We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. I was thinking maybe I should bring my own test strips and check it before entering. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.) So what is pH? The total alkalinity is the buffer of pH, if it is not balanced correctly, the pH will not give you a correct reading. There is no unpleasant odor in salt water hot tubs. What chemical is typically given the rap for these water characteristics? Is that normal? A big cause of this rise in PH comes from the main function of the hot tub….the jets! My home hot tub seems clean, smells good, looks good and I work hard to keep it that way BUT I use 2 different types of test strips and one reports v.high PH whereas the other below OK PH…mixed readings, I’m confused and yet TA is OK. Not sure which PH Chemical to put in….used it last night (2 people) and PH increased. If the rash doesn’t seem to be getting better and starts to spread, you may need to see your doctor and obtain some antibiotics. These cookies do not store any personal information. If you have a bad case of hot tub rash (which it sounds like you do), try using a cold compress on the affected areas. If it is below 7.2 your water is acidic, which will also cause sanitizer to work poorly, your eyes to burn, and can damage your hot tub. If you have test strips available to you, it may not be a bad idea to take along with you. In addition, we recommend periodically (once per month) taking a water sample to a dealer test station to verify the results. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Levels lower than 7 are too acidic and levels higher than 7 are alkaline (not acidic enough). The gold standard pH level for a hot tub is 7.5. This section is for those with unusual pH and/or Total Alkalinity relationships, and have trouble getting them into balance. If you're new to spa water chemistry, read the ABCs of Water Chemistry and Hot Tub Prep & Maintenance, first.. 99% of spa owners will have … Chlorine is much less effective at higher pH levels; in fact, at a pH of 8.2, chlorine is only 15% effective. Although they are designed to do the same thing, pay attention to which chemical you are using, because how you add the chemical differs. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout. Test the hot tub's pH level with a water test kit 12 inches below the water's surface. Salt water hot tubs have fewer harsh chemicals that save your money and skin. What should I use to get my skin to stop burning and itching from being exposed to a high ph in a spa, the maintance person said to rinse off real well, I have rinsed off and showered twice and my skin is still irratated.thanks, Comments must be approved before appearing, 471 S Deseret Dr There are two main ways to raise/increase the pH in your hot tub. You’ve likely seen the signs at hot tubs at the gym that … Now my skin is burning and itching. FROG Serene Floating System (formerly SPA FROG), FROG Serene In-Line System (formerly SPA FROG), Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) calculator, You might have added too much pH reducer in an attempt to lower the pH of your hot tub, Your local water source may have a low pH, this may be the culprit if you are continually having to add pH increasing chemicals, Heavy hot tub usage can introduce a large amount of natural contaminants (i.e. For more than 20 years, FROG has sanitized pool and hot tubs in its unique, patented way. Download App for Android, ©2021 King Technology, Inc. All rights reserved  |   Call Customer Service 1-800-222-0169  |   www.kingtechnology.com. It should only be like $10 or $15 for a decent test where you put, for example, 1ml test water into a test tube, and add the reagent dropwise, counting until the color changes. The pH of human skin is 5.5, which means we lower the pH of the hot tub each time we enjoy it. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. When the pH is either too high or too low, that’s when some of the most common problems with hot tub water chemistry start to happen. