How to Clear CLOUDY HOT TUB Water in 1 Hour

Swim University makes pool and hot tub care easy for millions of homeowners. Each year, we continue to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting. We know taking care of a swimming pool or spa can be difficult. And it’s hard to find a trusted source of information. This is the reason we created Swim University.

If your hot tub water's cloudy, it means you’ve got one of two problems:

#1. Your water chemistry is off, like your pH or chlorine levels
#2. You’ve got a larger filtration issue, like biofilm buildup inside your pipes or a dirty filter system.

Whether the cloudy water just appeared overnight or it’s a chronic, ongoing problem, tackling the root cause is the first step. And once you know why it’s cloudy, clearing it up is relatively quick and straightforward. So here’s a step-by-step guide on how to clear up your cloudy hot tub water in just one hour.

⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Cloudy Hot Tub Water 101
00:53 - Two Root Causes of Cloudy Water
01:10 - #1. Poor Water Chemistry
02:19 - #2. Filtration Issues
03:14 - How to Clear Cloudy Hot Tub Water in 1 Hour
03:24 - Step 1. Clean Your Filter
03:34 - Step 2. Test and Balance Water
04:06 - Step 3. Add Chlorine Shock
04:35 - Step 4. Run Filter 24/7
04:45 - How to Use Clarifier
05:05 - How to Prevent Cloudy Water

[AttractionSpot]

So just to clarify if I'm using bromine tablets with a floater and want to clean it a little extra. I can use chlorine shock and it won't affect me using the bromine tablets?

Cuz I know I'm lying at least as far as the tablets it said you can go from bromine to chlorine. But if you're trying to go from chlorine to bromine you would need to drain your spa do a fresh refill.

Because right now I've just been using the non-chlorine shock.

Also can you explain more on the biofilm? How do you flush your pipes is there a chemical that you can buy that will run through the water into pipes and clean out the biofilm if that's the case?

[rsak]

what is a hose filter and where can you get it. We just refilled our spa and it is now cloudy

[sallifrolix]

I filled my hot tub about 2 months ago and have only been in it 3 times since. The water was crystal clear but turned cloudy when I checked it the other day, after not being in it for weeks. Chemical levels look fine, and filter is new. Any ideas?

[GunnerHillTX]

Really struggling to get the water balanced in our new swim spa (containing 1985 gallons) which arrived on Feb 20th.

We followed the instructions our spa supplier gave us about using a hose end pre-filter to fill the spa, and we tested the water once it was filled. Apparently our local water utility filters out almost all the calcium (17ppm), but the alkalinity is well over 8.4. (We're in a limestone region.)

Again, following the written & verbal instructions we were given, we worked on the calcium balance first...
We spent several days adding 7.5 oz of Leslie's brand granules at a time, with 99F water and the pumps & jets running, and kept on testing it after about 15 -30 mins. More than 6 lbs later and all we had to show for our efforts was calcium deposited thickly on every surface but almost no change to the test strips or the in store water test results.

Following more & different advice from the supplier's technician..
We cleaned off as much of the calcium as possible while emptying 3/4 of the water out. We also cleaned the filters, and refilled the spa using the pre filter again. Since then, a little calcium has deposited here and there on some surfaces, but it's a fraction of what it was. It still barely registers on our two different brands of test strips.

The tech said to balance the alkalinity not the calcium this time ... But we're finding adjusting that just as problematic.
We've been adding about 4 oz of Leslie's brand 'dry acid' granules at a time, mixed with plenty of warm spa water and poured into the spa with the pumps and jets running full blast for 15 mins to mix it all in. We've added more than 6 lbs of dry acid over the last week or so and managed to get it down to about 8.0 at one point but it wouldn't come down any lower (testing it about 15 mins after adding each 4 oz).

What the hell are we supposed to do? Is it the product at fault or operator error?

Oh, and the water is a bit cloudy now, as well. We're running the pumps for six hours every day: Two hours at 8.00am, 12.00pm (midday), and 3.00pm. I'll clean the filters again tonight and then try to leave it running for as long as possible over the next 24 hours. To hell with the electricity bill!

BTW - The link on the website to download the 'cheat sheet' doesn't seem to do anything. I tried two different browsers on my laptop.

[SimpleDesertRose]

Thanks for the tips. Swim University to the rescue as always.