Too Much Chlorine in Your Hot Tub? Here's How to Fix It
You only need a small amount of chlorine to successfully sanitize your spa, so it's possible to overdo it if you're not careful. Too much chlorine can damage your hot tub and irritate your skin, eyes and lungs. Thankfully, reducing the chlorine levels in your hot tub is very easy to do. In fact, you may not even have to do anything at all.
How to Figure Out If You Have Too Much Chlorine in Your Hot Tub
Some people assume that their chlorine levels are too high without actually checking. They think they can detect high levels of chlorine by noticing a specific smell, skin irritation, a change in their hair color or eye discomfort. But in reality, these sensations usually aren't caused by chlorine at all. It's much more likely that other substances, like chloramines, pH and copper, cause these changes in the water.
The only way to truly know if you have too much chlorine in your hot tub is to test the water with chlorine test strips. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that chlorine levels be between 1.0 and 3.0 ppm for safe hot tub use. You'll want to add or reduce chlorine if the tests strips read that your water is above or below this range.
How to Reduce Chlorine Levels in Your Hot Tub
Let the Hot Tub Reduce Chlorine Levels on its Own
If your chlorine levels are higher than 3 ppm and you don't need to use the hot tub any time soon, you don't have to do anything to reduce your levels. Just don't use the hot tub for a day or so and refrain from adding any more chlorine. Eventually, the chlorine will drop to safe levels on its own. To speed up this process, you can run your jets and remove the hot tub cover, as direct sunlight can help to deplete chlorine. It doesn't get much easier than that!
Refill Your Spa with Fresh Water
Another simple way to reduce your chlorine levels is by draining your spa. After you refill it with fresh water, you can add the required chemicals again by carefully testing the water.
Use a Chlorine Neutralizer
If your chlorine levels are very high after a shock or after adding too many chlorinating granules and you need to use your hot tub soon, you can use a chlorine neutralizer. We recommend letting the chlorine levels deplete naturally with the methods above if possible. But if you must deplete levels quickly, you can use sodium thiosulfate. Make sure to add the neutralizer gradually and carefully follow directions and dosages based on your test strip reading.
We hope these tips help you to get the chlorine in your hot tub water back to safe levels again. After you've balanced out your chlorine levels, make sure to check your other chemical levels too. A rise or fall in chlorine levels can affect the other chemical levels.