Spa Care

Please refer to the section below that best suites your chemical you use to dose your spa.

Chlorine (sanitiser):

Information is based per 1,000 ltrs. If your spa was say, 1,500 ltrs, simply multiply the dose rates below by 1.5. If you want more specific help, feel free to contact us.

Spa Capacity:  1000 Ltrs

Filtering Time: Because your spa is thermostatically controlled, you should run it 12 - 18hrs per day.

* Please note that the longer your filter is ‘on line‘, the less heat loss, thus less heat demand and lower heating costs. It will also result in better water condition in your spa.

Chemicals & Doses: (in conjunction with stabilized spa chlorine - i.e. spa sanitizer)

IMPORTANT:- ALWAYS ADD CHEMICAL TO WATER - NEVER WATER TO CHEMICAL (In most instances, chemical can be added directly into the spa but always-read chemical labels first)

Start up: Fill your spa to just above the normal operation height, turn system on, then follow the steps below:-

1) Test for Total Alkalinity and adjust if needed:- this should be between 80 and 120 ppm. (If adjustment is needed - recheck level after 1 hour. When okay, proceed to step 2.

• To adjust up by 10ppm (i.e. from 70 to 80ppm) add 20gms (2 heaped teaspoons) of Spa Alkalinity Up

• To adjust down by 10ppm (i.e. from 130 - 120ppm)  add 20ml Hydrochloric Acid.  Alternatively you can use 5gms Dry Acid (pH Decrease / Sodium Bisulphate)

2) Test pH and adjust if needed:- this should be between 7.2 and 7.6 (If adjustment is needed - recheck after 1 hour). When okay, proceed to step 3.

• To adjust pH up by 1 point (i.e. 7.1 - 7.2) add 5gms (1 heaped teaspoons) of pH Increase

• To adjust pH down by 1 point (i.e. 7.7 -7.6) add 5gms (1 heaped teaspoons) of pH Decrease.

3) Test chlorine level and adjust to at least 5ppm (shock dose) by adding 30gms (6 heaped teaspoons) of Spa Sanitizer. Re-test chlorine level 30 minutes later and check level is at least 3ppm. If level is lower than 3ppm, add 2 heaped teaspoons of Spa Sanitizer for every 1ppm increase required. Once shock dosed, maintain chlorine reading at between 2 -3ppm.

Daily Dose: Always check and test Spa daily. Best time to do this is just after you have had your spa or every evening if not used that day. Use the dosages above for adjustments when needed to maintain recommended levels.

RECOMMENDED LEVELS:

Chlorine: (Sanitizer)  This is used to kill all the ‘bugs’ in the water and a level of between 2 - 3ppm should be maintained by adding 2 heaped teaspoons per 1ppm increase required. When starting up or after refilling your spa, a minimum level of 5ppm should be set, then letting it drop to 2 - 3ppm.

Total Alkalinity: It is important to maintain the correct range of Total Alkalinity as this effects the pH which in turn effects the "bather comfort" and the "killing power" of the sanitizer. The correct range is between 80 - 120 ppm. Usually, if alkalinity levels need to be adjusted, it is upwards. To increase by 10ppm you will need to add 20g of  Alkalinity Up

pH Adjusters: Both pH increase and decrease are used at the same rates to either increase or decrease the pH of the pool water. The recommended range is 7.2 - 7.6. To lower or increase your pool water by 1 point i.e. from 7.4 to 7.5 or from 7.5 to 7.4 you would add 5g of either chemical.  pH Decrease must be mixed in a bucket of water whereas pH Increase can be sprinkled directly into the spa.  It is always best to be a little light handed when applying these chemicals.

Defoamer: This is used to break down foam caused by soaps, air agitation, body fats and oils. Add 1 or 2 caps as required.

Clarifier: This assists the filter in removing the fine solids, which may cause cloudy water. Add 1 - 2 caps dispersed over the water surface with the filter running.

Cartridge Cleaner: Used for cleaning the cartridge by removing body fats and oils. This will prolong the life of the cartridge.

