The best spa water is perfectly balanced.
It has enough sanitiser to deal with microorganisms, but not so much that it irritates the skin, eyes and nose. It has the right amount of calcium, to keep your water soft and to prevent scaling and corrosion. And it has the ideal pH, striking the perfect balance between acidity and alkalinity.
But to ensure that you hit the right pH for your hot tub water, you first need to know what the current pH is. You need a spa pH tester.
What is pH in spas?
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution – in this case hot tub water. The scale goes from 0-14: zero represents peak acidity, 14 represents peak alkalinity, and a perfectly neutral solution will have a pH of 7.
The ideal pH for your hot tub water is not neutral, but slightly alkaline: between 7.2 and 7.8. This makes intuitive sense when you realise that cleaning chemicals tend to be alkaline – alkaline solutions have antimicrobial properties, so they can help to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that can invade your spa.
The process of balancing pH in your hot tub is as follows:
- Use some form of analogue or digital water quality tester for pools and spas to get a baseline pH reading.
- Use an additive like sodium bicarbonate (FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Up) to increase alkalinity, or sodium bisulfate (FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Down) to lower it.
- Measure the pH of the water again and make further adjustments until the reading sits between 7.2 and 7.8 pH.
But with the right technology, the task of balancing your hot tub water can be made quite a bit quicker and simpler.
(Side note: in the world of hot tubs, pH and total alkalinity are closely related but slightly different measurements. You can learn more about balancing both elements here.)
Types of spa pH tester
There are a number of different types of pH spa water test meter available on the market, including:
pH Test strips
Simple, cheap and widely available, test strips are the most popular type pH testing method. You dip the paper strip in the hot tub water and it changes colour according to the pH level, which you can check via a colour comparison chart.
pH Test kits
Test kits use a similar colour-changing method to test strips, but this time the spa water reacts to a liquid reagent in a vial. This option can be slightly more fiddly, but also offers a slightly more precise measurement of pH levels.
Digital pH testers
If you’re looking for accuracy, you should choose a digital pH meter for hot tubs. Often sold as a combination digital chlorine and pH tester for hot tubs, these tools use digital sensors to test the pH level of the water. The measurement is generally displayed through a screen on the device.
Automated pH testers
Want the best digital pH tester for hot tubs? Look no further than FreshWater® IQ: an automated system that conducts an ultra-accurate digital test of your spa water every single hour. It not only checks for pH, but chlorine and salt levels too, and if improvements can be made it uses a digital display to tell you exactly what to do to enhance your water.
FreshWater® IQ: the ultimate spa monitoring system
Your hot tub should take care of you, not the other way around. A patented, first-in-world water testing technology, FreshWater® IQ automatically tests your water hourly and provides clear instructions if adjustments are ever needed. You’ll enjoy soaking in water with the perfect pH, every single time.
Say goodbye to manual methods like test strips and test kits, and say hello to ultimate precision and serious savings: spend far less money on water and chemicals, and spend far less time on maintenance.
What you do with all that extra time is up to you. Our recommendation: spend it soaking in the world’s most luxurious, most perfectly balanced hot tub water.
