Hot tub chemicals and supplies

Healthy hot tub water takes a sanitizer to kill bacteria, a shock to break down what bathers leave behind, test strips to see where you stand, and a few products to keep pH, alkalinity and calcium in range. You'll find all of them at our Langley showroom, along with replacement filters and filter cleaner.

What a basic kit contains

Useful extras include scale and stain control, clarifier, a line flush for draining day, and cover cleaner and conditioner.

Chlorine or bromine?

Both work well. The choice is mostly about routine:

• Chlorine, usually granules made for hot tubs, acts quickly and is easy to adjust after a busy evening. It's normally added after use or every few days.
• Bromine, usually tablets in a floating dispenser, releases slowly and stays steady in hot water, so it suits people who'd rather top up a dispenser than dose after every soak.

Pick one and stick with it; switching from one to the other is best done with a drain and refill. Ozone and UV systems reduce how much sanitizer a tub uses, but they don't replace it. If your tub has a salt system, it makes chlorine for you: see saltwater hot tubs.

Filters

The filter does much of the work of keeping water clear. Rinse it every couple of weeks, soak it in filter cleaner every month or two, and replace it when the pleats are torn or flattened or it won't come clean. Filters come in many sizes and fittings, so bring the old one to the showroom and we'll match it, or tell us your tub's make and model. A spare means the tub keeps running while one dries.

Your local water matters

Tap water across the Fraser Valley varies more than most people expect, and it changes what a fresh fill needs:

• Very soft water: most homes in Langley, Maple Ridge, Abbotsford and Mission get very soft water. That's good for avoiding scale, but water with too little calcium tends to foam and can be hard on heaters and seals, so you'll likely need calcium hardness increaser when you fill.
• Soft water: Surrey's supply is a little harder but still soft, and most tubs there benefit from added calcium too.
• Harder water: Aldergrove's water is much harder, and Chilliwack's groundwater sits in between. In harder water, scale control helps protect the heater and keeps white deposits off the shell and jets.

Our water care guide explains the target ranges and how to balance a fresh fill.

Water testing at the showroom

Bring a sample of your tub water to the showroom and we'll test it and tell you what to add, and in what order. Fill a clean container from about elbow depth, away from the jets, and bring it in within a few hours.

Starting out with a new tub

A sensible first order:

1. Test strips
2. Your sanitizer: chlorine granules, or bromine tablets with a dispenser
3. A non-chlorine shock
4. pH increaser and decreaser, and alkalinity increaser
5. Calcium hardness increaser if you're on very soft water
6. Filter cleaner and a spare filter

When we install a tub, we balance the first fill and walk you through the routine. For the bigger jobs, see maintenance visits.