Spa maintenance is in most cases simple and straightforward.

Spa maintenance is in most cases simple and straightforward. Keep the water balanced, sanitized, and filtered. In most spas it is also recommended to change the water every 4-6 months.

Please remember that this article contains general information only and is not intended as a complete spa care guide. Be sure to follow the instructions from your spa’s manufacturer. Now that you have made the decision to purchase your first spa, you need to treat the water chemically to eliminate bacteria. Your local pool dealer will be able to help you. Bring the dealer a sample of the water in your spa so they can test it.

Maintaining the chemicals in the proper range will give you many years of enjoyment with your spa. Some of the tests they do are to determine the levels of:

• Chlorine, Bromine, or BaquaSpa
• pH
• Total Alkalinity
• Stabilizer (if needed)
• Calcium Hardness

Chlorine, Bromine, and BaquaSpa are all sanitizers. They are actually the products that kill bacteria and algae in the water. Stabilizer is used to keep sunlight from removing Chlorine from the water so it is mostly used on outdoor spas.

Most people are familiar with pH (potential Hydrogen for all those of you that wandered what that stands for) and Total Alkalinity. These relate to how acidic or basic the water is. If they are out of the correct range the water will start to corrode any metal parts and some plastic and rubber parts.

The Calcium Hardness level is important to maintain in the range your local dealer suggests. If it gets too high, as water passes through the heating element, it will cause scale to build up and very soon your heating element will fail due to a chemical problem. This would not be something the spa manufacturer would cover under warranty.