Water balancing (adjusting the Total Alkalinity and pH of the water) is very important when using traditional hot tub sanitiser which only work properly over a small pH range. If the pH is not correct before adding chlorine or bromine to the water then bacteria may not be fully eradicated and the hot tub will be unsafe to use.

Badly unbalanced hot tub water can also be responsible for foaming, scum, discolouration and even permanent damage to your hot tub equipment.

The first step in balancing hot tub water is to adjust the Total Alkalinity, followed by the pH and then the Hardness, if necessary.

If you are finding constant water balancing too much bother then we have a completely new product, eco3spa, that relies on Active Oxygen as the sanitiser. Active Oxygen works well over a much wider pH range that Chlorine or Bromine so constant water balancing isn't necessary.

surespa Alkalinity Increaser - 1kg More Information
£7.95

Maintaining the Total Alkalinity oh your hot tub water within the correct range is the key to water balancing when you are using either Chlorine or Bromine as your sanitiser. Low Total Alkalinity will cause the pH to fluctuate widely and make consistent balancing impossible. Alkalinity that is too high will make it impossible to adjust the pH.

Always adjust the Total Alkalinity before anything else.

Your objective is to get the pH right so that your chlorine or bromine sanitiser works properly, but you won't be able to do that unless you get the Total Alkalinity right first.
surespa pH Reducer - 1.5kg More Information
£7.75

Hot tub water with a pH that is too high can significantly reduce the efficiency of Chlorine and Bromine making your hot tub unsafe to use. Other symptoms of high pH can include scale on surfaces and cloudy water and the need for frequent filter cleaning.

surespa pH Reducer will bring the pH down to the level required by your sanitiser and also help to avoid potential problems caused by limescale build-up.

surespa pH Reducer can also be used to reduce the TA if required.
surespa pH Increaser - 1kg More Information
£6.50

In addition to reduced sanitiser efficiency, symptoms of low pH in hot tub water include skin and eye irritation, excessive sanitiser use and potential corrosion of the pumps and heater with pitting or etching on the spa shell surface.
If the pH of your water is below 7.2 it is important to raise it using pH Increaser.

If you are unable to maintain an appropriate pH level in your tub the most likely cause is that the the Total Alkalinity is too low. Always correct the Total Alkalinity balance before you attempt to balance the pH.
surespa ScaleAway - 1lt More Information
£10.40

Hot tubs 'scale-up' just like your kettle does if you live in an area of the country with hard water.

surespa ScaleAway will stop the minerals in the water forming hard scale deposits which can build up rapidly on spa surfaces, particularly at high water temperatures and when the spa water is particularly hard.
surespa ScaleAway prolongs the life of your hot tub by prevent scale damage to pumps, heaters and seals.
It will also help to prevent unsightly scum lines around the waterline and it will not affect the water balance of your hot tub water.
surespa Hardness Increaser - 1kg More Information
£7.60

Calcium hardness is the measure of how much lime (calcium) is dissolved in your water.
The hardness of your spa water will be overwhelmingly influenced by the hardness of the mains water supply to your home and that is dependent on where you live and the source of your water supply.
If you live in the South of England, you most likely have hard water, with lots of calcium dissolved in your source water. If you live in Scotland, Wales or the North of England, you most likely have soft water with a very low amount of calcium in your water.
Hot tub water with very low total hardness (very soft water) can cause etching to occur on the tub surfaces which will become abrasive and uncomfortable for bathers.