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Help! pH: 7.2–7.8 To prevent getting hot tub folliculitis from bath sponges, soak them in a gallon of water with ¾ cup of chlorine bleach for at least 5 … A pH of 7.9 or higher means the water is alkaline and can lead to cloudy water and scaling of the pool’s parts. The lower the pH level, the more acidic your hot tub water is. Hot tubs like to live between 7.2 and 7.8. Adjusting pH can be deceiving because the pH scale is … Acidic water, as you might imagine, can be irritating to soak in. Water with pH levels that are too low can start to damage your hot tub lining and plumbing, but too high can cause buildup and scaling that clogs things up and is hard to remove. In the future, you can use the smell and eye test to judge whether or not a hot tub is safe to get into. Bad News: Harsh, toxic chemicals and bacterial overgrowth is whats causing your dry, itchy skin. Even if you suspect that the alkalinity of your hot tub water is … This is just a matter of basic chemistry, aeration of a solution causes a rise in PH. Stay up-to-date with new product information, tips and more from FROG Products . The second way is to raise your hot tub’s pH by adding new water. https://hottubwarehouse.com/blogs/posts/effects-of-highlow-hot-tub-ph When your hot tub has a high pH level, it means the water is basic and over time high pH levels can cause the water to scale on your filters, plugs, pipes, jets and other equipment. A pH level that is too high or too low causes skin and eye irritation, affects equipment and pool/hot tub/spa surfaces, and has an impact on the effectiveness of sanitizers. Hot tubs and spas work best when the pH balance is neutral. Good luck! Why is my hot tub’s pH low? 7 is the neutral PH level but in your hot tub you want to aim to get your PH between 7.2 and 7.8. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Harm from High pH Levels The hot tub also has problems from high pH levels. PH is the measure of how acidic or how alkaline your water is. To keep your hot tub pH in check, you should have a pH increaser and a pH decreaser. Total alkalinity is the ability to control pH. Thats right the jets themselves cause the PH in your spa to go up. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 with 7.0 being neutral. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If you were to add baking soda to your hot tub, and the pH was higher than 8.3, it would actually lower the pH level. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Take a bucket of 8 gallons size and fill it up to three quarters level with your hot … For beginner’s, alkalinity or pH level – all these terms might sound alien or right out of a chemistry experiment! Chemical caused hot tub rash often only affects specific people in family and rarely causes a family wide breakout. A low pH level means your hot tub water is acidic, which can not only cause corrosion of surfaces and equipment, it can also reduce your ability to control Total Alkalinity and cause an uncomfortable experience for your family and guests, as acidic water will sting eyes and remove the natural oils on skin, leaving it dry and itchy. Here is a simple way to understand the difference between pH and total alkalinity: Think of the pH as the thermometer on your furnace's thermostat. The pH level should range from 7.2 to 7.8. We have seen low pH corrode equipment and the inside liner of the hot tub. With standard test strips you could over chlorinate/brominate which wastes money. If pH is too high or too low, the water could feel uncomfortable to swimmers. Below are a few reasons why your hot tub’s pH level may be a bit high: How to lower your hot tub’s pH While a low alkalinity level may not immediately be noticeable on hot tub equipment and surfaces, a low alkalinity level will often drive the pH level in the hot tub down, turning the hot tub water more acidic, resulting in itchy dry skin and irritated eyes. Many things can lower the pH in your hot tub: How to raise your hot tub’s pH There are two main chemicals typically used to decrease pH in hot tubs, muriatic acid and dry acid (also known as sodium bisulfate). All of these natural contaminants can lower the pH level in your hot tub, Organic matter such as grass, insects and dust are common organic matter that can lower the pH, Shocking your hot tub will lower the pH regardless of what type of shock you use, Local water source may have a higher than normal pH level, You might have added a little too much pH increaser when you saw your hot tub’s pH level was low. As I mentioned, the range for acceptable pH in a hot tub is a range of between 7.2 and 7.8, and 7.6 is really the optimum. Struggling with pH? Salt water hot tubs need lesser maintenance, cleaning and drainage. Did you know FROG Fresh Mineral Water Systems help maintain pH balance for cleaner, clearer and softer hot tub water with 50% less bromine? Ideally, hot tub water should contain between two and four parts per million of free chlorine. First test your hot tub’s pH level, to help you determine the best type of chemical to use to lower your pH. Fortunately, they’re all easily preventable – and easily addressed. Using FROG Test Strips can help your bromine cartridges last up to 50% longer! Kaysville, UT 84037, Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved. Hot tub chemistry is not only necessary to keep your hot tub clean and safe, maintaining a proper pH level in your hot tub is essential in order for other chemicals to do their work. Reading a test strip is somewhat subjective since the colors may look different from person-to-person, but they should give you a pretty good idea of where your spa chemicals are at. Either extreme can cause skin and eye irritation. