Chemicals in your hot tub water can be a delicate balance. So it's crucial to maintain the levels of pH, Alkalinity, and Chlorine or Bromine, also known as sanitizers. You should wait 12 hours before entering the hot tub when you've added either chlorine or bromine to allow it to take effect properly.
Top tip: Non-chlorine shock treatments don't sanitise the water. This means you can usually use your hot tub after approximately 20 minutes of adding the chemical.
✔ Wait at least 20-30 minutes after shocking your spa to resume soaking into warmth. However, do this only if your water is tested and all levels are perfect! ✔ The sun can burn off chlorine, always shock your spa in the early morning hours or in the evening!
While shocking and adding algaecide is effective in getting rid of algae, it should not be done together. This is because when you mix chlorine and algaecide together, it renders both of them useless. Hence, you should first shock the pool and wait for the chlorine levels to fall below 5 PPM.
Shock is chlorine, in a high dose, meant to shock your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly. Chlorine tabs (placed in a chlorinator, floater, or skimmer basket) maintain a chlorine residual in the water. You do need to use both tabs and shock.
How long do you have to wait to get into your hot tub after shock dosing it? If you are shocking the spa with Non Chlorine Shock then allow 10 minutes for it to all mix in and get right in. If you are using Chlorine granules then you must wait until the Chlorine level has returned to 5 PPM which may take 24 hours.
Is Spa Shock the same as Chlorine? Sodium dichlor shock is a form of chlorine and can act as both sanitiser and shock treatment. If you're using a chlorine-free shock product like MPS (potassium peroxy-monosulphate), then this will not have any chlorine in it.
The honest truth is that every hot tub owner has accidentally over-shocked their hot tub at least once. It happens from time to time and it's not the end of the world. Try to keep it to a minimum, though, as it can damage your hot tub and actually harm your body, too.
You only need a small amount of chlorine to successfully sanitize your spa, so it's possible to overdo it if you're not careful. Too much chlorine can damage your hot tub and irritate your skin, eyes and lungs. Thankfully, reducing the chlorine levels in your hot tub is very easy to do.
So it's crucial to maintain the levels of pH, Alkalinity, and Chlorine or Bromine, also known as sanitizers. You should wait 12 hours before entering the hot tub when you've added either chlorine or bromine to allow it to take effect properly.
It is recommended to wait at least 20 minutes to an hour after adding water balancing chemicals. You should wait 2-4 hours (or one full cycle through the filter) to swim from the moment you use calcium chloride in your pool. It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
How much chlorine should I add to my hot tub? Aim to maintain a chlorine level of 3 to 5mg/l at all times. How frequently you add more chlorine will depend on your usage and bathing habits. It could be daily, every two to three days or weekly.
It takes about 24 hours for the chemicals to properly circulate in order to get an effective reading from the retest. The water test will assess the pH, chlorine, total alkalinity and calcium hardness.
Shock has a more intense chemical strength than the traditional chlorine sanitizers, and it also differs in how you should apply it to your swimming pool. Short answer: No. Chlorine sanitizers and shock are similar but different in strength.
Never add chemicals at the same time, whether you're balancing the water, shocking the pool, or adding a specialty chemical. For most water balance changes, the pump needs to run on the high setting for at least four hours before you can add another chemical or retest the water.
You should wait one hour per pound of shock product added, and then test the water to confirm the pH and chlorine are in the proper range before letting anyone enter the pool. As a reminder, you want your pH to be between 7.2 and 7.8ppm and your free available chlorine to be 1-4ppm for safe swimming.
A typical use of one person taking a 15-minute soak once a week might only require adding chlorine every 2-3 days, while more frequent use can mean topping up the chlorine every day. Another factor that contributes to how often you need to add chlorine is the total amount of bathers in your hot tub at one time.
A floater is really the worst way to take care of sanitizing your tub—about the most “dinosaur” method still used. It's difficult to regulate the amount of sanitizer being dissolved into the body of water. Then, it starts to seek out what it wants to “eat” after bacteria is gone: pH, tub shell, and more.
Alkalinity Adjusting Chemicals for Pool Start Up
This should be the first chemical that you add to your pool during start-up. This one can really affect the pH level of your pool. Sorting this out first prevents you from ruining your hard work on your pool's pH level by doing it afterward.
Perhaps most important note of all, never add chlorine and muriatic acid together in the pool. This creates a dangerous toxic gas that can have severe health consequences if inhaled.
BUT, if you have to shock your pool during the day in broad daylight, you can still swim after adding shock. It's recommended that you wait one hour after adding shock with the filter running, and then test the water to confirm the pH and chlorine are in the proper range before letting anyone enter the pool.
Let the pump circulate the water between 3 to 6 hours after you add the pH decreaser. The pumps will thoroughly mix all the water in the hot tub with the acid so that both the pH and alkalinity is consistent. After the right amount of time has passed, test the water alkalinity and then test the pH.
Wait at least 30 minutes after adding the bromine sanitiser to your hot tub and remember to test the water to ensure that the levels are correct. You should always refer to and follow the manufacturers guidelines to ensure that it is safe to enter your hot tub after adding chemicals.