- Keeping Your hot tub's water chemistry balance is important. But You actually don't have to buy every chemical that's recommended. In Fact,, you can find cheaper substitutions at the grocery store. There are some ways to even reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine you use.

So Here are four hot tub chemicals that you can stop buying right now, and here's what you should buy instead. Let's dive in. Hey, it's Matt from Swim University. Before We get into this video, if you want more help taking care of your hot tub, be sure to grab our free Hot Tub Cheat Sheet at SwimUniversity.com/SpaSheet.

It's totally free, and will help keep your hot tub clean and clear throughout the year. Number One is alkalinity increaser. This Chemical has one active ingredient, sodium bicarbonate. And sodium bicarbonate is just baking soda.

Adding Baking soda to your hot tub's water will raise your alkalinity levels, and it's less expensive than branded alkalinity increaser.. And If you wanna raise your alkalinity by 10 parts per million,, use one tablespoon of baking soda per 100 gallons of water. That means it usually takes a few tablespoons to bring your alkalinity up. Just Keep in mind that baking soda will also slightly raise your pH.

Number two, pH increaser. This Chemical's active ingredient is sodium carbonate. That's the same active ingredient in soda ash, aka washing soda. The Cheaper alternative is found in the laundry aisle, and can be used to raise your pH.

Just Make sure that it's pure sodium carbonate without any additives. And Keep in mind that it will also slightly raise your alkalinity. Your Hot tub's pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6. If It's too low,, say around seven,.

Start by adding one tablespoon of soda ash for every 100 gallons of water. But Here's an even better hack you can do to bring up your pH levels without adding any chemicals at all.. Running Your jets on high and aerating your water will naturally raise your pH. It won't affect your alkalinity, and you won't need to add anything to your water.

If You need more help balancing your pH, Be sure to check out our other video. Number Three is pH decreaser, also known as sodium bisulfate, or dry acid. pH decreaser helps bring down high pH and high alkalinity. But You can also use muriatic acid for the same effect.

If You already have muriatic acid on hand for cleaning surface stains or concrete, you can use it to lower your hot tub pH as well. Just Keep in mind that it's much more hazardous to handle than pH decreaser. The Other downside to muriatic acid is that it can quickly overpower a small hot tub.. So Depending on the size of your hot tub,, you only want to add a quarter cup or even a few drops of liquid at a time..

Luckily, if your pH levels drop too low in the process,, you can run your jets to aerate your water and bring your levels back up.. And Number four is cyanuric acid, or stabilizer. Cyanuric acid, aka stabilizer, helps protect your chlorine from breaking down in the sun's UV rays. But If your hot tub water isn't exposed to direct sunlight, then you don't need this in your water.

And If you use bromine in your hot tub, then you don't need a stabilizer either. And Finally,, here's a bonus tip on how to reduce your chlorine or bromine usage. While You need some sanitizer in your hot tub water,. here's how you can start buying a lot less than normal.

Number One, add a mineral dispenser. Using Minerals like silver and copper kill bacteria and algae. Mineral Dispensers come in three different forms. Filter sticks, floating dispensers and inline systems.

Mineral Systems are easy to use and relatively affordable. And You only need to keep your chlorine level at 0.5 parts per million, or your bromine level at one part per million, which is a lot less than normal. However, Since copper is one of the active ingredients,, mineral systems can cause surface stains or green water. Using A metal sequestrant can help prevent copper from settling on surfaces,, but it can also make your mineral sanitizer less effective.

If You want more information on mineral dispensers, be sure to check out our other video. Number Two,, install an ozonator. Hot tub ozonators sanitize your water with UV light, or ionized electricity. Not Only do these systems destroy microorganisms,, but they also help clump together solids in the water, making it easier for your filter to remove them.

And You only have to add 0.5 parts per million of chlorine, or one part per million of bromine to your water, compared to the normal levels. However, because ozone is so reactive, it can ruin the vinyl interior of your hot tub cover. So You'll need to add a thermal blanket to protect the inside of your cover. If You need more help with hot tub care, be sure to grab our free! Hot Tub Cheat Sheet at SwimUniversity.com/SpaSheet.

And If you found this video helpful,, be sure to subscribe, and check out our channel for more tutorials. That's it.! Thanks Again, and happy soaking.