How to Lower Alkalinity in Your Hot Tub

Everyone wants a hot tub, and you might still be celebrating finally getting one when the reality of caring for it sets in. While you will need to do a few things to keep the water clean and hygienic, you don't have to let hot tub care ruin that relaxing feeling that your new water feature provides.

A large part of keeping the water clear comes down to knowing how to reduce alkalinity in hot tub water, and this guide will help you start putting together the perfect care plan.

What Is Alkalinity and How Does It Relate to pH?

Alkalinity and pH levels are two measurements that you can use to make sure the water chemistry is balanced. The pH level tells you the acidity of the water. The alkalinity level tells you how well the water can neutralize high levels of acids.

What Happens If the Alkalinity Gets Too High?

When the alkalinity level gets too high, it might begin to neutralize acids in the water too well. This has the effect of causing the sanitizers you put into the water to be ineffective.

Extremely high levels of alkalinity essential render chlorine useless, which can cause algae and other unwanted materials to build up. At this point, the water will be green and potentially unsafe to sit in.

Knowing how to decrease alkalinity in hot tub water makes it possible to get the water back to clear and helps you to avoid having to constantly dump more chemicals into the water.

What Is the Ideal Range for Alkalinity?

Alkalinity is measured differently from pH, and you'll be looking at the parts per million, or ppm, to determine your next steps. Ideal alkalinity levels stay within the range of 100 to 150 ppm. If the levels go higher than that, then you'll need to take action.

What Causes High Alkalinity?

• Too many cleaning/balancing chemicals
• Chemicals from hot tub users, such as sunscreen, perfume, and topical medicines
• The water source, such as a public water supplier, has high levels
• You accidentally poured in products that increase alkalinity.

How to Lower Alkalinity

Like many aspects of hot tub care, you'll find that lowering alkalinity isn't that difficult. To figure out how to lower alkalinity in a hot tub, you'll first want to use a test strip to determine the current level. If it is too high, then you'll need to use chemicals such as diluted hydrochloric acid or sodium bisulfate.

As you do, make sure to read the instructions to use the proper proportions. Once you measure out your product, you'll then turn on your hot tub to begin circulating the product and pour it in.

You'll then run the hot tub for 20 minutes, and let the water sit for about an hour after you turn it off. Then, you can check the alkalinity levels to make sure they are lowered. As a final note, always make sure to check the pH level after you perform this procedure to make sure that everything falls within the proper levels.

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