Cloudy hot tub water is a common issue that all hot tub owners might face at some point in their lifetime. But don't worry, we’ve created this guide to help you turn your hot tub’s water from a cloudy haze to crystal clear.

Why Is My Hot Tub Water Cloudy?

First of all, it’s important to understand why your hot tub’s water has turned cloudy. There are a variety of different substances that can cause this, resulting in lots of tiny particles floating in the water to give it its cloudy appearance. These particles can come from a variety of different substances, including:

• Environmental matter: dust, pollen, seeds, and small airborne particles will fall into your hot tub.
• Organic debris: skin cells and natural body oils will wash off into the water.
• Cosmetics like lotions and moisturisers: these will wash off the bather, particularly when the water is warm (just like in a bath or shower).
• Chemicals are out of balance: incorrect pH levels and incorrect Chlorine can lead to bacteria forming.
• TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) at maximum capacity. This means any new chemicals won't make much of a difference. 

 

Don’t Blame Your Hot Tub’s Filter

The majority of the particles that form in a hot tub are too small to be collected by a filter. Most filters will remove particles down to about 5 to 10 microns - to give you an idea, a red blood cell is about 5 microns in diameter or 0.005 millimeters.

The pump has also been designed to not force all water flow through the filter. This is because if the filter gets severely blocked it could cause damage to internal components of the pump.

It is these reasons that mean that although a filter does filter a lot of debris, it can never capture everything – this is where chemicals come in.

Make Your Hot Tub Water Clear Again

Although it might look like a challenge, returning your hot tub’s water back to its original clarity isn’t as difficult as you might think. Follow these steps to fix cloudy hot tub water using chemicals or empty your hot tub and refill with fresh water.

 

Shock Dosing Your Hot Tub

Just like how you would have ‘shocked’ your hot tub when you first set it up, a shock dose will help to fend off any bacteria or algae by oxidising the water, creating an environment in which all the bad stuff can’t thrive in.

In order to shock dose you need to:

1. Shock dose your hot tub with Chlorine Granules. This shock dose will be dependent on your hot tub’s capacity. We recommend 20g of chlorine for 1000 litres (E.g. The Miami AirJet would require 16g of chlorine or 3 teaspoons).
2. After you’ve carried out the shock dose you should wait for a minimum of 24 hours before testing your water with the dip test strips
3. You can start bathing again once the water’s chlorine levels have returned to 3-5ppm and pH and Total Alkalinity are balanced.

After you have shock dosed you should notice a considerable improvement in the water quality.

For more information, read our handy shock dosing guide 

Use Clarifier to Help With Cloudy Water

If the water is still cloudy following a shock dose, a Clarifier can help to collect up the remaining residue.

Clarifier works by coagulating (bonding together) the small particles (the dead algae and other particles). These particles are then large enough to be captured by the filter and therefore remove any cloudiness from the water (please follow instructions). Once the filters have had a chance to work their magic, make sure you clean them thoroughly to ensure they remain effective.

How To Prevent Cloudy Hot Tub Water

There are a number of simple things you can do to help prevent or at least reduce the likelihood of getting cloudy hot tub water:

• Make sure water chemical levels are correct through regular dip tests
• Clean filters regularly
• Rinse swim costumes, bikinis, or shorts in warm water rather than detergent
• Shower before jumping in your hot tub to help remove dead skin and other moisturisers

 

Hot Tub Water Still Cloudy?

If you have tried all the above and your water is still cloudy, the best thing to do is drain the water and start over again. 


See our maintenance and chemicals guides if you need more advice.