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. A pH of 7 is neutral and pH between 7 and 14 is considered basic. Just like as the name indicates, you will use a pH increaser if your pH is low and a pH decreaser if the level is high. Low pH in Your Hot Tub Any pH level below 7.4 could spell trouble. Potential Issues with Low PH: Poor Sanitiser Efficiency. Acceptable pH range: 7.2 to 7.6 (Ideal 7.4 to 7.6) Swimmer Comfort. You can also try and disinfect the rash with a vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Baking soda can be quite helpful to homeowners who have hot tubs, as it can assist them in keeping the pH level of the water in the proper zone. If a hot tub has foaming, has a harsh or moldy odor, or buildup along the tiles, it’s not worth getting into. It is gentler to skin since salt water helps towards the softness of the water. Dilute the chemical. Suite #2 #3 Hot tub rash caused by unclean soakers. FROG features prefilled cartridges for no mess, no guess, and no stress pool and hot tub care. No matter what size pool or hot tub you have, we make a product for it! The first step is to test the hot tub water’s alkalinity with a test strip. One of the biggest parts of hot tub care is maintaining the chemical balance in your hot tub. If you do not do this you may in for some nasty and potentially costly suprises! Each FROG product uses Fresh Mineral Water∞ to make your water Cleaner, Clearer, Softer and Easier®. The optimal pH range for your hot tub is 7.2-7.8. Find out with our Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) calculator. Total alkalinity should be at 80-120ppm. Stress relief. Sign up for newsletter Privacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsImage Copyright, translation missing: en.general.accessibility.share_on_email, Waterway Hi-Flo Side Discharge Pump Parts. Water pH: If the alkalinity and/or pH of your spa water is low, then it’s actually acidic. Is your hot tub well balanced? A couple things to consider: pH tends to rise with use, so the more people in the spa the more it will increase. Low alkalinity is proven to be harmful to your skin and eyes. Products to Adjust pH. At the same time, it damages your precious tub in the long run. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But what is pH and why should you care? As far as the test strips go, make sure neither of them are expired. Once you’ve added the soda ash, you’ll want to wait at least 6 hours before retesting your hot tub’s pH level. Simply put, soda ash is much better at raising your hot tub’s pH level than baking soda. Risks: Salt water hot tubs are not suitable for very sensitive skin. pH measures how acidic or basic a solution is. Testing Hot Tub pH: Test your hot tub’s pH level regularly (ideally twice per week) with a test kit or test strips. Another problem can result when the hot tub alkalinity is too high. It sounds like their pH reading may have been a little high. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It can corrode metal parts and leave stains on the surface. Have you ever been sitting in your hot tub Test your hot tub water with a pool test strip. Maintaining the correct alkalinity is critical to the life of the equipment used to heat and circulate water in a hot tub. As a general rule, your hot tub pH should be between 7.2 and 7.6 which is classed as a neutral range. body oils, sweat, etc). Low pH can result in the following problems: Not pleasant, but the truth. Hot tub chemistry is not only necessary to keep your hot tub clean and safe, maintaining a proper pH level in your hot tub is essential in order for other chemicals to do their work. When the pH level drops, the hot tub water becomes more acidic, resulting in burning eyes and itchy dry skin. Soft water with a low pH interacts with bodily cosmetic residues to create foam in a hot tub. If your hot tub's chlorine or pH level is too high, it can cause a rash. Test the total alkalinity of the hot tub. If the water is too acidic, it's … It is usually one person in the family or family members