6 Keys spa care - Water Chemistry, SpaCareOnline.com

3. Enhance the spa by adding Enzymes, borates and/or AquaFinesse weekly or at least every 2 weeks to treat, prevent & remove biofilm growth and build-up. Preventing biofilm build-up allows the chlorine or sanitizer to properly do its job without being side-tracked in case it is exhausted due to heavy bather load.

4. Maintain good water balance. Without good water balance, the sanitizer doesn't work properly or efficiently. The water can become cloudy (high pH) or aggressive (low pH - water is often times really clear). You'll also protect your friends & family who use your spa.

Maintain a constant level of Sanitizer in the Spa - What does that mean? It means to constantly keep a good, solid level of chlorine, bromine, biguanide or other sanitizer level in the spa water at all times.

Chlorine	1.0 - 2.0 ppm
Bromine	2.5 - 4.5 ppm
Biguanide	30 - 50 ppm
PristineBlue®	0.5 - 1.0 ppm

When maintained at those levels, bacteria & algae are kept under control. The water feels & smells clean. Higher levels is typically unnecessary unless recommended by your Pool Professional in certain circumstances such as pool parties. Slow-dissolving Bromine such as SpaGuard® Bromine Tablets®, Chlorinating Concentrate or Brominating Concentrate can be applied to the spa or hot tub through the skimmer or simply broadcast into the water.

Biguanides such as SpaGuard® Soft Soak® & Arch Chemical BaquaSpa or copper based Pristine Blue® are liquids that are typically added only once every 2 weeks or so.

Shock the spa weekly (biguanides shock every 10 to 14 days). Shocking oxidizes unfilterable wastes & breaks up chloramines that lead to cloudy water, algae, smelly spas & red eyes.

Spa & hot tub owners who don't regularly shock (they think they're saving money) always end up with bad cloudy water & odor problems and they wonder why they use so much chlorine. Shocking puts the sparkle back in the spa water. Shocking breaks up the waste that attaches onto the sanitizer & prevents it from doing its job. Shocking is a good thing to do before a party to prevent icky water from developing while the party is going on AND after to eliminate all of the "stuff" that got left behind. In bromine treated spas, the shock recharges the bromine to make it last longer.

Use the appropriate type of shock for your pool. SpaGuard® Spa Shock or Enhanced Shock for chlorine & bromine pools. Soft Soak® Shock for biguanide (Soft Soak® or BaquaSpa®) spas. Spas & hot tubs that use ionizers such as Nature2® should use the chlorine based shocks mentioned above. Shock the spa at start-up to oxidize & neutralize contaminants that enter with the fill water. After that follow a regular schedule.

Enhance your sanitizer by adding AquaFinesse, Enzymes and/or Borates weekly or at least every 2 weeks to prevent biofilm growth. A good quality natural enzymes consume or eat up certain organic wastes.

Use enzymes such as SpaGuard® Natural Enzyme or Naturally Pure® Spa on a weekly basis to control biofilm build-up. A good quality natural enzyme works as a back up so that the the chlorine or sanitizer can concentrate on killing bacteria due to heavy bather load.

Borates such as SpaGuard Spa Silken are terrific because they do 3 things. Borates enhance the effectiveness of the sanitizer. Borates also act as an additional buffer for the pH & total alkalinity. Best of all, borates make water feel silky & soft (borates are a main ingredient of many eye wash products).

When draining & refilling the spa, products such as Natural Chemistry® Spa Purge or AquaFinesse® SpaClean (not an enzyme product) tablets are good in removing this biofilm from the lines. Regular use of AquaFinesse® will continually remove & prevent the the bio-film build-up. To learn more about bio-films click here.

Maintain good water balance. Without good water balance, the sanitizer doesn't work properly or efficiently. The water can become cloudy (high pH) or aggressive (low pH - water is often times really clear). You'll also protect your friends & family who use your spa. Learn more about Good Water Balance with Key 4 - Water Testing.

As an option that will save you from a variety of pool care problems (algae, cloudy water, water balancing), consider using a borate or boric acid based product such as SpaGuard® Spa Silken®, when used properly, helps allow the sanitizer to do a better job at killing bacteria, acts an additional buffer for the pH & Total Alkalinity making water balance simpler. Spa Silken® is added at start up & is topped up as needed. Spa Silken® is great to use in ANY spa, with any sanitizing system.

Another option is to use SpaGuard® Spa Sentry. When added at start–up with properly balanced pH & total alkalinity, Spa Sentry effectively “locks” the pH & total alkalinity in place for up to 3 months. Less work & worry to maintain good water balance

Water Chemistry Tip: if things get too out of control, purge, drain & refill the spa then start over.

The 6 Keys typically take about 30 minutes or less to accomplish each week. Yes, that's it! Just 30 minutes. Now you can enjoy your pool more & actually work less. In the long run, you'll also spend less time & money.

Remember, Par Pool & Spa is always able & ready to help if you need us. Just stop by or give us a call. Always helpful, always friendly.

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