Let’s learn how to get rid of hot tub bacteria.
In addition to relieving stress and muscular tension, soaking in a hot tub is a breeding ground for germs. Several harmful microorganisms thrive in hot tubs, which may lead to infections of the skin, ears, and lungs, and the deadly legionnaires’ disease if left unchecked.
However, don’t freak out. Regular maintenance is necessary to maintain your hot tub disease-free and safe for your family and friends.
How To Get Rid of Hot Tub Bacteria: Complete Guide
Below is the complete guide on how to get rid of hot tub bacteria. Just follow these steps and you’re guaranteed to have no bacteria in your hot tub!
1. Give Your Hot Tub the Once Over
A bacterial infestation might be detected by looking for slime, a foul odor, or cloudy water in the hot tub. A skin rash that occurs after utilizing a hot tub also indicates an unhealthy bacteria presence.
2. Clean or Replace Your Filter
Get rid of the filter in your hot tub. Replace it if it is more than a year old or in poor shape. Use 8 gallons of water or the quantity indicated by the manufacturer to dilute an overnight filter cleaner. To get rid of hot tub germs, soak the filter in a solution overnight. Rinse it the following day.
3. Soak the Filter in Chlorine
Use 3 to 5 gallons of water to dissolve one teaspoon of Dichlor Chlorine granules per gallon. Allow the hot tub filter to soak for two to four hours in the solution.
4. Clean the Hot Tub Cover
Bleach cleaner and a towel should be used to clean the hot tub’s filter hole and the bottom of the lid. If the cover is soaked, it will not dry and must be thrown away.
5. Shock the Water
Dichlor chlorine should be dissolved in a gallon of water. Dichlor chlorine should be used in hot tubs with 100-gallon capacity, 250-gallon capacity, and 500-gallon capacity; for 1,000-gallon tubs, use 3 cups. Shock therapy involves adding a bucket of water to the hot tub.
6. Run the Hot Tub for 30 Minutes
It’s best if you raise the water level in the hot tub by one inch. Close the lid and crank up the water jets, air blowers, and water circulators to the maximum. To properly disinfect the hot tub, run the hot tub devices for 30 minutes. Turn air injectors or air blowers on for one minute and then off for four minutes every five minutes throughout this time.
7. Flush the System
Four tablespoons of a hot tub system flush product, or the quantity recommended on the package, should be used for every 100 gallons of hot tub water. For a further 30 minutes, operate the hot tub equipment as previously, including the system flush. This cleans the hot tub’s plumbing system from top to bottom.
8. Drain the Water
Please do not use the hot tub until it has been completely drained. Look for algae or slime on the interior. Use a scrub brush and a bleach-based cleaner to remove any stubborn residue.
9. Refill the Hot Tub
Afterward, reinstall the filter and refill the hot tub. Pour two teaspoons of dichlor chlorine into a pail of water for every 500 gallons of tub water. Adding the therapy to the hot tub is the best option.
10. Test the Water
Test the tub’s temperature using a hot tub test strip. The color of the test strips changes depending on the concentration of contaminants in the water, and a chart is included to assist you in understanding the results. Check the hot tub’s chlorine level using the chart. Around 10 pm is ideal. If it isn’t, you’ll need to supplement with dichlor chlorine or freshwater.
11. Run the Hot Tub Overnight
Cover it up after turning on the hot tub and leaving it running for eight to 12 hours or overnight. To check for free chlorine, dip another strip into the water. This indicates that your hot tub has been disinfected and is free of germs.
The tub must be cleaned & treated a second time if the test strip does not reveal free chlorine.
Using chlorine-based sanitization procedures is the best approach to get rid of germs in a hot tub. Chlorine may be used to destroy various bacteria, although it might take a while for it to take effect. A few minutes of reasonable usage of free chlorine may destroy most bacteria.
What is hot tub folliculitis?
Bathing in hot water, such as that found in a Jacuzzi, spa pool, or swimming pool, may cause hot tub folliculitis, also known as Jacuzzi folliculitis or spa pool folliculitis.
Staph or staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of the infection.
Other bacteria, such as Pseudomonas or candida, may also be blamed. Aeromonas, bacteria that may cause folliculitis in persons who use a spa pool, is a possible cause.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria, is typically found in public hot tubs with low chlorine levels. It is frequently referred to as pseudomonas folliculitis, a bacterial infection. Bath toys and wet suits that have not been thoroughly cleaned and dried after prior usage might harbor the bacteria.
In most cases, children are more severely impacted than adults. Follicular Pseudomonas infections are often observed in those with poor immunity, including youngsters, malnourished, and HIV/AIDS patients.
Folliculitis is more common in skin diseases such as dermatitis and those who recently shaved, waxed, or epilated.
What are the symptoms of hot tub folliculitis?
A few hours to a few days after exposure to a hot pool, signs of hot tub folliculitis begin to show. Even if a person is exposed, they may not get infected.
Small, itchy red pimples are the most common symptoms, and they appear mainly on the animal’s trunk. They primarily affect the parts of the body covered by the swimsuit. Pustules, which are bumps packed with pus, may develop on the rash and be painful.
A moderate temperature and a general sensation of malaise accompany this condition. Sore throat, headache, earache, nausea, and vomiting are just some of the other side effects that may accompany these conditions.
Ecthyma gangrenosum, a more dangerous infection, may develop in patients with weakened immune systems, such as those on immunosuppressive medicines or AIDS.
Ecthyma gangrenosum is a fast advancing disease of the skin where blisters and pustules occur, leading to necrosis or gangrene formation in the affected area.
FAQs:
Will shocking a hot tub kill bacteria?
Shocking your hot tub is essential for several reasons. It’s fantastic that your hot tub can eradicate microorganisms! Bacteria might persist even after thorough cleaning and sanitization. Your spa will be free of any leftover germs if it is shocking.
How do you decontaminate a hot tub?
Use a surface cleaner to clean the spa, and then rinse the surfaces to remove the cleaner from them. Drain the spa to get rid of any extra water and cleaner in there. They are draining the spa.
Fresh sand or DE should be used instead of the old filter media, and the water in the spa should be refilled with distilled water. Use ANSI/NSPI standards to adjust the water.
How do you know if you have bacteria in your hot tub?
Even though the water in your hot tub seems clear and clean, germs may be hiding in the depths. Use your nose and test strips to figure out what’s going on.
Having a musty smell in your hot tub is a symptom that the water isn’t properly sanitized.