Using Chlorine

• Chlorine is the most common sanitizer used to keep water in hot tubs or swimming pools clean. In a hot tub, chlorine should be maintained at a level of 1 to 3 parts per million (ppm). For hot tubs, only about a capful of chlorine is required to deliver a 1 to 3 ppm level. The best type of chlorine for a hot tub is granular chlorine, which is more stable in the very warm water found in hot tubs.
  
  

pH

• Just as with a swimming pool, a hot tub's pH balance is very important as it relates to chlorine levels. A pH range of 7.2 to 7.8 is ideal for a hot tub, and the granular chlorine in it will be at its most effective. The pH levels in a hot tub that are below 7.2 will begin causing chlorine to disappear. A hot tub pH level above 7.8 causes available chlorine to work very sluggishly.
  
  

Outdoor Tubs

• Chlorine stabilizers like cyanuric acid can prevent chlorine in hot tubs from destroying the bacteria P. aeruginosa, which causes "hot tub itch."Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Hot tubs located outdoors are often exposed to high levels of bright sunlight. Chlorine in pools and hot tubs can be easily degraded or dissipated by sunlight. Chlorine stabilizers like cyanuric acid (CYA) generally should not be used to stabilize outdoor hot tub chlorine levels. CYA in a hot tub can greatly slow down hot tub chlorine, which is needed to kill the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), which can cause what's called "hot tub itch" in tub users.
  
  

Adding Chemicals

• If filling a hot tub with water for the first time or after it has been drained, begin adding chlorine once water is at about 80 degrees F. In any case, after adding chlorine to a hot tub, wait about 30 minutes, measure pH and then adjust as necessary. Hot tubs are susceptible to scaling and staining, so add 1 capful of scale and stain control as well. Always test for total alkalinity and adjust it to 100 ppm using alkalinity increasers or decreasers.
  
  

Chemical Balancing

• Chlorine and pH in a hot tub depend on one another for both to be effective. You can raise hot tub chlorine by adding a little more and then retesting. The pH in hot tubs is raised by adding a commercial pH increaser and lowered by using pH decreasers. Amounts of pH increasing and decreasing compounds used in a hot tub depend on how large, in gallons, the hot tub is. However, most chemicals are added to hot tubs in capfuls only.