It’s no secret that hot tubs are the best way to relax at home. But unstable pH levels and screwed up total alkalinity (TA) levels can quickly become frustrating; taking away the calm and carefree vibe of your spa.
Instead of aimlessly chasing the chemical levels up and down your test strips, our hot tub accessories team can talk you through the best hot tub chemical strategy to balance your spas pH. With this in mind, here’s Aqua Spa Supplies’ top tips for balancing alkalinity and pH levels.
How To Balance Hot Tub Alkalinity
What is hot tub alkalinity? Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water to neutralize acids. Total alkalinity (TA) is measured by measuring the amount of acid (e.g., sulfuric acid) needed to bring the sample to a pH of 4.2.
TA acts as a buffer for the pH level in your water, keeping the pH level stable while allowing you to adjust TA without throwing the rest of your hot tub chemistry into chaos. The first step in your water care process will always be measuring and adjusting TA before any other chemicals. The ideal range for TA is 100 parts per million (ppm) to 150 ppm.
To adjust alkalinity, add alkalinity increases in small doses, one at a time. One of the best hot tub chemicals to achieve this, is the Yourspa TA Plus. This will help move your TA into the optimal range. Once you have achieved this, you can move on to balancing your hot tub pH
Allow each dose to circulate before testing again. Only after your TA is in the optimal range should you move on to adjusting pH. Achieving the right TA may actually get your pH in the target range.
How To Balance Hot Tub pH
When you have acidic water (low pH), you’ll add alkaline chemicals to increase the pH. When you have basic water (high pH), you’ll add acids to lower the pH. So you’ll get your TA perfect and then add some other stuff to fix your pH, right? Not exactly.
Using certain types of pH increaser or pH decreaser will likely also affect TA. This is why getting these two levels balanced can be tricky, but not impossible.
To increase the pH levels in your hot tub, add a pH increaser, such as Yourspa pH plus to bring the levels back to normal. If you’re looking to balance the pH of your spa, you can also use the Yourspa pH minus to achieve the correct water balance
Conclusion
Balancing your alkalinity and pH levels doesn’t have to be an uphill struggle. If you would like more information about a hot tub water care plan that works for you and your spa, visit our website and browse the best hot tub chemicals we have to offer.