Hard water and your spa
If you’ve read our primer on water chemistry, you know that the minerals in your spa’s water can impact the way you experience your tub. Hard water can leave your skin feeling itchy or dry when you exit the tub, and the various chemicals – in the forms of lotion, makeup, and other additives – you bring with you to the tub can induce clarity problems and make your spa water dirty.
But hard water can have a very real impact on the way your spa operates as well. We perform spa repairs on tubs from all over the city, in every major brand, and we’ve seen firsthand the corrosive effects of hard water.
What is hard water?
When water is in the ground, it picks up minerals. Often this means calcium and magnesium from bedrock aquifers. When we talk about hard water, we’re typically talking about the amount of calcium dissolved in the water, and to a lesser extent, the magnesium.
Heat up hard water, and as the water evaporates, you’ll see the telltale mineral scale left behind. You can see this on faucets in your home sometimes, where small drips of water evaporate, and over time a whitish scale builds up.
In Oklahoma City, the hardness of your water can vary based on which of the city’s three water treatment plants serves your home, but in general, the water in the city tends to be fairly hard.
What does hard water do to my spa?
The scale that builds up as a result of having hard water causes a couple of issues, outside of the potential skin irritation. The buildup of scale can clog plumbing lines, which will eventually cause your pump to fail early, leading to costly spa repairs.
The scale can build up on the walls of your tub, leaving unsightly marks and stains, as well as creating unpleasant scratchy spots that will make using your spa less appealing.
When scale builds up, it makes it harder for your spa’s heating element to heat the water efficiently, which means it will also have to work harder, potentially causing early failures and repairs.
Do I have a problem?
Water testing kits are available to measure the calcium hardness of your water, and anything over 400 parts per million should be treated for the comfort and longevity of your spa. Don’t wait until you’re seeing scale on your tub. Use smart testing and treatment to avoid the problem and the associated repair costs.
What do I do if I have scale build up?
If you’re already experiencing problems caused by hard water, start by draining and cleaning the tub, and begin again with fresh water and the proper chemicals. If you feel your spa is suffering from the more serious effects of hard water, call a repair service. We’d be happy to send a technician over to assess the damage and make a recommendation. We’re Oklahoma City’s leading spa repair service, and there’s not a problem out there we haven’t seen. Call us today to get a handle on your hard water problem.
