When you’re ready to enjoy your spa, it’s a bummer to discover the water has turned cloudy. While it’s not uncommon and isn’t too difficult to fix, cloudy water means you have some work to do on your hot tub filters and chemical balances.
One thing we don’t like to do at Life’s Great Hot Tub Company is use “spa” and “work” in the same sentence. So make sure the water in your spa stays crystal clear by following these tips:
Replace and clean filters regularly – The most common cause of cloudy water is old or dirty spa filters. If they aren’t cleaned or replaced regularly it’s only a matter of time before filters clog and the hot tub water gets cloudy. Filters should be rinsed every two to four weeks and with every water change. Every three to four months pre-rinse the filter and soak it overnight in a filter cleaning compound. Replace them at least once a year and sooner if you notice any damage.
Make Sure You’re Filtering Enough — When a spa filtration system doesn’t run frequently enough debris accumulates quickly. This makes it more difficult to filter it out when the system does run and cuts down on its effectiveness. This means more debris remains suspended in the water causing cloudiness. Depending on the model, a spa filter needs to run anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day to keep things clean.
Keep the Spa Clean and Covered — For hot tubs located outside, Mother Nature throws leaves, grass clippings, pollen, and a host of other things into the water. That’s why it’s important to keep the spa clean and also covered when it isn’t in use. While a sanitizer, such as chlorine or bromine, will combat these natural invaders, these chemicals can’t keep pace with killing the bacteria and algae if they are dealing with leaves instead. Once the chemicals get overwhelmed the debris takes over creating cloudy spa water.
Balance Chemical Levels — When chemical levels get out of sync, there’s a domino effect that triggers water issues ranging from cloudiness to algae.
The key levels to monitor are:
• Alkalinity – should be between 80 and 120.
• PH levels – should be between 7.2 and 7.8.
• Sanitizer levels – Chlorine 1.5 – 3.0 and Bromine 3.0 – 5.0.
When impurities get into the water from bathers or other environmental sources, these particles intensify if sanitizer levels are low. The result is cloudy spa water.
We recommend checking your hot tub’s chemical levels twice a week
Check the water source – In some situations, the cause of a cloudy hot tub is the source of the water. For example, when calcium levels are too high it will result in cloudy water. Adding a calcium hardness decrease is a quick fix for this issue. For hot tubs that are filled with lake or well water, tannins or oxidized minerals such as iron oxide can generate cloudy water right off the bat. The key here is to test the source water to check for any suspect levels that may impact water quality.
Visit our Hot Tub Showroom! ›If you have any questions about the maintenance of your spa, don’t hesitate to contact Life’s Great Hot Tub Company at (518) 878-3132. Schedule a service call with one of our certified technicians who can answer questions, walk you through the water testing process and even give you some hot tub troubleshooting tips.
Hot Tub & Endless Swim Spas Delivery & Maintenance to the following areas: Malta, Ballston Spa, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Albany, Glens Falls, Troy, Schenectady, Colonie & Latham, NY. Click for a full list of cities in Upstate NY where we can deliver and install our Life’s Great Hot Tubs and Swim Spas.
