Hey there, hot tub aficionado! Now that you’re enjoying the bubbly bliss of your spa, we hope water care is the furthest thing from your mind. And that when you get out of the hot tub you’re delighted to know you don’t have to think about adding more chlorine or becoming a backyard chemist.
FROG® @ease® is designed to make water care easy. To help your SmartChlor Cartridge last as long as possible and perform at its best, follow these simple tips.
1. Keep Your Water Balanced
Maintaining balanced water is important for a host of reasons including your SmartChlor Cartridge’s effectiveness. When your water is out of balance, the SmartChlor has to work harder. And that can lead to faster depletion. Water that’s out of balance, whether it’s Total Alkalinity, pH or Total Hardness, can also make relaxing in your hot tub water uncomfortable, and damage its walls, equipment and other surfaces.
Use FROG @ease Test Strips to monitor the water levels and adjust as needed. Consistency is key. Maintain balanced water, and you’ll get the most out of your SmartChlor Cartridge.
Ideal levels:
- Total Alkalinity: 80 – 120 ppm
- pH: 7.2 – 7.6
- Total Hardness: 150 – 250 ppm
2. Rinse Your Body and Your Swimsuit
Taking a quick shower before you hop into the hot tub might seem a little much, but it makes a big difference in keeping your water balanced and getting the most out of the SmartChlor Cartridge.
When you shower, you rinse off oils, lotions, deodorants and other residues that would otherwise get into your hot tub water. These substances can increase the workload on your SmartChlor Cartridge, causing it to work harder and deplete faster. Showers let the SmartChlor Cartridge focus on sanitizing rather than breaking down unnecessary contaminants.
Hair also carries oils, styling products and other residues that introduce contaminants. Put long hair up or consider using a swim cap (they can be cute!)
Rinsing swimsuits or washing without detergent is a smart move to keep your hot tub water cleaner and get the most out of your SmartChlor Cartridge. Laundry detergents leave residues that are released into hot tub water, leading to increased foam and unbalanced water. With soap residue in the water, the SmartChlor Cartridge has to work harder and depletes faster.
3. Reduce Contaminants
The less contamination in your water, the less work SmartChlor has to do. Keep debris like leaves, twigs, grass clippings, dirt or dust out of your hot tub water. All of these things introduce organic matter into the water that affects water balance and increases the workload on your SmartChlor Cartridge. When the SmartChlor Cartridge has to work harder to maintain clean water, its lifespan is significantly reduced.
When it comes to food and beverages – who doesn’t like to enjoy a snack and a drink while you’re soaking in the hot tub? The hot tub water is the one who doesn’t! It’s best for your water quality to enjoy snacks and beverages away from the hot tub.
4. Shock Monthly
To maintain clean water and make the most of the SmartChlor Cartridge, use FROG Maintain® once a month or after heavy use. FROG Maintain oxidizes organic materials. That means it breaks down sweat, oils, lotions and other contaminants and maintains clean, crystal-clear water.
FROG Maintain is a non-chlorine shock, so you don’t add any extra chlorine to your water. It’s also cyanuric acid free, which means cyanuric acid won’t build-up in your water, creating itchy, smelly, hard-to-manage water.
FROG Maintain comes in a single dose packet – cut it open, pour it in and hot tub water is clean and clear in 15 minutes. Keep a supply on hand, you’ll find maintaining clean, clear hot tub water is easy. Plus, that means no extra work on the SmartChlor Cartridge!
5. Keep Your Hot Tub Clean
Regular maintenance helps support water quality and reduces demand on the SmartChlor Cartridge. Be sure to clean filters regularly, wipe down spa surfaces and keep the cover clean (and on when not in use).
6. Replace Cartridges When Needed
A SmartChlor Cartridge typically lasts 3-4 weeks, depending on spa size and usage. You’ll know it’s time for a replacement when the cartridge flips upside down, or a FROG @ease Test Strip shows the SmartChlor level is lighter than the “Out Indicator.”
Enjoy More, Maintain Less
By keeping water balanced, minimizing contaminants and following a simple maintenance routine, you’ll get the best performance from your SmartChlor Cartridge and enjoy cleaner, clearer water with less work.
