My Hot Tub Water Smells like Mold...HELP!

The first thing that comes to mind is “ewww!” No one wants to get in a body of water that smells like mold. It is not exactly the most inviting, come and relax scent, but unfortunately it can be a common problem for hot tub owners.

The first thing to do when you are getting a bad smell from your hot tub water is check your chemicals. Moist, warm, humid places like a hot tub can be a breeding ground from bacteria, keeping proper water chemistry is the key to avoiding bacteria and ensuring your water stays clean and safe for bathers. Completing regular water tests will help you make sure that chemicals are maintained properly.

If your water has been neglected for a while and you are having foul odors it is possible that you also have bacteria built up in your plumbing and filter. The best way to correct the problem is by decontaminating.

To do this, you will want to give your spa cover a thorough cleaning as that is a common place for bacteria build up and mold formation. If your hot tub cover is in less than stellar condition or water logged it might be time to consider a new cover as you do not want bacteria being harbored in your old one.

Also you will want to remove and inspect your hot tub filter as bacteria and mold can build up in the filtration system and cause a foul odor. If your filter is more than a year old or in bad condition it is best to replace it, otherwise make sure you are cleaning it regularly with filter cleaner to avoid bacteria build up and ensure that your filtration system is clean and able to do its job properly.

The next step in decontamination and getting your water back in good condition is to hyper chlorinate. Hyper chlorination will give your spa water an extra dose of sanitizer to help kill the bacteria in it. To hyper chlorinate you will want to bring your chlorine level in the spa to a high of at least 100 ppm using granular chlorine. It is best to dissolve the granular chlorine in a 5 gallon bucket of water first so that the granules do not damage your acrylic spa surface. After adding the chlorine to your spa you will want to circulate the water on high speed for a half hour with the cover closed and all jets turned on to get the highest circulation possible.

After hyper chlorinating, prior to emptying your spa you will want to use Spa Purge, this will clean out any other contaminant build up in your plumbing, jets, and filtration system. After completing the purge process it is now time to empty your spa water and refill with fresh water.

Once you have refilled the spa, make sure that pH and Total Alkalinity are balanced. Once you have done that add enough granular chlorine (pre dissolved like before) to bring the level to 10 ppm. Now allow the water to circulate, covered, for 8-12 hours. Now using test strips, like Aquachek Chlorine Test Strips, check the chlorine level. If you get a free chlorine reading then your decontamination was probably a success, if not and the test strips are showing no chlorine reading there is still a high demand for chlorine and the process will need to be repeated.

Once you have tested and come back with a reading that shows a successful decontamination it is time to balance your water with your sanitizer of choice and proceed with regular spa use and proper maintenance.

Keeping on top of regular maintenance by testing and changing your water regularly will help you avoid water problems in the future and hopefully those awful smells that brought you here in the first place.

Hot Tub Lighting

When it comes to achieving the perfect mood or ambiance for your spa, lighting can be the key. There are many options available from standard white lighting to color changing LED’s. Choosing the right lighting scheme for your hot tub is sure to please you and your guests.

The first thing to know when considering your hot tub lighting is what kind of lighting your control system will support, if any. Depending on the control system you have operating you hot tub your choices may be limited; this may also be something to consider when you are purchasing a new control system.

The most commonly used hot tub or spa light is a Waterway Light Bulb 813-4370, 12V/ 9 watt. This works with either a 3 ½ or 5 inch light housing. This light bulb is white and these light housings come with blue or red lenses giving options for some color change but only manually through a change of the lenses, however if you currently have this light and are looking for an upgrade there are LED replacement options available, such as the Mood EFX22, Mood EFX 7, or the ColorGlo LSL9-1.

LED lighting offers a superior light experience for your enjoyment; with programmable lighting options for color changing light shows. These lights can ensure that you achieve the perfect effect for your hot tubing evening. If you are looking for a soft romantic glow, you can set the colors to soft slow changing colors. If you are having a loud, fun party with music and a good time set a fast funky paced bright color option. The possibilities are endless.

No matter what your lighting needs, at Hot Tub Warehouse we carry many different choices for your spa lighting needs.

The Truth about Salt, Corrosion, and Water Chemistry

The Truth about Salt, Corrosion, and Water Chemistry

When it comes to salt there are many myths and misconceptions out there about whether or not it is corrosive and its effects on metal, in this article we hope to clear up a few of them particularly where your hot tub is concerned, and especially if you currently use or are thinking about using a chlorine or bromine generator system.

There are many people out there, a lot of who are trying to sell you a salt generator system or items like a soft water system for your home, who claim that salt is not corrosive. This is only somewhat true.

Corrosion can be defined as the degradation of a material due to a reaction with its environment.

This means that corrosion is often inevitable in some form, in any environment. When in water, salt acts as an electrolyte, which allows an electric current to occur. This electric current produced in salt water speeds up corrosion through oxidation reduction reactions. So, it can be argued that the salt itself is not the root cause of the corrosion but it is definitely rapidly speeding up the process. If you have ever lived near the ocean you are aware of the corrosion that can be very rapidly increased due to salt. When using salt in your hot tub, levels are much lower than in the ocean but the presence of salt can still speed up corrosion.

When it comes to metals, all of them are susceptible to corrosion at some level, but there are varying degrees of susceptibility depending on their place on the Electromotive or Galvanic Series of Metals.

