Cast your mind back to the Rio Olympics of 2016: remember how the swimming pools turned green? The same thing can happen to your hot tub – so read on to find out why, and how to prevent it.
Green Hot Tub Water
Unless you’ve dyed the water in your hot tub for a special occasion, it shouldn’t be green! So, what makes hot tub water go green?
There are several possible reasons for green hot tub water:
Hot Tub Sanitisation
If the hot tub is not properly sanitised, due perhaps to insufficient levels of chlorine or bromine, a green algae bloom can occur. Using a hot tub cover properly should make it harder for algae to grow, given that it is a plant and needs sunlight, but if your cover is faulty or not used properly, algae can bloom quickly.
Getting rid of algae is fortunately not too difficult, though it does require a bit of elbow grease. You’ll need to drain your hot tub completely, and rinse the algae off using a garden hose. Give the tub a thorough clean, including the filter (which you should replace if necessary), and refill it.
You should also shock your hot tub once a week. This doesn’t involve electricity, but a high dose of hot tub oxidiser to remove contaminants and bacteria.
Once every few months, you should fully drain and clean your hot tub to prevent bacterial build-up and the possibility of algae blooms.
Chemical Imbalance
A chemical imbalance in your hot tub can also cause cloudiness and discoloration. You should ensure that you keep chlorine and bromine levels at 3-5ppm, which in turn means a pH of between 7.2 and 7.6. You can use a pH balancer to test this.
If your cleaning chemicals are outside these levels, it might be worth draining and refilling your tub, adding the chemicals as per the manufacturer instructions.
Should your water turn green when you step in, it might be due to the presence of fake tan and other outside contaminants on your skin. To avoid this, make sure you shower before you get into your hot tub.
Green hot tub water that persists despite proper sanitising may be caused by the presence of metals like iron, copper, and manganese brought in via the pipes that fill the tub.
To get rid of the excess metals, you can use certain chemicals to neutralise and reduce their presence in the water, and shocking the tub should also help.
Keeping your hot tub clean and well-maintained should ensure your water won’t turn green like the Rio Olympics pools. If you have any questions on hot tub maintenance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll be only too happy to help.