Water testing: Recommended daily. A 4 in 1 Aquachek Test kit is the minimum for use on spas. Other parameters such as Hardness, Cyanuric Acid and TDS should also be tested regularly (at least every 2 weeks) and you can either purchase a more comprehensive test kit or bring a fresh water sample into us for a free analysis.

Water replacement: It is recommended that you completely empty your spa every 6 -10 weeks. This is because that by this time there is a high concentration of insoluble present in the water and maintaining healthy crystal clear water may become impossible. This is also a good time to run a “pipe cleaner” chemical through the system as this will remove any build up of body fats and other impurities from the plumbing network. While empty, take the opportunity to clean the cartridge.

Bromine: 

Bromine is commonly used as a spa sanitizer as an alternative to chlorine. Bromine has some distinct differences from chlorine. Unlike Chlorine, Bromine has the ability to effectively kill bacteria and other organisms even after it chemically combines with ammonia products - making Bromine more effective than chlorine as a sanitizer in spa conditions. Bromine is a great sanitizer but can not oxidise wastes (Chlorine is a great sanitizer and oxidizer but can result in that foul smell if not used correctly), hence the reason to “shock dose” with chlorine or a non chlorine oxidiser. Bromine also has a low pH (3.8 - 4) compared to chlorine based sanitizers (6.8 - 12) so it is important to monitor the pH

Start Up

• Fill Spa with fresh water to recommended level
• Using a test kit balance the water to
  • Total Alkalinity           80 - 120ppm
    (2 heaped teaspoons Spa Nuetralizer will raise by 10ppm)
  • pH        7.2 - 7.6
    (2 heaped teaspoons  pH adjuster will adjust each .1)
  • Calcium Hardness       150 - 300ppm 
    (130gms Calcium Chloride will increase by 100ppm)
• Follow the directions below for the first 5 days
  • Raise chlorine level by shock dosing with 30 - 50gms (6 -10 teaspoons) Spa Master Sanitizer (this is to oxidise any contaminants already existing in the fresh water)
  • Add 3-4 Bromine Tablets into bromine dispenser and set to max
  • Add 1 cap Spa Master Clarifier every other day (this is to help filter out oxidized contaminants)
• Clean (wash down) filter cartridge every day
• Maintain pH in the 7.2 - 7.6 range. DO NOT allow pH to drop below 7.2

• After 5 days begin the Regular Maintenance programme

Regular Maintenance

• Test water daily for pH, Total Alkalinity and Bromine
• Shock dose weekly with either Spa Master Sanitizer or a non chlorine oxidizer such as Lo Chlor Oxi Shock Plus
• The pump and filter should be run for at least 8 hours /day
• Do not heat water above 42 deg
• Keep Spa free of leaves and debris
• Clean the filter cartridge often - at least weekly and soak in cartridge cleaner at least monthly
• In heavily used Spas, drain water every 30 - 40 days, clean down and refill and start afresh
• Keep water balanced as per above.
• Bring water sample in for testing at least fortnightly 

Ozone:

Information is based per 1,000 ltrs. If your spa was say, 1,500 ltrs, simply multiply the dose rates below by 1.5. If you want more specific help, feel free to contact us.

Spa capacity:  1000 Ltrs

Filtering time: Because your spa is thermostatically controlled, you should run it 12 - 18hrs per day.

* Please note that the longer your filter is ‘on line‘, the less heat loss, thus less heat demand and lower heating costs. It will also result in better water condition in your spa.

Chemicals & doses: (Using Ozone in conjunction with stabilized spa chlorine - i.e. spa sanitizer)

Ozone: Ozone is a completely safe, pH neutral, non toxic, non residue method of sanitizing your spa and will reduce other sanitizer use by up to 90%. Like all other alternative methods of sanitizing, small amounts of chlorine or bromine sanitizer should be used from time to time (usually weekly) for the best results. This is because Ozone only has a “life” of around 20 - 30 minutes. When the ozone is not running there is no sanitization protection.

