Why Test Hot Tub Water?

To maintain a consistently satisfying hot tub soaking experience, maintaining the hot tub’s water is a must. For that, you may try different actions such as using sanitizer to kill germs, changing the odorous tub water frequently, etc. But problems are meant to happen again. So that means, taking necessary steps to prevent the issues from happening, is more efficient than using this and that method blindly.  But to cure or prevent an issue you need to identify the cause first.

Testing hot tub water is how you will identify it, which always provides you with the best probable reason for hot tub water problems. Now as a hot tub user, if you are wondering why it is important to test hot tub water, then you will find this content very helpful. To give your wonderings a door to escape, we will also cover the following topics: what is hot tub water testing, their types, benefits of hot tub water test, and most importantly how can you test your hot tub water?

Key Takeaways

• Testing hot tub water provides its user with a more detailed condition of the water within it.
• Hot tub water can be tested using a liquid test kit, test strip, and laboratory facility.
• Testing hot tub water expands user experience, and the tub’s lifespan and saves money.
• The hot tub test strip is the most convenient way to test your hot tub water.

Hot Tub Water Testing

Testing hot tub water provides you with an overall situational awareness by providing scientific statistical results of your hot tub water. These numbers help you to figure out what is the current health condition of tubs water, if is there any issue, if any then what it is, how to cure and prevent it, etc. The process of this testing is nothing but the scientific implementation of chemicals and other materials. These chemicals and materials are designed to react with particular target ingredients of tubs water. It causes to drive out problem identifying results.

There are several methods to test hot tub water. Of them, below three are considered the top runners.

• Liquid Test Kit: Liquid test kits involve using droppers filled with either phenol red or orthotolidine to test criteria such as pH and chlorine levels of subjected tubs water.
• Hot Tub Test Strip: These are specially designed strips with chemical-coated pads attached to their surface. One single strip is enough to conduct multiple tests such as pH level, Chlorine-Bromine level, Alkalinity, Salt harness level, etc. at once.
• Professional Water Testing: Professional water testing is a time-money-consuming option but provides you with the most accurate result and diagnostically insights into your tub water. It requires samples to be sent to a lab and professionals will examine it from every angle to determine its issues. They do it precisely by using hi-tech lab machinery.

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10 Benefits of Hot Tub Water Testing

In short, testing hot tub water is necessary to identify the hot tub water issues and take remedial action as per the findings. Some of the benefits of testing hot tub water are:

1. Sufficient Sanitizer: One of the common benefits of hot tub water testing is, it allows the user to identify the current sanitization condition of the hot tub. It helps to take measures against combat germs, bacteria, and other harmful organisms at once.
2. Ensure Correct pH: Maintaining a constant pH is very important for considering water healthy for use. A hot tub water test provides the users with the most probable pH level of the hot tub water. A low pH indicates the rising level of acidic elements within the water.
3. Water Is Acid Resisting: Alkalinity is the natural feature of any water to neutralize acid or resist changes that cause acidity. To avail of such a feature, the users need to constantly monitor the alkalinity level of the hot tub water. Testing the hot tub water benefits, the user to measure this perimeter conveniently.
4. Prevent Algae Growing: A hot tub is usually set indoors or under shade. This creates a natural environment to grow algae and such plant organisms. A quick test in your hot tub can determine if the pH level is above 8.0 ppm, which is ideal for algae growing and taking measures straightway.
5. Battles Salt Hardness: Water contains natural carbonate minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. There are some salts in nature that can cause water hardness in your hot tub. This can become a disadvantage by having a corrosion attack in your hot tub. The level of hardness can’t be measured without hot tub water testing.
6. Avoids Skin Discomfort: Most hot tub water issues can lead to mild to severe skin discomforts such as eye irritation, skin rash, skin ache, dandruff, and other abnormalities. Long exposure to harsh chemicals even causes diseases like cancer. You can catch such chemicals’ presence preliminarily with a hot tub water test.
7. Polluted Water Source: If you are very much disappointed with water issues even after taking intense care and measures, it could lead to bigger facts like a polluted water source. A contaminated water supply line or the water source itself can be identified by a frequent hot tub water test.
8. Hot Tub Maintenance: Hot tub water can become contaminated with hazardous elements if not the tub is not properly maintained. Even after working on the water source and supply lines, if the water still seems contaminated, it is the hot tub that remains in question. A routine test of hot tub water can help you catch the water contamination pattern very easily.
9. Increased Lifespan: A ceramic or concrete-made hot tub may seem very durable. But constant pouring of contaminated water can cause several issues to it. Testing your hot tub water helps you to identify these issues instantly. Preventive measures at the same increase its lifespan significantly.
10. Saves Money: Testing your hot tub water can actually save you money. Testing the water results in the true nature of the hot tub water. It also helps you to identify which chemicals you are using for no reason or more than is needed. Take a quick water test and correctly use such chemicals.

