While you could use a hot tub without chemicals, you could not soak safely. Water needs to be circulating and treated in order for it to be good for soaking. When you don't use chemicals in your hot tub or use too little, you are creating the perfect environment for algae, bacteria, and other contaminants to thrive.
There are alternatives to chlorine including bromine, ionizers, and ozonators, though with each you'll still need to use some chlorine. A fourth alternative is PHMB, which doesn't require the use of any chlorine. All four have drawbacks, including cost. Chlorine is relatively cheap.
Ozonators. Available in several sizes to accommodate a variety of spas, hot tub ozonators inject ozone into the water to sanitize it. Because they don't use any chemical at all, ozonators can be an ideal alternative to traditional sanitizers.
Regular household bleach (non-scented and without additives) can be used in a spa, but the pH level may rise as bleach has a very high pH of 13. For this reason many spa owners may find it easier to use dichlor (chlorine granules) or non-chlorine shock (MPS), which are more pH neutral.
You can use baking soda in your hot tub if its pH is too low. Baking soda can raise both the alkalinity and the pH of your hot tub and help it achieve the right chemical balance and stability. Its presence can also keep your tub from being cloudy.
Bleach as a hot tub shock
Bleach is our #1 choice if you want to bathe chemical free faster. We love this because it is designed to evaporate quickly which means it will do the job and leave. Choose non-scented and without additives. Household bleach will raise the pH level because it has a very high pH of 13.
What you really need is hot tub salt. It's more often labeled as “pool salt,” which is perfectly fine to use in your hot tub. It's chemically the same thing as table salt, but it's a coarser grind to work better in a chlorine or bromine generator. And you can buy it in bulk, which will save you a lot of money.
Simply put, without sanitizing chemicals like bromine or chlorine, bacteria in the hot tub water will quickly begin to multiply and cause issues with both water clarity and safety. Balancing the water to make a more comfortable bathing experience and increase the lifespan of the hot tub.
The benefits of swimming pool salt
Using swimming pool salt instead of chlorine delivers greater swimming comfort: Swimming pool salt does not give off an unpleasant odour as chlorine does. It is much less harsh on hair and skin. It does not cause your eyes to sting.
A rule of thumb is 1.5 lbs. of baking soda per 10,000 gallons of water will raise alkalinity by about 10 ppm. If your pool's pH tested below 7.2, add 3-4 pounds of baking soda. If you're new to adding pool chemicals, start by adding only one-half or three-fourths of the recommended amount.
Can you use bleach instead of chlorine? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on the formulation. The label on every bleach bottle should tell you the ratio of sodium hypochlorite (and available chlorine) in the bottle to everything else.
What if I do not put chemicals in to my hot tub? If you do not want to put any chemicals in to your hot tub, no problem. But you must drain down and refill after each use and ensure that the water is never in the spa for more than 12 hours!
Is bromine OK for a hot tub? An alternative chlorine, bromine can be used to keep hot tub water clean. However, bromine works differently than chlorine and is not the best choice for use with mineral systems. Bromine breaks up the particles in the water by ionizing the water.
A hot tub can typically go untreated between 2 and 3 weeks before the water becomes unsafe to soak in. Untreated water typically means no sanitizer, pH balancer, or other added chemicals.
Essential oils aren't designed for use in hot tubs, so unfortunately they cannot be used inside a spa. These products can cause a myriad of problems to a hot tub's filtration system. Essential oils act the same way the oil that comes from our skin does, but more potent.
While Epsom salt in the bathtub is OK, hot tubs and Epsom salt simply aren't a good combination. Pure Epsom salt has acidic properties that can disrupt the pH balance and total alkalinity of the water in your hot tub, which can eventually cause your tub equipment to corrode.
In most cases, you should never add pure Epsom salts to your hot tub. Despite this warning, if you still want to try, just be sure to drain and thoroughly clean the hot tub immediately after you're done soaking. This will help to avoid long-term damages to your spa.
The answer to this question is a resounding yes. But before you run off and tell everyone that they can get their saltshakers out and dump it into their water, here is what you need to know… In order to use salt water in your hot tub, you need what is known as a salt-water chlorinator.
The strength of the liquid is not the only reason you should never use household bleach in your spa or hot tub. Below are just some of the reasons you should not use household bleach. Household bleach is not stabilized chlorine. It could burn out very quickly under sunlight.
If theres too much chlorine it will vaporise and form gas that floats just above the surface of the water. If this vapor is inhaled it can inflame airways and exacerbate certain breathing conditions. Read more What Temperature Should My Spa Pool be at and Why?
Clorox will not disinfect your hot tub water, has the wrong pH and will give you very dry skin if you do use it. Use only dry chlorine to sanitize and make sure the formula is sodium dichlor NOT calcium hypochlorite which is for swimming pools only.
You can use vinegar or any acetic acid to clean your hot tub, but we recommend our pH Down for best results. Vinegar is an all-purpose cleaner. From the floors in your home to your favorite coffee cups, vinegar can handle just about any cleaning need.