Today we will discuss how it is to live with a hot tub, the hard work to you have to go through to keep the water clear and healthy for both the hot tub and the users of it. Also, we will talk about organic alternatives that not many people have even considered them as being effective in any way.
Table Of Contents
Living with a hot tub
Hot tubs can be found anywhere you go they have several purposes. A portable hot tub can be used for personal relaxation, it's an excellent addition to a party, and it can even be used for therapy. Many types of pain can be treated with a hot tub especially the kind of pain that comes with old age. A hot tub can be a good source of fun and relaxation, but there is a downside to it. If you don't pay close attention and without a well-scheduled maintenance system, sitting water is the perfect place for bacteria and microorganisms to grow in the water and can be very unhealthy for both the hot tub and the ones that are using it.
To fight against these unwanted guests, hot tub owners have at their disposal a cocktail of chlorine, bromides and many other chemicals that are almost as dangerous if you don't use them correctly. Luckily, if you want to stay away from chemicals, there are organic ways that hot tub owners can use to treat the water.
What chemicals are available to use
Chlorine is highly effective when it comes to water treatment. Hot tub owners have been using it for a long time; it's available in granular form and tablets measuring 1 inch. The granules can be added directly to the hot tub depending on the quantity of water you are dealing with to keep the water free of unwanted germs and bacteria. If you plan on using the tablets which are the most common choice of hot tub owners, you will need a floating chemical dispenser that usually comes with the hot tub, but if you did not receive one, don't worry as it can be purchased separately, once you have the floating dispenser just add several chlorine tablets inside and place the dispenser on the water.
As a reminder if you haven't read the user's guide the hot tub comes with a 3 way test kit that measures the pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness in the water, you must use the test every time you think about adding chlorine because the key to a healthy hot tub is keeping these 3 in balance and correct parameters.
Bromine is most commonly used by hot tub owners to treat the water. It does its job very well, and unlike Chlorine, it doesn't leave an unpleasant smell. Bromine, the same as Chlorine tablets is available in 1-inch tablets that also have to be added into the hot tub using the floating chemical dispenser. With Bromine as well you have to use the 3 way test kit to achieve the perfect balance between pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness. If these 3 major components are not in normal parameters, it can be very harmful not just to yourself but to the hot tub alike. The water will become very unfriendly to the major components of your hot tub, like pumps, heating system, and water jets.
Ozone is a highly efficient way of treating the water of your hot tub. This is an alternative to Bromine or Chlorine in case you or someone else that wants to use the hot tub is allergic to any of them. Most people believe that Ozone is a chemical free product, but that is not true; Ozone is indeed a chemical.
When using Ozone you must test the water for pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness to achieve the balance that will not only protect yourself but the water and the hot tub and all of its components.
Nature 2 is as well a highly effective and is a very good choice if you don't want to use Chlorine or Bromine. Most people say that Nature 2 is almost as efficient as Chlorine being very popular recently. You still have to check the pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness when using Nature 2, because the balance of these 3 is extremely critical to the life of your hot tub.
Sea salt can be used to clean water, and it's so organic that there are no health and safety risks when using it when using just follow the instruction of the manufacturer.
Seaweed enzymes can also be used if you want to stay away from chemicals and want an organic Hot tub. The Enzymes feed on organic materials such as dead skin cells or other oils that the body produces, after the feast they biodegrade, and you will not even note they were there in the first place.
No chemicals or any other type of additives at all
Some Hot tub owners strongly believe that there is no need for additional additives to be added to the hot tub and that the filtering system does its job just fine. Most people will probably not going to believe this as it sounds too good to be true. They might be onto something, studies have shown that particular regions don't require any types of additives to be used and the water will stay fresh for a long time.
Final Verdict
In conclusion, I would like to add one more time how important is to have a well-scheduled maintenance system and to keep in balance the three main proprieties of water pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness. It doesn't matter what type of disinfectant you want to use, most people use strong chemicals like Chlorine or Bromine but if you think they are harmful or someone using the hot tub is allergic to any of them there are alternatives, even organic.
