Hot Tub Journal

The four numbers that matter in an aluminum hot tub, why calcium hardness is the one most owners miss, what order to balance in, and which common spa products are not compatible.

Three different things get called pitting, and they have different causes. What the deposits actually are, why soft water is the one most owners don't expect, and how a tub already showing them gets put right.

Clean, safe, long-lasting tub water comes from preventing problems before they start, not from correcting them after. Balanced water chemistry reduces the amount of sanitizer needed. A simple preventative routine, guided by regular test strip readings, keeps water comfortable for bathers and easier on the materials. The result is water you change quarterly rather than weekly, using far less chemical input at every stage.

This guide covers the parameters, the treatment sequence, the products, how to care for the materials, and how to use and conserve water responsibly.

Filling and emptying a hot tub at a property with no tap. Lake, river, rainwater and hauled water, what each means for water care, and how filtration changes the calculation.

Hot tub water has four key parameters: alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness, and sanitizer. Each affects the others, so the order you balance them in matters. Test regularly, adjust gradually, and the water largely looks after itself. The goal is not to add more chemicals when things go wrong. It is to keep conditions stable enough that nothing goes wrong in the first place.

This guide covers what each parameter does, what range to target, how to test, and how to build a routine that keeps water safe without overcomplicating it.

How long a fill actually lasts, and what decides it. Weeks on a wood fired tub without filtration, three to four months with it, and five to seven days on an ocean fill. Plus the habits that stretch every fill further.

For most owners, maintaining an AlumiTub is significantly less demanding than maintaining a conventional spa. The smooth, non-porous aluminum interior does not harbour bacteria the way a porous surface or a complex plumbing system does, so the baseline requirement is lower to begin with. How much effort water care actually takes depends on how you use the tub and what your property provides.

The AlumiTub can be filled with fresh water, lake water, or directly from the ocean, and its marine-grade aluminum structure handles all three. Ocean fills are changed every five to seven days rather than left standing, and the tub is rinsed between fills. Marine practice means managing exposure rather than ignoring it.

Most conventional hot tubs have a significant environmental footprint: continuous electrical standby consumption, heavy chemical use that enters waterways when drained, non-recyclable materials, and short lifespans that accelerate the replacement cycle. A sustainably designed tub addresses each of these at the design level, not just through better habits. This guide covers what genuinely sustainable hot tub design looks like, and how to use any tub with a lighter footprint.

Sustainability is not a single feature. It is a series of considered decisions about energy, materials, water, and longevity, compounded across the life of the product.