Shocking your spa is an essential part of keeping the water clean and healthy. No one wants to relax in smelly, dirty water, and if your water is smelling a little funky or is looking a tad cloudy, it’s probably time to give your hot tub a shock treatment.
Doing a regular shock treatment is the one of the best ways to ensure your water is staying safe and free of contaminants. After a period of inactivity or heavy bather use it is a good idea to do a shock treatment. You also want ensure you are doing a regular shock treatment about once a week with average bather use.
There are four main reasons you want to shock you hot tub:
- If you use your spa a lot or have several bathers at a time, the amount of organic matter in the water can quickly increase. Removing these compounds from the water is important to keeping your water clean and clear.
- If you are using a bromine or chlorine based shock it will help to kill bacteria in the water, assisting with the sanitizer you are using in your spa.
- Shock will also help to remove residual bromine and chlorine. By adding shock once a week it helps to break the bonds that form these compounds so they can be removed from the water.
- If you are using a bromine based sanitizer you can actually reactivate the disinfecting properties by adding shock once a week.
There 2 main types of shocks on the market today, a sanitizer based shock or a non- sanitizer based shock. Both offer their pros and cons and should be part used as part of your water maintenance routine.
- The sanitizer based shock is both a sanitizer and oxidizer, which both kills germs and burns off contaminants in the water. This type of shock is not a type you would want to use every time you shock you spa, as it brings the sanitizer levels very high in the spa and can make the water harsh and is therefore hard on the plumbing. This would be used if you are doing a very deep clean or have a much higher bather load than normal.
- Non-sanitizer based shock is not going to sterilize your spa. These are designed to oxidize the water to remove other contaminants and clear up the water. This type of shock is recommended for a weekly shock treatment with regular spa use.
To shock your spa properly there are a few simple steps to follow:
- First you want to ensure your water’s pH is within appropriate range.
- Remove the spa cover allowing the spa to breathe while being shocked.
- Turn off blowers and air to the jets, but leave the circulation pump running, moving the shock through the water.
- Measure the correct amount of the shock, and wait the appropriate amount of time before bathing based on the instructions on the bottle.
- Add shock to spa carefully.
- Always keep spa chemicals out of the reach of children and pets, clean up any spills immediately and use protective gear when necessary.
Understanding when and why to shock is important when it comes to hot tub water maintenance. No one wants to soak in smelly, dirty water, so making a regular shock treatment part of your water routine will help to keep your water crystal clear and safe and clean.