One of the #1 issues many hot tub users seem to experience over time is cloudy hot tub water. Since you should only soak in water that’s crystal clear, we’re here to offer some solutions to get your hot tub water clarity back in tip top shape.

1. Check your filters! Many people seem to think hot tub filters last forever. Well, they don’t. Filters should be cleaned regularly—and that’s not rinsing with a garden hose, folks. Body oils and other matter trapped by hot tub filters need to be broken down with a solvent, like the filter cleaners we sell in our stores and on our E-Store. Filters should be cleaned thoroughly every month.
2. Add sanitizer after every use. A common mistake made by many, folks wrap up a soak and trot into the house without adding anything to the water to kill the bacteria and clean the water. Use common sense. Do you run your dishes in the dishwasher without soap? Do you brush your teeth without toothpaste? Do you launder your clothes without detergent? NO. (Well, we hope you don’t!) When you get out of the hot tub after every use, we guarantee you the water is dirty. Add sanitizer after every use! This helps prevent bacteria from growing and causing cloudy water.
3. Check your pH levels. Sometimes cloudy water is simply caused by pH not being in proper balance. Check the pH level of your water with test strips and adjust if not in the correct range (7.2-7.6 is ideal for hot tub water). Sometimes correcting the pH also corrects water clarity.
4. Add a small amount of clarifier to your hot tub. Clarifier is designed to bind itself to organics that could make hot tub water cloudy. IF you know your water’s been properly sanitized, an ounce or two of clarifier added with the jets running for about an hour should collect whatever is making the water cloudy. IF you go through this exercise, be sure to remove your filters and clean them before using the tub, so whatever the clarifier has removed is taken out of the tub. Hint: You can keep water clarity in better shape by adding an ounce or two of clarifier weekly to hot tub water.
5. How about new water? We find many times customers are trying to limp along water that’s been in the tub too long. Here’s the deal, folks: you should really drain & fill your tub at least once every four months. Longer than that, and you’ll be doing extra work you could simply avoid with a fresh batch of water. If you don’t have time to do this yourself, consider taking advantage of our Signature Spa Care Service. One of our Oregon Hot Tub experts can take care of the job for you!

These hints should help keep your water crystal clear for a safe healthy soak every time. If you need additional help, call our Service Center anytime. We’ll be glad to help!