Everyone wants to dip into a hot tub that is clear enough to see its bottom, this is why it is really important to know how to clear up hot tub water. Aside from it being more comforting and relaxing to dip into a clear and clean tub, cloudy hot tub water also indicates issues or dilemmas, these are items that should not be neglected and must be acted upon quickly.
Some of the most important things to know are the primary causes of why your hot tub water is too dirty or cloudy. By identifying the said causes, it would be easier to recognize the solutions that will make your hot tub water nice and clear. In this guide, we are going to give you enough ideas that will surely be useful as you take care of your personal or commercial tubs.
Part 1. Why Is Your Hot Tub Hazy?
Before we get a guide to how to clear up hot tub water, let us first grasp some ideas figuring out why your hot tub became too hazy to swim in. Possible causes can happen overnight, and being aware of some of them can help you deal with the preventive actions helping you save money, time, and even effort.
1. Your hot tub water has low bromine or chlorine levels.
There are seasons that people might swarm in your hot tubs, and once there become too many, this will also mean the introduction of too many contaminants which can affect the efficiency of your sanitizer. Once there are too many of these contaminants from bathers such as shampoo, lotion, body oils, and a lot more, chlorine or bromine which are present in your pools will tirelessly function. Once they are well-used up, as time goes on, their levels will become too low, resulting in a hazy or cloudy pool.
2. The levels of minerals and metal in your hot tub are too high.
When introducing minerals, and chemicals in your tub, there are specific levels to follow. As time goes on, stained tub surfaces and hazy water can be caused by high metal levels. You also have to watch for the calcium levels in your tub, it must be within the range of 175 and 250 pp, once it is too high cloudiness of hot tub water will be observed. There is also a high chance to see the presence of scales on your tub.
3. Your tub has high pH and alkalinity levels.
Aside from the levels of minerals and metal, you also have to carefully watch the levels of your pH and alkalinity. Once they are too high, it can result in having scales inside your tub plumbing and surfaces of the hot tub as well. You will also likely experience the growth of bacteria, hazy or cloudy water, and poor filtration. It will also highly affect the water chemistry of your tub. For your reference, the level of pH must be in between the range of 7.4 and 7.6, and the alkalinity levels between 100 and 150 ppm.
4. Presence of contaminants such as algae.
One of the common causes of why your tub is hazy is the presence of too many contaminants or even the infestation of algae. There are cases where you will see particles such as dried leaves, grasses, and other debris leaving you with a tub of water that is hazy. Once there are too many of these contaminants, chlorine will work harder, and may not be able to keep up as time goes on. Also, one of the strong indications of algae infestation is having cloudy tub water.
5. You have poor filtration.
One of the things that you have to always watch in tubs and pools is proper circulation and filtration. It is the heart of your tubs and pools. If the filter is not good enough to catch contaminants and particles, then you might see cloudy hot tub water eventually. The said particles will decompose into your water if not filtered, causing your water to become hazy and dirty.
6. There is already a build-up of biofilm.
The plumbing of your tub is at risk once there is a build-up of lotions, sweat, bacteria, body oils, and other contaminants. It can happen within several months, and once it has been there for too long, there will be a protective layer called biofilm which will become resistant to any chemicals that you will apply on it. As a result, there is a higher possibility that these contaminants will be circling back to your water causing it to be cloudy and slimy.
These are only some of the most common and most encountered causes of having hazy or cloudy hot tub water. Once you have learned these causes, you can finally deviate a maintenance plan that can help avoid any presence of these. On the other hand, if you are already at a point where you are having a hard time dealing with them and you are looking for ways how to clear up hot tub water, we are going to share more of these, below.
Part 2. Fixes To Your Hazy Hot Tub Water
Now, let us all figure out ways about how to clear up hot tub water in this part of the article. These items would be of huge help especially if you are already having a hard time dealing with your cloudy hot tub water. Let us see what fixes do we have here, to help you achieve a nice, clean, and clear hot tub water.
1. Check all the chemical levels of your hot tub.
As we have discussed in the initial part of this guide, unbalanced water chemistry causes your hot tub to become too cloudy or hazy, and if this happens you must act right away. Get test strips and get the levels of important hot tub water components like alkalinity, pH, chlorine, bromine levels, and a lot more. In case you are out of range, you can add chemicals such as the decreaser or the increaser types, so you can adjust the levels based on what is needed or required. In adding chemicals to your hot tub, check the air valves and cover, they must be both off, and then turn your bathtub on.
- pH level: 7.4 - 7.6
- Total alkalinity: 100 - 150 ppm
- Sanitizer levels: Chlorine 3-5 ppm/Bromine 4-6pp
2. Perform hot tub shocking.
One of the greatest fighters in addressing haziness is the presence of sanitizers. They must be of the right level, enough to combat all the contaminants that are causing the cloudiness. It is recommended to perform shocking in your tub once every week depending on how frequently it is used as well as the load of bathers that use it.
3. Always make sure to clean and rinse all your filters.
Never miss rinsing all your filters regularly. If you frequently use your tub, this would also mean that filters should be cleaned often. On the other hand, cleaning it once a month would also really help.
4. Use clarifiers on your hot tubs.
Once you are done with chemical balancing and hot tub shocking, you can now add clarifiers to get rid of the haziness in your hot tub water. They are used as coagulants combining all the small particles enough to be filtered-ready any time.
5. Try to drain and refill your tub.
Another solution to try is to drain your hot tub to a certain level and refill it once more. There are cases where through the process of evaporation, solids will become too suspended in your hot tub water, and once they have built up, they will be too difficult to deal with or remove. It is recommended to do it at least twice a year depending on how often you encounter a hazy or cloudy hot tub water.
And these are only some of the fixes that you can execute right away to deal with haziness in your hot tub! These points can finally answer your search for how to clear up hot tub water, in case you encounter a dirty tub! With the help of these fixes, it will never be impossible to finally have a relaxing dip in your hot tub while thinking of every plan you have for the future! Besides bathtub cleaning, if you want to learn how to clear up cloudy pool water, you can click here to find out more.
Part 3. Conclusion
The maintenance of a hot tub also equates to the responsibilities you have when owning a pool! There can be levels and tips that differ, but it is always part of the main agenda to keep it clean, clear, safe to swim in, and healthy all the time! Looking for guides on how to address dilemmas such as how to clear up hot tub water means that you own up to the responsibilities and tasks of a very committed hot tub owner!