Hot Tubs 101

Matt Giovanici: 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, the founder of swimuniversity.com. And on this episode, we're talking about hot tub mineral sanitizers. Let's dive in. Real quick.

Matt Giovanici: 00:28

If you want more help taking care of your hot tub, be sure to grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/spasheet. Hot tub mineral sanitizers use elements like silver and copper to keep your spa clean and free of bacteria and algae. But are they better than other sanitizers like chlorine or bromine? So before you switch to a mineral system, here's everything you need to know about hot tub mineral sanitizers and how they work. So first, what are the pros?

Matt Giovanici: 00:57

Well, 1, you're gonna use less chlorine or bromine. Using a mineral sanitizer means you only need to keep your chlorine levels at 0.5 parts per million or your bromine levels at 1 part per million, which if you have a chlorine hot tub, that would be 3 parts per million normally, or bromine hot tub would be 5. And less chlorine means you can avoid that chlorine smell in your hot tub that's caused by chloramines. Number 2 is your mineral sanitizers are easy to manage. With a mineral system, you don't need to measure out and add chemicals and wait for them to disperse before you can use your hot tub again, because mineral sanitizers are constantly working to kill algae and bacteria, and you only have to change out the mineral cartridge every few months.

Matt Giovanici: 01:38

And number 3, your water will feel gentler. Sanitizers like chlorine or bromine can be harsh, but because you need less of these chemicals with a mineral sanitizer, then you'll have softer water in your hot tub. However, there are some downsides. So they can cause stains or green water. Copper is one of the active ingredients in mineral sanitizers, and it's a common cause of stains.

Matt Giovanici: 01:59

Take the Statue of Liberty, for example. It's made of copper, if you didn't know, but it looks completely green. That's because the copper oxidizes when it's exposed to air and water. So if you already have high copper in your water, adding more copper from a mineral sanitizer actually might stain your hot tub. You can use a metal sequestrant to prevent copper from settling on the surfaces, but too much sequestrant may make the mineral sanitizer less effective since copper is one of the active ingredients.

Matt Giovanici: 02:28

And you still need to add some bromine and chlorine. Minerals alone aren't enough to properly sanitize your hot tub water since you still need to supplement your hot tub minerals with chlorine or bromine to kill bacteria and contaminants. And you might not save a ton of money because minerals can cost less than chlorine, but you may need to buy some chlorine or bromine. Depending on how often you use your hot tub and how balanced you keep your water, the cost may be the same compared to using just a traditional sanitizer with no minerals. Okay.

Matt Giovanici: 02:57

So here are the different types of hot tub mineral sanitizers. They come in 3 forms. No matter which type you use, there's no measuring, and no gloves are needed to handle them. You can use filter sticks. Mineral sticks are the easiest way to add minerals to your spa, my personal favorite.

Matt Giovanici: 03:12

The stick is preloaded with all the minerals you need. To sanitize your water, you simply turn off your hot tub, stick the mineral stick in your hot tub cartridge filter well or in the center of the filter, and turn your hot tub back on. And as the water passes through the filter, it'll pass through the stick, releasing the minerals into your hot tub. Then there's floating dispensers. This is the second easiest dispenser.

Matt Giovanici: 03:39

Then you'll just let that float in the water whenever you're not using the hot tub. The minerals are released at a constant rate to keep your water clean, and and you'll know it's time to replace them when the cartridge actually flips over. Okay? So it's easy. It's great for, I would say it's great for Airbnb hot tubs.

Matt Giovanici: 03:58

Number 3, if you can get this, is an inline system. So your hot tub will actually have one preinstalled by the manufacturer to use this type of mineral sanitizer. Now these sanitizers use both mineral and a cartridge containing 0.5 to 1 part per million of chlorine, and both are inserted into your spa's inline port and left to sanitize your water. Alright. So now that you know about the different types of mineral systems, here's how to use them.

Matt Giovanici: 04:27

If you're converting to a mineral system from any sanitizer other than chlorine or bromine, you may wanna completely drain and clean your hot tub before adding the minerals. But if you're using chlorine or bromine, here's what you can do. You can start by testing and balancing balancing the water. You're gonna make sure your pH is between 7.47.6, and your alkalinity is between a 100a150 parts per million. And you can get your calcium levels between a 175 and 250 parts per million.

Matt Giovanici: 04:54

You'll also wanna test your water from metals. There are test strips and liquid test kits that test specifically for metal, but your best bet is to take a water sample to your local hot tub store if you can do it. If your mineral levels are high, especially copper, you can add a metal sequestrant to the water. Now if you've been using chlorine, you wanna let that you wanna let the chlorine drop to 0.5 parts per million before you begin. For bromine, you wanna let it drop down to 1 part per million.

Matt Giovanici: 05:22

If you need to raise your levels to 0.5 or 1 part per million, you wanna add that sanitizer now. Now some mineral sanitizers like floating dispensers and inline systems recommend shocking your hot tub before adding minerals. So just be sure that you follow the manufacturer's direction regarding shock. Now once the water is balanced, you wanna add the minerals to the cartridge, the stick, or whatever will need to be changed out every 3 to 4 months, or whenever you drain and clean and refill your hot tub. So be sure to regularly test your chlorine and bromine levels so that they're in proper ranges.

Matt Giovanici: 06:02

And remember that you always need to maintain the chlorine levels at 0.5 and your bromine levels at 1 part per million. It's not not a complete replacement. And like any hot tub, we recommend shocking your hot tub with non chlorine shock once a week, depending on how frequently you use your hot tub or if you have issues like cloudy water. Chlorine shock can raise your chlorine levels above 0.5. So a non chlorine shock is best for ongoing maintenance.

Matt Giovanici: 06:27

If you're starting your hot tub up for the first time, you can use a chlorine shock. Just remember to check the water afterward and rebalance as necessary. Also remember, if you need more help with hot tub maintenance, grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/spasheet. Totally free. And if you found this episode helpful, subscribe to our podcast for more hot tub maintenance tips on whatever podcasting app that you like.

Matt Giovanici: 06:55

And when you do, leave us a review because your support will help more hot tub owners like you find this show. That's it. Thanks again, and happy soaking.