How to Lower the Alkalinity In Your Hot Tub in 3 Steps
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When you’re doing your weekly hot tub water testing, alkalinity is one of the chemicals you check, along with chlorine and pH, at a minimum. You may notice the signs of high alkalinity in a hot tub before you see the numbers. Your hot tub could have a greenish tinge to the water or become cloudy, or you could experience skin and eye irritation.
It’s important you lower the alkalinity in your hot tub immediately when you notice it. Left unchecked, high alkalinity in a hot tub can corrode the components and lead to a big repair bill.
Here’s how to lower the alkalinity in your hot tub in just three steps.
What Is Alkalinity?
Alkalinity is a measure of the ability of a solution to neutralize acids; in a hot tub, alkalinity helps stabilize the pH level by neutralizing acids..
A substance with high alkalinity, such as detergent or baking soda, will have a higher pH than an acidic solution, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Alkaline solutions have a pH greater than 7. Acidic substances have a pH lower than 7.
While water has a neutral pH, usually around 7, hot tub water should be kept at a pH of around 7.6—slightly alkaline.
The alkalinty of baking soda is one of the reasons you can use it to increase alkalinity in a hot tub, and you can use vinegar to lower the alkalinity.
Ideal Alkalinity of a Hot Tub
A generally accepted alkalinity level for a hot tub is 80 to 120 ppm. This level gives the hot tub water a bit of a wiggle room so it’s possibility for the alkalinity level to drop a bit between testings without causing a issue.
Just like chlorine and pH, alkalinity plays just as an important role in keeping a hot tub clean and clear. If the alkalinity level is off, it could corrode parts and irritate a swimmer’s skin. Also, an elevated alkalinity level can make your hot tub green, cloudy, and unappealing to swim in.
Tip
Scaling or flakes in the water are another sign of higher than normal alkalinity levels, but this would also mean that the pH is significantly off and needs to be corrected as well.
Causes of High Alkalinity
Lotion
Perfume
Body Lotion
Sunscreen
Sweat
Human error
Too many chemicals
How to Lower Alkalinity
If the alkalinity of a hot tub is high it should not be too difficult to lower it back to the correct level once the proper supplies are located. The following is a general method that can be used to lower the alkalinity level in a hot tub.
Gather supplies. Find some distilled white vinegar or other acidic substance and measuring cup.
Add vinegar to hot tub. Pour in ½ cup vinegar for every 100 gallons of water in the hot tub.
Retest the water. Wait 24 hours, then retest the water. Adjust again as necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can baking soda lower the alkalinity in a hot tub?
Baking soda is a common way to raise alkalinity in a hot tub, not lower. However, when using baking soda in a hot tub, watch for scaling to form in the water.
How do you lower alkalinity quickly?
To lower alkalinity quick, add an acid such as vinegar to the water. Be careful not to add too much, an acidic hot tub is just as dangerous and unwanted as a high alkalinity hot tub.
Is it ok to go in a hot tub with a high alkalinity level?
If you go in a hot tub with a higher alkalinity reading than normal, your eyes could burn and your skin can become irritated, this is why it is not recommended to go in a hot tub with a high alkalinity level.
Read the original article on The Spruce.
