to hot tubs 101 by Swim University, where we help you keep your hot tub clean and clear all year. My name is Matt, and I'm the founder of swimuniversity.com. And on this episode, we're talking about 4 hot tub chemicals that you can stop buying right now. Let's dive in. Real quick.

Matt Giovanisci: 00:32

If you want more help taking care of your hot tub, be sure to grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/spa sheet. Keeping your hot tub's water chemistry balance is important. We all know that. But you actually don't have to buy every chemical that's recommended. In fact, you can find cheaper substitutions at your grocery store, or you might already have it in your in your home.

Matt Giovanisci: 00:53

And there are some ways to even reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine you use. So here are 4 hot tub chemicals that you can stop buying right now, and here's what you should buy instead. Number 1 is alkalinity increaser. This chemical has one active ingredient, which is sodium bicarbonate. And sodium bicarbonate is just baking soda.

Matt Giovanisci: 01:12

Adding baking soda to your hot tub will raise your alkalinity levels, and it's less expensive than branded alkalinity increaser. If you wanna raise your alkalinity by 10 parts per million, use 1 tablespoon of baking soda per 100 gallons of water. That means it usually only takes a few tablespoons to bring up your alkalinity. Just keep in mind that baking soda will also slightly raise your pH. Number 2 is pH increaser.

Matt Giovanisci: 01:41

This chemical's active ingredient is sodium carbonate. So instead of sodium bicarbonate, it's sodium carbonate. The buy is gone. That's the same active ingredient in soda ash, which is also known as washing soda. This cheaper alternative is found in the laundry aisle and can be used to raise your pH.

Matt Giovanisci: 02:00

Just keep in mind, it's pure sodium carbonate without any additives. And keep in mind, that will also raise your alkalinity. Your hot tub pH should be between 7.47.6. And if it's too low, say around 7, you can start by adding 1 tablespoon of soda ash for every 100 gallons of water. But here's an even better hack.

Matt Giovanisci: 02:25

You can bring up your pH levels without adding any chemicals at all. Running your hot tub jets on high and aerating your water will naturally raise your pH, and it won't affect your alkalinity, and you won't need to add anything to your water. So there you go. Number 3 is pH Decreaser. This is also known as sodium bisulfate or dry acid.

Matt Giovanisci: 02:49

PH Decreaser helps to bring down high pH, and it also helps to bring down high alkalinity. But you can also use muriatic acid for the same effect. If you already have muriatic acid on hand for cleaning surface stains or concrete, you can use it to lower your hot tub pH as well. Just keep in mind that it is much more hazardous to handle than pH Decreaser, which is why we really recommend you use pH Decreaser, but I I figured I'd give you the alternative. The other downside to muriatic acid is that it can quickly overpower a very small hot tub.

Matt Giovanisci: 03:23

So depending on the size of your hot tub, you'll only wanna use a quarter cup or even just a few drops of this liquid at a time. Luckily, if your pH levels drop too low in the process, you can run your jets and to aerate your water and bring your levels back up. Number 4 is cyanuric acid or stabilizer. Now cyanuric acid, which is known as stabilizer, helps protect your chlorine from be from breaking down under the sun's UV rays. But if your but if your hot tub isn't exposed to direct sunlight, then you actually don't need this at all.

Matt Giovanisci: 03:55

And if you use bromine in your hot tub, then you don't need stabilizer either. Finally, here's a bonus tip on how you can reduce the chlorine or bromine usage in your hot tub. While you need some sanitizer in your hot tub, here's how you can start buying, less than normal. Alright. Number 1 is you wanna add a mineral dispenser.

Matt Giovanisci: 04:15

Using minerals like silver and copper kill bacteria and algae. And mineral dispensers come in 3 different forms, filter sticks, floating dispensers, and inline systems. Mineral systems are easy to use and relatively affordable, and you'll only need to keep your chlorine levels at 0.5 parts per million and your bromine levels at 1 part per million, which is a lot less than normal. However, since copper is one of the active ingredients, mineral systems can cause surface stains or green water. So using a metal sequestrant can help prevent copper from settling on the surfaces, but it can also make your mineral sanitizer less effective.

Matt Giovanisci: 04:53

Number 2 is you can install an ozonator because hot tub ozonators sanitize your water with UV light or ionized electricity. Not only do these systems destroy microorganisms, but they also help clump together solids in the water, making it easier for your filter to remove them. And you only have to add 0.5 parts per million of chlorine and a part per million of bromine to your water, which is compared to the normal levels. However, because ozone is so reactive, it can ruin the vinyl interior of your hot tub cover. So you'll need to add a hot tub thermal blanket to protect the inside of your cover, and ozonators usually require professional installation.

Matt Giovanisci: 05:31

Now, one note about cyanuric acid, which I mentioned was our the 4th chemical you don't need to buy. If you use chlorine and you're adding either chlorine tablets or you're adding, chlorine granules to the water, that is a dichlor solution or a trichlor solution. Both of those contain cyanuric acid. And if you have a high buildup of cyanuric acid in your water, it's gonna cause the chlorine not to be as effective. So if you have test strips or you have a liquid test kit, you do if you're and if you're using one of these chemicals, I wouldn't worry if you're using bromine.

Matt Giovanisci: 06:07

But if you're only using chlorine, I would keep an eye on your c o CYA because you which is cyanuric acid. You don't want that to go too high because it becomes ineffective. But it shouldn't really be a problem because we recommend that you drain and clean your hot tub every 3 to 4 months. I know some people do it every 6 months if they don't use their hot tub that often. Just keep an eye on it.

Matt Giovanisci: 06:27

That should be enough, but I just wanted to put that note out there. And remember, if you need more help with hot tub maintenance, grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/cheat sorry. Swimu.com/spa sheet. And And if you found this episode helpful, subscribe for more hot tub maintenance tips on your favorite podcasting app. And when you do, leave us a review.

Matt Giovanisci: 06:48

Your support will help more hot tub owners like you find this show. That's it. Thanks again, and happy soaking.