Soft Water In Hot Tub
Soft water is water that has less calcium than hard water. Though the real question is,
Does this make it bad for use in a hot tub?
Well, yes, soft water in hot tubs can become a proponent of corrosion in your equipment and plumbing. However, hard water is just as bad, as it can leave what we call scale residue on your hot tub equipment or leave your water looking cloudy.
If you want to learn more about soft water and why you shouldn't use it in your hot tub, come dive in with us.
Can I Use Soft Water In My Hot Tub?
In an ideal world, you want the water inside your hot tub to be just in-between hard and soft. To do so, it is best to keep your calcium hardness in the range of 180 ppm and 200 ppm.
The question that a lot of people have is,
What is soft water?
We understand the term can be confusing.
In short, soft water doesn't have much calcium in it. You don't ever want to have soft water in your hot tub.
In the case that you test your spa and you do have soft water in it, you will have to follow methods to increase the calcium hardness. In doing so, you will prevent certain problems from arising in your hot tub.
When using soft water inside your spa, several potential problems can arise, including:
If you notice that your water is soft, you can add something called a calcium hardness increaser. Aim for around 180 ppm when adding this into your hot tub.
You should only ever add an increaser if you notice that your spa is below 150ppm. When it is at 180ppm, you have an optimal balance in your spa, which will provide overall protection.
Each time that you fill up your hot tub, make sure to test it before adding in your hardness solution. In doing so, you'll keep it nice and balanced so that the water hardness is always where it should be.
What About Hard Water?
Hard water in hot tubs is also bad. One of the first signs of hard water is when scale builds up on the side of the shell. Scaling is bad for the components and can reduce the water flow. Plus it can cause issues with the equipment thanks to added stress, which can eventually damage crucial equipment within your tub.
Again, you might be thinking to yourself,
What is hard water?
Hard water is when the calcium levels are very high. You must never have this in your hot tub either. If you do, there are special hot tub chemicals that can be utilized to
treat it. After water testing, if you notice your tub is far too high in calcium, you might soon begin to see scale deposit appearing on the interior. When the levels get high enough, it can build up on the inside of your equipment and pipes.
One of the best ways to treat this is by using a filtration system for your entire house. A softening system can reduce the overall calcium and magnesium levels throughout your home's system. You can even purchase a fitter, which you can screw onto the front end of your hose. Every time your fill up your tub, you'll know that the hardness level will be just right.
You can also filter this hardness out. If you do this, you will have to clean and replace your filter when you are done. You can get a quality filter from your local pool store.
Lastly, you may also use a water softener. This is the same sort of solution that you would use in pools. This chemical is made to control and maintain the minerals within hot tubs using key mineral ingredients.
You can use this to treat your unit weekly and make it a part of your regular hot tub maintenance routine. In our eyes, this is an essential part of the ongoing cleaning process and is a great way to adjust and maintain hot tubs to keep them in balance.
We hope that this article was helpful in showing you ways to measure your hot tub water and maintain a healthy soaking state. Good luck and happy hot tubbing!
