Set up and Maintain Spa Water Bromine
It can be very easy to set up and maintain your hot tub or spa water with Bromine. Here are some easy steps to follow!
Steps
- The first thing you want to do is test your basic fill water and figure out what you need to do to balance it. You'll want to test the pH and the Alkalinity Levels, as well as the Calcium Hardness levels. There are kits that allow you to do this at home, but you can also take a sample to your local pool and spa store and they should be able to test it for you.
- Adjust your Alkalinity level. 80-120 PPM is ideal. This helps to keep your pH levels steady. I recommend Alkalinity Increaser by Bio-Guard. The bottles will tell you how much to add, or if you tested in store, they will tell you exactly what you need.
- PH Level should be between 7.4 and 7.6. Add chemicals to adjust this as needed. I recommend PH Increaser and PH Decreaser by Bio-guard. On most hot tubs, you'll only need a couple tablespoons of either to get you to the right spot.
- Calcium Hardness measure the amount of dissolved calcium in your water. If it is too high, you will get calcium deposits in your lines and equipment. If it is too low, like with soft water, it will corrode your equipment. An ideal level is between 150-250. If you water is too hard, you'll want to use Stain & Scale products to protect your equipment. If it's too soft, you can use Calcium Hardness Increaser by Bio-Guard.
- Once your water is balanced, you can add your Bromine! If you are using tablets, I recommend putting in 2-3 and giving your tub a boost with 2 tbs of Bromine powdered concentrate. This will put a good reserve into your water.
- You will also want to Shock your water with a non-Chlorine shock, such as Bioguard Spa Shock. This will clear the water of any additional contaminants.
- Now that your water is set up and balanced, how do you keep it maintained?
- On a once-weekly basis you will need to: shock your hot tub. Add 2-3 tbs of shock with the jets running and wait 15 minutes. THEN test the water for bromine, pH, and alkalinity levels with your test kit or test strips. In general, you want your bromine level at 3-5 parts per million. Right after you shock it, you may see a higher number. Don't worry about that! Keep your alkalinity within range and your PH will stay pretty steady as well.
Tips
- Research the difference between Chlorine and Bromine in hot tubs so that you will further understand how bromine works. It could save you a lot of money in the long run!
- Also, when you are new to owning a hot tub and testing water, feel free to test it at home AND to take it in to a professional for testing. This way you'll keep your safe, clean water and you'll also be learning and verifying your tests.
Warnings
- If your water looks or smells odd, take a sample to a professional. Healthy hot tub water will NEVER smell like dirty socks, have a brown or green tinge, or leave your skin itchy and affected.
- Do not use chlorine AND bromine in the same water. They can react with each other. Make sure the shock you purchase is NON-Chlorine shock.
