Hot tubs, because of high water temperatures, are the perfect environment for bacteria to live and breed. In order to stop this, hot tub chemicals are used to keep the water safe and kill unhealthy bacteria.
Sanitizers come in many different forms and are used to kill the bacteria found in your hot tub.
Chlorine has traditionally been used as a swimming pool sanitizer but can also be used in hot tubs or spas at a lower concentration. Chlorine comes in tablet or granular form.
Bromine also come in tablet or granular form and is often preferred to chlorine as it does not have such a vicious odour. The distribution method of bromine is usually in a floating feeder or a cartridge arrangement and it works in all PH levels.
Biguanide is an equivalent to both bromine and chlorine that kills bacteria using a hydrogen peroxide-based oxidizer that keeps the water clean. Biguanide odours are significantly less than both chlorine and bromine.
Hot tub minerals assist the chemicals used in hot tubs by working hand in hand with them to kill bacteria and keep water clean. They come in the form of cartridges and floating dispenser systems which allow slow release. They are often a preferred method as they allow lower levels of chemicals to be used. It is an important point that minerals are to be used hand in hand with chemical sanitizers as they do not replace them.
Ozone Ozonators also assist hot tub chemicals but do not replace them. They oxidize the water, meaning less chemical solution is needed. Ozone Ozonators can work in conjunction with bromine, chlorine, biguanide and minerals.
Test strips should be used prior to any chemicals being added to your hot tub. These strips are used to tell you how much bromine, chlorine or biguanide needs to be added to your tub and whether ph, alkalinity or calcium levels need to be adjusted.
Shock Oxidizers should be used in conjunction with sanitizers and they oxidize the water in your hot tub which in turns helps to break down items such as dead skin, ladies cosmetics and natural skin oils. If you shock oxidize your hot tub weekly then it will kill all the bacteria and disperse murky and cloudy water.
Two types of shock oxidizers are available and are used in different circumstances. Chlorine shock should be used when filling your hot tub with fresh water. It is a sanitizer and so is needed on the initial stage. Non chlorine shock is used when you already have sanitizer in the water i.e. it is not a fresh water fill up. It is important to note that shocks of either type should not be used if using Biguanide as your sanitizer as it already uses a hydrogen peroxide oxidizer.
