Balancing Spa Water
Proper water balance is the cornerstone of a well functioning spa. Without balanced water, the sanitizer can't do it's job. The need for balanced water isn't specific to pools or spas, city pipes can be damaged or build up scaling if the pH or alkalinity are off. So any city-fed water undergoes treatment at a facility and should therefore be fairly balanced by the time it arrives at your house spigot. Now, whether or not that water is balanced enough to create an ideal environment in your hot tub needs to be determined empirically, and this can change over time. Balanced water means achieving ideal levels of total alkalinity, calcium hardness and pH, in that order.
- Total Alkalinity (TA)
- Calcium Hardness (CH)
- Potential Hydrogen (pH)
Total Alkalinity (TA) is the first parameter to be optimized as it affects certain other parameters as well. High levels of TA will not allow pH to change from additions of acids or bases, low levels can be corrosive to concrete and metals and form stains, as well as lead to pH bounce. Ideal TA levels are between 80-120 PPM and can be raised with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3). If the TA is too high and needs to be lowered, it is recommended to simply decrease the pH.
Last but definitely not least, the goal of achieving the ideal pH range is to keep your water safe for bathers, keep your equipment in safe working order, and to keep your sanitizing chemicals working efficiently. According to WebMD tap water in the U.S. can fall below 5.3 on the pH scale depending on where you live. The pH range is generally accepted as 0-14 though certain chemicals can, in fact, go beyond this range. If the pH is lower than 7 then it is considered acidic and might corrode the spa hardware as well as cause skin and eye irritation. If the pH is greater than 7 it is considered basic and can reduce the effectiveness of the sanitizer or make the water cloudy. The ideal pH range for a spa is 7.4-7.6 (the human eye has a pH of 7.5) but anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is generally accepted as balanced. The effectiveness of certain sanitizers (especially chlorine) will begin to degrade quickly when pH is outside of this recommended range. If the pH is too high, Dry acid (Sodium Bisulfate - NaHSO4) or Muriatic Acid can be used to decrease, whereas Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate - Na2CO3) can be used to raise the pH if it is too low.
It's important to maintain balanced water so that Sensa Spa can operate correctly. If the water becomes unbalanced, then it's possible that Sensa Spa will not be able to operate optimally. Generally, if the water becomes unbalanced, the pH will begin to drift and the pH sensor inside of the product will detect this, alerting the user to re-balance.
