3 Steps to Troubleshoot Your Spa Water Quality

So, your spa water isn’t looking or feeling like it should? The first reaction of many spa owners is to add more chemicals. Yet, adding chemicals may just add to the problem. Spa or hot tub water maintenance requires a systematic 3-step approach. This approach tempers the “add more chemical” response and enables you to get to the right solution, quicker.

No doubt, spa water troubleshooting can be tricky but we’ve devised a handy 3-step approach to help you troubleshoot your spa water issues.

Follow these 3 steps for better spa or hot tub water:

Step 1: Define the Symptoms

You notice something is not quite right about your spa water. Is it cloudy? Green? Smelly? Abrasive? These are the symptoms. It’s important to accurately identify the symptoms so you can move on to step 2 and 3.

Step 2: Identify the Cause

What’s causing that cloudy water? Usually, there is more than one possible cause but it’s important to know what the potential causes are so you can narrow down to step 3.

Step 3: Find the Solution

The solution to what’s causing your spa water problem may be simple or more complex but by following these steps you can narrow down the possible solutions and begin to solve the problem.

How to troubleshoot your spa water:

The table below offers a list of common symptoms along with the likely causes and solutions. Use this chart as a reference when troubleshooting your spa water.

Symptom	Cause	Solution
Cloudy Water	Excessive organic contaminates	Have children bathe before entering spa (to reduce organic contaminants)
	Ozonator needs replacement	Have your spa technician test the ozonator to ensure it is not expired. A working ozonator is the best way to keep water clear.Check and adjust sanitizer level.
	Lack of water sanitizer	Install an ozonator if you don’t have one. Ozone is a powerful non-chemical sanitizer.
	Build up of particles	Use water clarifier to coagulate particles so they can be removed by the filter.
	Water out-of-balance (ph, alkalinity, or total hardness)	Test water and adjust as necessary
	Filter needs cleaning or replacement	Clean or replace your filter
White scale deposits	Low sanitizer level High mineral content	Test water and balance as needed. Also, find out if you need a replacement ozonator. Ozone provides 200 times the sanitizing power of chlorine, without the added chemicals. Keep chlorine at .5 PPM or bromine at 1 PPM. Use a descaling product and check ozonator. A working ozonator helps control scale.
Cloudy green water	Algae	Check and adjust sanitizer level Check the ozone generator. If your ozone generator is more than 3 years old, it might be time to replace it. Ozone frees up chlorine and bromine to kill algae more effectively.
Brown water	High mineral count Low alkalinity level Low sanitizer level	Check ozonator. Ozone relieves water from high iron content associated with brown water and scale. Add a stain/scale preventer product Test and add Ph/Alkalinity product as needed Your ozone generator is the most powerful sanitizer for your spa water. Make sure your ozone generator is producing enough ozone. If not, it may be expired and time for a replacement ozonator.
Excessive foaming	Soft water (calcium hardness is too low) High TDS (total dissolved solids) level Build up of body oils, lotions, detergents, cosmetics, etc. from people who use the tub.	Test calcium level and add liquid calcium, if needed. Might be time to change the water in your hot tub. Also, check your ozone generator. Ozone helps lower TDS associated with "ring around the tub. Check the ozonator. Ozone is highly effective against organic compounds. If your ozonator isn’t working properly, your water quality will be affected. Use an anti-foam product. Require individuals to shower before entering hot tub.
Yellow water	Low PH level	Test the PH level and adjust as necessary
Scum ring at water line	Inadequate filtration Build up of oils	Check filter – clean or replace Require individuals to shower before entering hot tub. Replace expired ozonator, if necessary. Clean scum line with appropriate cleaner.
Eye or Skin irritation	Chloramines from too much chlorine Excessive organic compounds Unbalanced Ph or total alkalinity levels	Check your ozonator! Ozone is highly effective in reducing chloramines in spa water. If your ozone generator is expired, replace it. Check ozonator. Ozone is highly effective against organic compounds. Use shock treatment, if needed. Test Ph and alkalinity levels and adjust as necessary.

Your Ozone Generator Keeps Hot Tub Water Clean

The ozone generator plays an important role in maintaining crystal clear, sanitized spa water. Many of the problems you have with your spa water can be the result of a spa ozonator that is expired or not producing enough ozone. Ozonators are built to last 3-5 years. If it’s been longer than that since your last ozone generator replacement, order a new one now.

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