How to Test Hot Tub Water Easily?

Now you know why it is important to test your hot tub water frequently, it is time to ‘how to conduct these tests easily’. There are mainly three ways to test your hot tub’s water.

Liquid Test Kit

It is the old-fashioned way of testing hot tubs, spas, or pool water. It uses solution chemicals to determine the Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Acid Demand, and Alkalinity levels of water. Test steps using liquid test kits:

1. Stop running water in the tub and let it be stable for a minute.
2. Dip the sample collecting vial one foot into the tub and fill it in.
3. For the Chlorine-free test, add 5 drops of chlorine-determining agents to the chlorine tester portion.
4. Wait for 15 seconds and compare the result with the standard set beside.
5. For testing the pH level, add 1 drop of #4 and 5 drops of solution #2 to the pH tester portion.
6. Gently swirl and compare the result with the standard set beside.
7. For the alkalinity test, fill the vial half to the side you used for pH testing.
8. Add 1 drop of solution #4, 2 drops of #5, and infinite drops of #3 until the water turns yellowish.
9. If the last solution requires less than 8 drops to become yellow, then the alkalinity level is low.
10. If it requires more than 12 drops to become yellow, then the alkalinity level is high.

Hot Tub Test Strip

Hot Tub test strips are the most popular methods to test your hot tubs’ water. There are single criteria testing strips to check the issues separately. The ‘all-in-one’ version is there too. The steps in short:

1. Circulate your hot tub water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Bring out a test strip from the container. Make sure not to touch the padded side.
3. Dip the test strip into the tub water in full.
4. Remove the strip from the water and hold it for at least 15 seconds.
5. Now place the strip over the standard color reference chart printed on the bottle.
6. Compare it with the closest one thoroughly.

Professional Water Testing

This test is run by testing labs using high-tech gadgets and professionals. They determine every small detail of water by running diagnostic tests. Contact any of them nearby and arrange to send a sample bottle of your hot tub water. That’s it! The report should be readied within more or less a day along with the to-do’s.

FAQs

1. How often should I test hot tub water?

Perform testing your hot tub water at least once a week for balancing the water properly. But if the use is intense then test more frequently. Don’t forget to test before and after using chemicals.

2. Why is pH important in a hot tub?

Lower pH means acidic elements, which leads to a corrosion effect on the tub. On the other hand, high pH means the water is very basic, which can lead to stains or mineral scaling.

3. What is the standard temperature in a hot tub spa?

Though it depends on the user preference, the majority of the user keeps the hot tubs’ water temperature within 100°-102° Fahrenheit. The highest standard temperature is 104° Fahrenheit.

Final Thoughts

Testing hot tub water is a part of maintaining your hot tub experience cozy, relaxed, and vibrant. While soaking, the last scene you would want to see is cloudy, scum-affected dirty water. It is caused by the contaminated water in your tub for long enough. Along with such visible organisms, contaminated hot tub water can also pose mild to severe health risks. So it is very important to keep your hot tubs water clean. And to do so, you need constant monitoring via testing the tub’s water frequently.  A problem caught firsthand will help you to eliminate its growth instantly.

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