As a spa owner, keeping your spa clean should be a top priority. Cleanliness is a factor when it comes to your spa’s longevity. Water doesn’t stay fresh by itself and needs to be treated with chemicals just like a pool would, especially to keep all the inner equipment and plumbing of your spa functioning, too. So, it’s vital to select quality chemicals designed specifically for spas. There are many chemicals out there, but are all spa chemicals the same?
Chemicals Fit for a Spa
Even though the ingredients may be the same as in pool chemicals, you should never use pool products for your spa. You can’t treat your hot tub as just a smaller version of a pool when it comes to chemicals. The concentration levels of chemicals and the amounts needed are different for a spa than a pool, since there’s less water in a spa than in a pool. Temperature plays a role in both chemical reaction and the evaporation of water. Therefore spas, which have a higher temperature than pools, require chemicals fit for a spa.
Spa Chemicals Quality Matters
The quality of spa chemicals is an important factor when purchasing. You may be able to purchase cheap spa chemicals on the market, but just remember, you are getting what you paid for. When you go the inexpensive route, you may find yourself cleaning your spa more often and using more chemicals than typically needed. Also, be on the lookout for added ingredients in chemicals such as perfumes, which are used to hide odor. Quality chemicals, utilized properly, will do their job without additives.
Quality spa chemicals from trusted brands like BioGuard® and SpaGuard® can be purchased from your local spa dealer, Mastercraft Pool & Spa. You can also, conveniently, purchase chemicals from the Mastercraft Pool & Spa online store.
Multiple Chemicals Are Essential
It would be nice to only handle a single chemical for your spa upkeep, but the fact of the matter is—spas have several areas that need to be controlled. Therefore, several chemicals are essential to keep your hot tub clean, safe, and in great working order.
One chemical that is necessary is sanitizer. To sanitize your spa water from bacteria as well as germs, use chlorine or bromine. Bromine may be more expensive than chlorine, but it’s less harsh on your skin and your nose. To keep your sanitizer working efficiently, you should shock your spa water too. Shock will break down sanitizer that is inactive and help with killing germs. It will also remove contaminants that enter your hot tub because of frequent use and the number of people using it.
It’s essential to monitor your spa’s total alkalinity and pH levels as well. Alkaline helps control the pH in your spa water, which measures the acidity of the water. They work together to help balance chemicals in your spa water. If levels need to be lowered, you will need a Total Alkalinity decreaser or pH decreaser. And if levels need to be raised, you will need a Total Alkalinity increaser or pH increaser.
So, are all spa chemicals the same? No, and you should familiarize yourself with them so you have the best spa experience possible. There are even more products that can be purchased than the important ones mentioned above. There are chemicals for calcium hardness, water clarity, and foamy water. For all your spa chemical purchases and questions, contact the experts at Mastercraft Pool & Spa.