that have similar skin characteristics that are highly sensitive to chlorine and bromine. pH is the most important element of water maintenance, as chlorine is only completely effective if the pH is in the appropriate range (between 7.2 and 7.6). Water scale can reduce the water circulation, thus increasing water pressure within the circulation system and putting strain on your hot tub equipment. As many homeowners know, the ideal pH for a hot tub or pool should be between 7.2 and 7.8. A pH between 0 and 7 is considered acidic. If using a FROG® System, use only FROG Test Strips to help you dial in the low chlorine or bromine level used with FROG minerals. The pH levels of the water should be between 7.2-7.8, preferably somewhere in between if you’re having a reaction to 7.8. Thanks. Download App for iOS Chlorine is much less effective at higher pH levels; in fact, at a pH of 8.2, chlorine is only 15% effective. Anti-cortisone cream can be helpful to keep the itching at bay. I don’t have a hot tub, but I do have experience with aquariums and pools, and I would recommend getting a better Ph test. pH indicates how acidic or alkaline your spa water is. … Soda ash has a pH level of 11.4, while baking soda has a pH of 8.3. It is far more common to reduce the pH on a regular basis than it is to decrease it. If you don’t know how many gallons of water are in your hot tub, you can calculate it here with our Spa Volume Calculator. Water from your hose is typically slightly higher in alkalinity than your hot tub water should be, thus adding new water should bring up your hot tub’s pH level a bit. Hence sustaining the correct level of alkalinity is a must for the tub owners. As a matter of fact, an improperly balanced pH causes most complaints of itchy or irritated skin and burning, blood-shot eyes. Therefore, it’s very important to balance the pH in your hot tub. Sanitizers also have different pH ranges, such as calcium hypochlorite, which has a high pH level, and bromine, which has a much lower pH level. Guaranteed. I went to 24 fitness today and as little as 10 min or less I started to notice my arm pits burning from sitting in their spa, after I got out, I notice that my feet, legs back hips and some other parts are red with some white spots like blisters. There are a few factors that can contribute to hot tub folliculitis, chlorine rash, and other skin ailments. Highly acidic water makes it more difficult for your sanitizer to work effectively, leaving bathers in your hot tub exposed to potentially harmful contaminants. They checked the ph and said it was at 7.8, they added some extra water, but what is the best way for me to avoid this from happing again besides not useing the amenity. One of the nice things about using bromine is it is not as dependent on proper pH balance as chlorine is but for all the other reasons you want to keep your bromine hot tub properly balanced. The usual range of pH level of the water in the hot tub should be within the scope of 7.2 to 7.8, ideal being 7.4 to 7.6. The first is to use chemicals, typically called a pH increaser, pH plus or pH raise, the most common of which is soda ash. One of the most obvious benefits of a hot tub is the potential to help ease the tensions … Good News: iONRx is the only all natural, safe as tap water hot tub treatment and will make all your dry, itchy skin problems go away. You have to place the piece in the water and compare the color on it regarding the colors showed on the kit. Check out this handy chart to see some of the most common problems. A hot tubs job is to create turbulance in the water, and we have air valves that add oxygen to that aeration. If you’re using a FROG® System use FROG® Test Strips which are designed to dial in the low chlorine or bromine levels used with FROG® Minerals. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. John, there’s a good chance that you’ve developed a case of hot tub rash, likely from poor sanitizer levels and/or high pH. A low total alkalinity can cause a rapid change in the pH and can be damaging to your hot tub. Why is my hot tub’s pH high? However, if high pH is the issue, it may be difficult to judge sight unseen. If you’re not careful when you add these sanitizers, they can further imbalance the pH level of the hot tub water. How Do I Test the pH levels in my Hot Tub? It indicates how acidic or “basic” your hot tub water is. Hot tub folliculitis is a skin infection that occurs around the lower parts of hair follicles as a result of bacteria that thrive in warm, wet areas. A pH reading below 7 is considered acidic, and a pH reading above 8 is alkaline.