With test strips, there is no equipment for you to clean. There is also no need to keep track of liquid chemical reagents. Remember that hot tubs are for fun; this is why water testing should be kept simple and as easy as possible.

The importance of testing spa water

The main reason spa water is analyzed is to balance its chemical properties and ensure that the water is neither too alkaline nor too acidic. This is necessary for comfort and protection of the equipment. This also ensures maintenance of the spa sanitizing system, so that water is healthy and free of harmful microorganisms.

It is important to first adjust the total alkalinity of the water, and then the pH. This is mainly because once TA is adjusted, pH comes in line. If you have a conventional sanitizer like bromine, your spa water has to be checked weekly. However if you use Cleanwater Blue sanitizing system, the water has to be tested only twice a month. Just follow instructions on the bottle as different test strip brands have different testing procedures.

Cleaning procedure

After the spa has circulated for a few minutes, a few ounces of water should be collected in a clean, plastic drinking glass. Then a spa test strip has to be removed from the bottle, and then the bottle recapped tightly. The strip has to be dipped in the water so that the test pads are wet, and then removed.

Excess water need to be removed by shaking the strip once, briskly. The strip then has to be held horizontally with the pad side up for 15 seconds. Then you have to make comparisons with the bottle chart and make adjustments to the spa water, if necessary. You can get better results by letting the water equilibrate for a few hours or overnight after adding chemicals, and then do a retest.

Wash your Fingers

Wash your hands before conducting a test. This is because any bromine, chlorine or other residual spa chemicals on the fingers can alter the results of the test. Make sure that you never put a wet finger into the strip container as this can contaminate the unused strips.

Store Strips Properly

Test strips should not be stored outside; they have to be stored at room temperature in a dry place and away from sunlight. The bottle should be capped tightly after removing a strip and not left open till the testing is done.

Use fresh strips for testing and check dates on the bottles while replacing expired strips. This is done because strips that are beyond the expiry date may lead to false readings that lead to wasted chemicals and wrong water balance.

Instructions for chlorine and bromine users
The test strips you buy should measure Total Bromine and/or Total Chlorine; remember that not all brands of test strips do. The total bromine/chlorine is the total of free and combined chlorine/bromine.

The most active form of the sanitizer is free bromine. When it acts with contaminants, it turns into combined bromine which is about 80% effective. It can be changed to free bromine by shocking the water using a non-chlorine shock.

Use test strips testing total bromine as old technology can show wrong indications regarding the need for more bromine, in the event that there is lots of combined bromine in the water. Chlorine testing is something different where only free chlorine works as an effective sanitizer.

With bromine, free chlorine reacts with its containments to become combined chlorine with strong sanitizing ability. However, combined chlorine may bring about irritation and has a strong odor. So make sure your test strips measure both free and total chlorine, to find out how much combined chlorine is present.

David Williams, owner of Spadepot.com, has over 20 years experience in the hot tub and spa business. An expert in his field, David has been working with hot tubs since 1990