In order to ensure that your hot tub water is clean, sanitized, and balanced, you may have to invest in hot tub cleaning from time to time.
Hot tub water can easily become unhygienic, and it can be a bother to clean it yourself, which is why hot tub maintenance services exist in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Sanitizing is important because it eliminates the presence of any bacteria and viruses that find their way into your hot tub or pool.
Chemical balancing is a crucial aspect of hot tub maintenance because unbalanced water can damage your hot tub’s walls and the surfaces around it.
Let’s explore chemical balancing in more detail.
What is Chemical Balancing
Chemical balancing refers to the water’s balance chemistry, which includes elements such as pH, calcium hardness, or total alkalinity.
The hardness of water refers to the number of minerals present in it, mainly calcium.
pH is the power of hydrogen and refers to the acidity or alkalinity of a solution ranging from a pH of 1 to 14, with 1 being highly acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being very alkaline.
Total alkalinity is the water’s ability to resist or neutralize acids.
Alkaline compounds in water such as hydroxides and carbonates neutralize the H+ ions, lowering the acidity and increasing the overall pH.
The ideal range for optimal hot tub chemistry is given to users in guidelines, which they should follow to ensure ideal chemical balance.
The optimal range for total alkalinity in parts per million (ppm) is between 80 and 120.
Calcium hardness is between 150 and 250, which you should test weekly for any changes.
The pH is maintained slightly above neutral and about 7.4 to 7.6 and should not drop below this range.
You should also test it bi-weekly to ensure that you do not subject your skin or the hot tub’s surfaces to acidic water, which can damage the structure.
Factors Affecting Your Hot Tub’s Chemical Balance
There are loads of factors that can affect your hot tub water’s chemical balance, and some are easily controlled while others are more potent and affect the water chemistry more than others.
It doesn’t matter if you own a portable or in-ground hot tub; the factors affecting the water chemistry are the same.
Some of the factors that affect your hot tub water’s chemistry include frequency of use, organic matter, and water temperature, although they are not very significant in their role.
The chemicals you use and adjust are the main contributors to imbalances that might occur, such as pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness.
Why You Should Balance Your Hot Tub’s Water Chemistry
Balanced water is ideal because it does not corrode or scale surfaces, resulting in safe and hygienic use that’s optimal for users.
Things get out of hand when water starts to create a new level by dissolving and holding minerals, increasing its saturation until it cannot anymore.
If the water does not hold enough minerals, it tends to become more acidic and corrosive, so it tries to dissolve the minerals it comes into contact with to increase the mineral content.
These corrosive properties can damage metal, heating elements, and other hot tub features, like jets and light attachments.
After water becomes adequately saturated, it tries to remove any extra minerals in the form of scale that becomes deposited onto any surfaces the water makes contact with.
Oversaturated water in hot tubs can become cloudy due to the excessive particles present, which increases the odds of scaling.
Scaling can be detrimental to your hot tub’s integrity because it leads to build-up in the filters inside the pipes and pumps, lowering the water circulation and damaging the hot tub’s components.
This is exactly why you should prioritize hot tub cleaning in Bonita Springs, Florida, to maintain your hot tub’s integrity and ensure that your skin doesn’t feel the effects of the imbalanced water.
Chemical balancing ensures that the pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness are kept in balance and checked weekly or bi-weekly so that there are no complications. You can enjoy your time in the hot tub to unwind after a long day’s work.
One of the ways you can check your hot tub’s chemical balance is by using a Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) calculator.
Final Verdict
For your safety and to maintain your hot tub’s integrity, it is crucial that you maintain the right chemical balance to enjoy your hot tub to its full capacity without any concerns. Contact SWFL Pool Solutions to know of the several excellent services that you can avail of if you wish to get your hot tub maintained professionally.
