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Keeping your hot tub and swimming pool sparking is surely a tedious task unless you are aware of some of the best sanitizing agents available in the market. To make your swimming pool safe for your family, the usage of chemicals like chlorine and bromine is essential. However, with ample manufacturers for these tablets/solutions, all do not work the same.
Hence, it is essential to choose the best hot tub chemicals to make your spa a delightful affair.
Reviews of the 10 Best Hot Tub Chemicals 2020
We have hand-picked 10 best hot tub chemicals that will keep your swimming pool and spa refreshing and inviting.
If you are wondering what is the best hot tub chemicals to use? Here we go:
1. Clorox Pool & Spa XtraBlue
Keep your swimming pool free from algae and bacteria with this efficient chlorinating table! Even in the bright sunny days, this effective tablet maintains the pH levels of your swimming pool water and makes it safe to swim. The individual tablet is wrapped to make it convenient for cleaning or any type of scrubbing.
This tablet efficiently keeps your swimming pool fresh and clean for longer durations and can be used as floaters and skimmers. It is protected against the sunlight as well.
Pros
- Priced reasonably compared to others in the league
- Efficiently maintain the pH levels in above ground pools
- Ideal for floater, skimmer and feeder applications
- Individually wrapped each tablet
- Works best for stain scrubbing and algae growth
Cons
- Some customers complain about receiving crumble tablets
2. