What Chemicals Are Needed for a Hot Tub?
- You must regularly check your hot tub's pH level and keep it adjusted.jacuzzi love image by .shock from Fotolia.com
Hot tubs are an excellent way to relax and enjoy an evening alone or to connect with friends. Hot tubs relax your muscles and lower your blood pressure. Your heart is encouraged to function more efficiently while you are relaxing in the hot tub. However, hot tubs require a lot of maintenance and upkeep to keep them running efficiently and to keep them in good shape. Most of the maintenance involved is in the form of chemicals, which must be added at the right times and in the right amounts. - Chlorine is a sanitizer used to protect the hot tub water from germs and is the oldest traditional sanitizer in the spa industry. Chlorine is easy to use and comes in both tabular and granular forms that simply require mixing with a little water before adding to your pool. The problems with chlorine are that it has a strong odor that is sometimes unpleasant, and you must add it to your hot tub several times a week.
- Bromine is another sanitizer sometimes referred to as chlorine. It comes in tablets or granules that you put into a floater dispenser. You only need to refill the dispenser once every 10 to 14 days. It does not have such an unpleasant smell as chlorine does. However, bromine is more expensive than chlorine. Bromine also has a low pH level, requiring you to frequently adjust your hot tub's pH levels to prevent damage to your equipment.
- Ozone is not a sanitizer but is sometimes used in place of sanitizers. Technically an oxidizer, it nevertheless has some sanitizing effects. Though it is not totally effective on its own, it might allow you to reduce your usage of chemical sanitizers. To use ozone you need a piece of equipment called an ozonator. Ozone is usually expensive.
- Biguanide is a hydrogen peroxide-based oxidizer. It burns the cell walls of bacteria, killing them. Biguanide has less odor than either chlorine or bromine.
- Mineral treatments are another way to sanitize your hot tub water. Put them in your filter cartridge in a floating dispenser. They require replacement every four months and have no chemical smells. However, they need to be regularly combined with either chlorine or bromine sanitizers. Not all mineral treatments can be used with bromine. They also are difficult or impossible to locate, depending on where your locale.
