We’ll help you clear up those confusing water problems. This troubleshooting guide will help you determine the causes of most common hot tub water problems, and offer helpful solutions.

Most hot tub water chemistry problems can be diagnosed quickly with a simple test strip that is dipped into the water. The following trouble shooting guide will help you determine the cause of the more common hot tub water problems you will encounter, and offers recommended solutions.

Problem	Cause	Solution
Cloudy water	Dirty Filter	Clean filter with filter cleaner
	High TDS levels	Drain and refill with fresh water
	High pH or alkalinity	Test and add pH/Alkalinity Down
	High calcium count	Test, drain halfway and refill
	Dissolved solids	Add clarifier to your water
	High bacteria level	Shock with sanitizer you currently use
Brown water	High mineral count	Add Stain & Scale Preventer
	Low alkalinity level	Test and add pH/Alkalinity Up
	Low sanitizer level	Test and add sanitizers
Green water	Algae growth	Shock with sanitizer
Yellow water	Low pH	Test and add pH/Alkalinity Up
White scale deposits	Low sanitizer level	Test and add sanitizer
Excessive foaming	Soft water	Test and add Liquid Calcium
	High TDS level	Test, drain and refill the hot tub
	High contaminant level	Add one capful of Foam Away
Waterline scum ring	Inadequate filtration	Check and clean filter(s)
Waterline scum ring	High content of oils	Add Natural & Clear / Scum Bug
Pitting of metal fixtures	Low alkalinity or pH	Test and add pH/Alkalinity Up
Erratic pH test results	Low alkalinity	Add pH/Alkalinity Up
	Sanitizer level too high	Remove cover and turn on bubbling system
	Old pH indicator strip	Check expiration date and replace
Musty odor	Bacteria/algae growth	Shock the water with sanitizer
Eye irritation	Low pH level	Test and add pH/Alkalinity Up
Eye irritation	Low sanitizer level	Test and add sanitizer
Skin irritation	Low sanitizer level	Test and add sanitizer
	Sanitizer irritation	After adding sanitizer always wait 20 minutes before entering hot tub
	Water temp. too high	Reduce water temperature
	Soaking too long	Soak for shorter intervals

Free Computerized Water Testing
If you have any doubts, Thermo Spas offers Free Computerized Water Testing. Just fill any clean plastic container with water directly from your spa and seal it well. Then, send it with your name and account phone number to:

ThermoSpas Customer Care Department
155 East Street
Wallingford, CT 06492

Your Customer Care representative will call you to discuss the results and walk you through the steps required to balance your water.

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