Spa Maintenance

Spa Care Fundamentals

No matter what the occasion, we at HTH™ Water Products want to help you get the most from your pool. HTH™ Spa Care products are designed to make maintaining your spa as easy as possible. Here you'll find all the information you need in order to care for your spa from opening to closing. We provide helpful hints and easy solutions for any problems that may arise, so refer to these pages throughout the year.

Balanced Water

Opening Your Spa

Covering and Closing Your Spa

Routine Cleaning

Balanced Water

To ensure your water is balanced we have created the following chart with suggested hth Spa™ Care Products, which deliver optimal product performance, comfort and crystal clear water.

PARAMETER	WHAT IS IT?	WHEN TO TEST	IDEAL RANGE	PRODUCT USED TO ADJUST LEVELS
pH	A measure of the water's acidity	Every day	7.2-7.6 when using chlorine 7.2-7.8 when using bromine	hth Spa™ pH Increaser or hth Spa™ pH Decreaser
Free Available Chlorine (FAC)	The amount of active chlorine in the water	Every day	3-5 ppm when using chlorine	hth Spa® Chlorinating Granules and hth Spa® Oxidizer
Bromine residual	The amount of bromine sanitizer in the water	Every day	2-4 ppm when using bromine	hth Spa® Brominating Tablets hth® Spa Bromide hth® Spa Bromide Activator
Total Alkalinity (TA)	The water's ability to keep pH at a proper level	Once a week	60-120 ppm	hth Spa® Alkalinity Increaser or hth Spa® pH Decreaser
Total Hardness (TH)	The amount of dissolved calcium in the water	Once a week	Acceptable: 200-800 ppm, Ideal: 200-500 ppm	HTH® Spa Alkalinity Increaser

pH
What Is It?	A measure of the water's acidity
When To Test	Every day
Ideal Range	7.2-7.6 when using chlorine 7.2-7.8 when using bromine
Product Used to Adjust	hth Spa™ pH Increaser or hth Spa™ pH Decreaser

Free Available Chlorine (FAC)
What Is It?	The amount of active chlorine in the water
When To Test	Every day
Ideal Range	3-5 ppm when using chlorine
Product Used to Adjust	hth Spa® Chlorinating Granules and hth Spa® Oxidizer

Bromine residual
What Is It?	The amount of bromine sanitizer in the water
When To Test	Every day
Ideal Range	2-4 ppm when using bromine
Product Used to Adjust	hth Spa® Brominating Tablets hth® Spa Bromide hth® Spa Bromide Activator

Total Alkalinity (TA)
What Is It?	The water's ability to keep pH at a proper level
When To Test	Once a week
Ideal Range	60-120 ppm
Product Used to Adjust	hth Spa® Alkalinity Increaser or hth Spa® pH Decreaser

Total Hardness (TH)
What Is It?	The amount of dissolved calcium in the water
When To Test	Once a week
Ideal Range	Acceptable: 200-800 ppm, Ideal: 200-500 ppm
Product Used to Adjust	HTH® Spa Alkalinity Increaser

Opening Your Spa

If you use Chlorine you should:

Balance:
Test and adjust the total alkalinity, calcium hardness and pH of the water. For recommended ranges, please refer to the Balanced Water Chart.

Sanitize:
Broadcast hth Spa™ Chlorinating Sanitizer over the surface of circulating water. Measure and adjust the free available chlorine (FAC). For startup, do not enter the spa until the FAC level is in the range of 4 - 5 ppm. FAC levels should be maintained in the range of 3 - 5 ppm.

If you use Bromine you should:

Each time your spa is freshly filled with water you will need to add one-half ounce of hth Spa™ Bromide per 100 gallons of water to establish an immediate 30 ppm bromide reserve. The bromide reserve keeps the system completely bromine based, to eliminate odors and to ensure maximum water comfort to skin and eyes. The 30 ppm bromide reserve is not the same as the 2 – 4 ppm bromine level that must be maintained on a daily basis. Any time the spa is drained and refilled hth Spa™ Bromide will need to be added.

Balance:
Test and adjust the total alkalinity, calcium hardness and pH of the water. For recommended ranges, please refer to the Balanced Water Chart.

Sanitize:
Add hth Spa™ Bromine Tablets to the floater (fits all floaters). Test and adjust the bromine residual. Do not enter the spa until the bromine residual level is in the range of 2 – 4 ppm. Bromine levels should be maintained in the range of 2 – 4 ppm.

To convert your spa from bromine to chlorine or vice versa, simply drain your spa and refill it with fresh water.

FIND

Covering and Closing Your Spa

Covering Your Spa

If you are covering your spa for an extended period of time, follow these tips:

If you use chlorine	If you use bromine
Add correct dosage of hth Spa™ Chlorinating Granules while the filter is running. Do this twice a week or as needed to maintain FAC in the range of 3-5 ppm. Blow the water out of the piping, skimmer, filter and heater.	Add correct dosage of hth Spa™ Bromine while the filter is running. Do this twice a week or as needed to maintain the bromine residual in the range of 2-4 ppm.
Ensure the pH, total alkalinity and total hardness levels are maintained in their proper ranges.

Closing Your Spa

If you are closing your spa, please refer to your spa manufacturer’s recommendations. However, if you no longer have this documentation available follow these steps for both chlorine and bromine:

Drain the spa of water.
Blow the water out of the piping, skimmer, filter and heater. If excess water is not removed from the pipes, freezing could occur, potentially causing your pipes to burst.
Remove any remaining water that may be in the foot well or filter area.
Remove all drain plugs, including ones that may be on your heater and replace the cover.
Make sure your spa is unplugged and your heater is off.

FIND

Routine Cleaning

Maintaining your spa is important for keeping your spa water safe and free of problems. Spas operate at a high temperature (up to 104º F/40º C), which can create a high rate of water evaporation and an environment that may promote the growth of bacteria and algae. Heavy use of your spa can cause the water to become cloudy and dull. It may also cause your spa to be more likely to have corrosion, staining and/or scaling. Routine cleaning and proper sanitization can help prevent these problems.

Regardless of whether you use a chlorine or bromine based sanitizer, the following basic routine cleaning tips are recommended:

Maintain FAC in the range of 3 - 5 ppm.
Shower before entering spa.
Shock treat spa weekly.
Maintain TA in the range of 60 - 120 ppm.
Maintain pH in the range of 7.2 - 7.6 (chlorine) or 7.2 - 7.8 (bromine).

Spa Maintenance

If you use Chlorine you should:

If you use Bromine you should:

Covering Your Spa

If you use chlorine

If you use bromine

Closing Your Spa

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