The best spa water is perfectly balanced.
It has enough sanitiser to deal with microorganisms, but not so much that it irritates the skin, eyes and nose. It has the right amount of calcium, to keep your water soft and to prevent scaling and corrosion. And it has the ideal pH, striking the perfect balance between acidity and alkalinity.
But to ensure that you hit the right pH for your spa pool water, you first need to know what the current pH is. You need a spa pH tester.
What is pH in spas?
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution – in this case spa pool water. The scale goes from 0-14: zero represents peak acidity, 14 represents peak alkalinity, and a perfectly neutral solution will have a pH of 7.
The ideal pH for your spa pool water is not neutral, but slightly alkaline: between 7.2 and 7.8. This makes intuitive sense when you realise that cleaning chemicals tend to be alkaline – alkaline solutions have antimicrobial properties, so they can help to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that can invade your spa.
The process of balancing pH in your spa pool is as follows:
- Use some form of analogue or digital water quality tester for pools and spas to get a baseline pH reading.
- Use an additive like sodium bicarbonate (FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Up) to increase alkalinity, or sodium bisulfate (FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Down) to lower it.
- Measure the pH of the water again and make further adjustments until the reading sits between 7.2 and 7.8 pH.
But with the right technology, the task of balancing your spa pool water can be made quite a bit quicker and simpler.
(Side note: in the world of spa pools, pH and total alkalinity are closely related but slightly different measurements. You can learn more about balancing both elements here.)
Types of spa pH tester
There are a number of different types of pH spa water test meter available on the market, including:
pH Test strips
Simple, cheap and widely available, test strips are the most popular type pH testing method. You dip the paper strip in the spa pool water and it changes colour according to the pH level, which you can check via a colour comparison chart.
pH Test kits
Test kits use a similar colour-changing method to test strips, but this time the spa water reacts to a liquid reagent in a vial. This option can be slightly more fiddly, but also offers a slightly more precise measurement of pH levels.
Digital pH testers
If you’re looking for accuracy, you should choose a digital pH meter for spa pools. Often sold as a combination digital chlorine and pH tester for spa pools, these tools use digital sensors to test the pH level of the water. The measurement is generally displayed through a screen on the device.
Automated pH testers
Want the best digital pH tester for spa pools? Look no further than FreshWater® IQ: an automated system that conducts an ultra-accurate digital test of your spa water every single hour. It not only checks for pH, but chlorine and salt levels too, and if improvements can be made it uses a digital display to tell you exactly what to do to enhance your water.
Maintain the perfect pH water level with FreshWater® IQ
Discover the revolution in spa water testing with FreshWater® IQ, the ultimate spa monitoring system. This patented, first-in-world technology simplifies spa water care by automatically testing your water every hour. The system ensures your water maintains the perfect pH and sanitiser levels, providing you with crystal clear, perfectly balanced spa pool water at all times.
With FreshWater® IQ, you can let go of outdated manual testing methods like pH test strips and kits and embrace the precision of automated, digital technology that not only saves you money on water and chemicals but also drastically reduces the time you spend on maintenance.
For more details on how FreshWater® IQ can take your spa experience to the next level, visit our FreshWater® IQ page.
