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You’ve reopened your spa for the winter, and put in a bit of time and effort getting it ready for the season. Now that it’s up and running and your water is crystal clear, do you still need to test your water regularly?
The resounding answer is yes, you must test your water regularly!
One of the best things a spa owner can do is regularly test their water. This is because water testing allows you to see how balanced and sanitised your water is.
Having balanced spa water essentially means that the chemical and mineral levels in your water are within the correct range. If the levels in your water drop below the correct range it becomes corrosive and will lead to corrosion of your equipment, surfaces and bathing suit! Conversely, if the levels are too high, it will cause nasty scale formation and cloudiness.
Key reasons you should regularly test your water:
- To ensure there’s enough sanitiser in the water. If your sanitiser levels drop, bacteria will begin to thrive, and your water will quickly become unsafe for bathers. After testing, if you find your levels have dropped, add a dose of sanitiser to keep your water healthy. For help in finding the best sanitiser for your spa, visit your local BioGuard Approved Retailer.
- It will keep your water comfortable. Unbalanced water can irritate your eyes, dry out your hair and make your skin itchy. Spas are meant to be relaxing – not irritating! Balanced water means your spa experience will be comfortable and enjoyable.
- Maintaining balanced spa water will increase the lifespan of your spa’s equipment. Spas are an investment, so you want to take the right steps to ensure you’re looking after it. Corrosive water will lead to rusting of metal equipment and plastic becoming brittle. Likewise, scale formation will reduce the efficiency of your spa heater, causing it to work harder than it needs to and significantly reducing its lifespan. If you keep your water balanced, you’ll avoid these issues, and your investment will remain in tip-top condition!
- It will save you money in the long run! As we’ve mentioned, balanced water will keep your spa equipment in good condition and help prevent expensive repairs. The cost of maintaining your spa is much cheaper than fixing costly problems like algae outbreaks and cloudy water. An added downside, you can’t use your spa while treating these problems! Additionally, unbalanced water reduces the effectiveness of your sanitiser. A change in your pH levels causes your sanitiser to work less efficiently and means you’ll need to add extra doses to keep your water clean.
So now you’re probably thinking, “I know I need to test my water, but how often should I be doing it?”
Ideally, you should test your home spa at least 2-3 times per week, keeping a close eye on your pH and sanitiser levels so you can adjust as necessary.
We also recommend professional testing once a month as it’s more accurate and thorough than an at-home test. You can take a water sample into your local BioGuard Approved Retailer for a test using their state-of-the-art computerised water testing equipment. From a water sample, your BioGuard Approved Retailer will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current condition of the spa water and what needs to be done to correct any imbalances.
And remember, don’t fall into the trap of thinking clear water is healthy water! Water that looks clear can sometimes have serious problems, and without testing it, there’s no way of properly knowing.
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