The following is the galvanic series for stagnant (that is, low oxygen content) in seawater / saltwater, from the top- metals that are least susceptible to corrosion, at the bottom the most susceptible. The order may change in different environments.

• Graphite

• Palladium

• Platinum

• Gold

• Silver

• Titanium

• Stainless steel 316 (passive)

• Stainless Steel 304 (passive)

• Silicon bronze

• Stainless Steel 316 (active)

• Monel 400

• Phosphor bronze

• Admiralty brass

• Cupronickel

• Molybdenum

• Red brass

• Brass plating

• Yellow brass

• Naval brass 464

• Uranium 8% Mo

• Niobium 1% Zr

• Tungsten

• Stainless Steel 304 (active)

• Tantalum

• Chromium plating

• Nickel (passive)

• Copper

• Nickel (active)

• Cast iron

• Steel

• Lead

• Tin

• Indium

• Aluminum

• Uranium (pure)

• Cadmium

• Beryllium

• Zinc plating (see galvanization)

• Magnesium

If there are two metals near each other in salt water, the one that is more reactive or most prone to corrosion will corrode first actually protecting the other metal from corrosion. For example, ship builders often put chunks of zinc next the propeller, without the zinc the steel hull would corrode quickly as it is more reactive than the bronze propeller. Since the zinc is more reactive than the steel it will do all the corroding and the hull will be protected, leaving only for the zinc chunks to need to be replaced periodically.

Because corrosion is a spontaneous process that converts metals to their ionic form, as long as conditions are right, it is bound to happen. Often people will try to prevent this by coating the metal material with something that resists corrosion or by having a sacrificial metal, like the zinc used on the ships.

Corrosion caused (or sped up) by salt can occur at any level of salt exposure but due to the chemical process in which the salt speeds corrosion it can be assumed that more salt equals more rapid corrosion. Therefore, the saltier the water the faster it will corrode the metals in contact with it.

When it comes to your hot tub, probably the most common issue with corrosion is on the heating element. Things such as low pH, or over chlorination can cause water to become acidic which is often attributed to causing corrosion of hot tub heating elements, with salt present this can speed up the process as previously explained, putting your heating element at even greater risk. As a heater element becomes corroded it will start pitting, etching, and have surface breakdown eventually causing it not to work properly.

To help prevent corrosion of your hot tubs heater element, there are two options. The best is to purchase a titanium heater element. In the above chart of which metals are most susceptible to corrosion you will see that titanium is very close to the top, meaning it is not going to corrode nearly as easily as those lower on the chart. The second option, though not quite as preventative, is a coated heater element. This means that the element is coated in a substance made to resist corrosion also allowing you to get a longer life from your element and holding off corrosion.

Another common question about corrosion is regarding Stainless Steel---why isn’t stainless steel as susceptible to corrosion but can still corrode? While stainless steel does not corrode, rust or stain with water in the same way that ordinary steel does---don’t let its name fool you as it is not fully stain proof. Based on the environment that the stainless steel is made to endure there are different grades, each grade has its own susceptibility to corrosion. 304 is the most common grade of stainless steel, used in everything from cars to cookware and buildings.

There is magnetic (400) and non-magnetic (300) grade stainless steel, the magnetic or 400 series is not as durable or corrosion resistant. If you want to test durability in your stainless steel products you can do a simple test with a magnet. If the magnet sticks, to the stainless steel it is not as durable and corrosion resistant as it is claiming to be---also some manufacturers will mix materials so be sure and conduct the magnet test all over the product.

Now we have covered metals but what about plastic, in hot tubs particularly jets and plumbing. Typically plastics are very resistant to salt water corrosion, although after very long periods of time they may become brittle but in general plastic is resistant. When it comes to your hot tub things like bad water chemistry will wreak havoc on your plastic parts far more than salt.

Now that we have covered all the basics about salt and corrosion, you are probably wondering whether a salt chlorine or bromine generator is really right for you. The truth is they are a great option as long as you know both the ups and downs of the product. Just don’t be fooled by the sales pitch that it will make your hot tub maintenance-free. Though a salt chlorine generator or bromine generator system will cut down on chemical costs of bromine or chlorine, all the other water elements must still be checked and balanced regularly, just as they would on any other system.

As previously mentioned, unbalanced pH can cause acidic water which when combined with salt will result in rapid corrosion. It is thought, but not explained as to why, that chlorine and bromine salt generators can cause pH to rise. So if you are using a chlorine generator be prepared that high pH may be something that you are commonly dealing with. With the use of a chlorine generator, it is still crucial that pH be maintained at 7.4-7.6 ppm. Many factors can affect your hot tubs PH level. This includes airborne contaminants, rain, fill water and bathers. Some chemical products can also affect the PH like sanitizers, shock treatments and balancing products. Since the PH changes frequently due to these and other outside factors it is recommended to test the PH level at least twice a week.




When chlorine meets water it splits into two parts, Hypochlorous Acid referred to as HOCL and Hypochlorite Ion, known as OCL. The HOCL is the fast, strong, oxidizing disinfectant. OCL is a slow and weak disinfectant. The above chart shows how pH levels affect the ratios of these two parts in your water. This is why it is so crucial to maintain proper pH to keep your sanitizer effective and your water clean.

All in all, there are many things that factor into good water chemistry and keeping your water clean and balanced is the best way to avoid corrosion and maintenance problems whether you are using a salt generator system or not.