IMPORTANT:- ALWAYS ADD CHEMICAL TO WATER - NEVER WATER TO CHEMICAL (In most instances, chemical can be added directly into the spa but always-read chemical labels first)

Start up: Fill your spa to just above the normal operation height, turn system on, then follow the steps below:-

1) Test for Total Alkalinity and adjust if needed:- this should be between 80 and 120 ppm. (If adjustment is needed - recheck level after 1 hour. When okay, proceed to step 2.

• To adjust up by 10ppm (i.e. from 70 to 80ppm) add 20gms (2 heaped teaspoons) of Spa Alkalinity Up

• To adjust down by 10ppm (i.e. from 130 - 120ppm)  add 20ml Hydrochloric Acid.    Alternatively you can use 5gms Dry Acid (pH Decrease / Sodium Bisulphate)

2) Test pH and adjust if needed:- this should be between 7.2 and 7.6 (If adjustment is needed - recheck after 1 hour). When okay, proceed to step 3.

• To adjust pH up by 1 point (i.e. 7.1 - 7.2) add 5gms (1 heaped teaspoons) of pH Increase

• To adjust pH down by 1 point (i.e. 7.7 -7.6) add 5gms (1 heaped teaspoons) of pH Decrease.

3) Test chlorine level and adjust to at least 5ppm (shock dose) by adding 30gms (6 heaped teaspoons) of Spa Sanitizer. Re-test chlorine level 30 minutes later and check level is at least 3ppm. If level is lower than 3ppm, add 2 heaped teaspoons of Spa Sanitizer for every 1ppm increase required. Once shock dosed, maintain chlorine reading at between 2 -3ppm.

RECOMMENDED LEVELS:

DAILY DOSE: Always check and test Spa daily. Best time to do this is just after you have had your spa or every evening if not used that day. Use the dosages above for adjustments when needed to maintain recommended levels.

CHLORINE: (Sanitizer)  As your spa is on Ozone you should only need to do this once or twice a week depending on its use. Adding 1 heaped teaspoon once or twice a week after you have had your spa should be enough.

Total alkalinity: It is important to maintain the correct range of Total Alkalinity as this effects the pH which in turn effects the "bather comfort" and the "killing power" of the sanitizer. The correct range is between 80 - 120 ppm. Usually, if alkalinity levels need to be adjusted, it is upwards. To increase by 10ppm you will need to add 20g of  Alkalinity Up

pH Adjusters: Both pH increase and decrease are used at the same rates to either increase or decrease the pH of the pool water. The recommended range is 7.2 - 7.6. To lower or increase your pool water by 1 point i.e. from 7.4 to 7.5 or from 7.5 to 7.4 you would add 5g of either chemical.  pH Decrease must be mixed in a bucket of water whereas pH Increase can be sprinkled directly into the spa.  It is always best to be a little light handed when applying these chemicals.

Defoamer: This is used to break down foam caused by soaps, air agitation, body fats and oils. Add 1 or 2 caps as required.

Clarifier: This assists the filter in removing the fine solids, which may cause cloudy water. Add 1 - 2 caps dispersed over the water surface with the filter running.

Cartridge cleaner: Used for cleaning the cartridge by removing body fats and oils. This will prolong the life of the cartridge.

Water Testing: Recommended daily. A 4 in 1 Aquachek Test kit is the minimum for use on spas. Other parameters such as Hardness, Cyanuric Acid and TDS should also be tested regularly (at least every 2 weeks) and you can either purchase a more comprehensive test kit or bring a fresh water sample into us for a free analysis.

Water Replacement: It is recommended that you completely empty your spa every 6 -10 weeks. This is because that by this time there is a high concentration of insoluble present in the water and maintaining healthy crystal clear water may become impossible. This is also a good time to run a “pipe cleaner” chemical through the system as this will remove any build up of body fats and other impurities from the plumbing network. While empty, take the opportunity to clean the cartridge.

Help:

If you feel your spa is getting the better of you, we do have a service that not only maintains the chemical balance of your water but also cleans your spa as well.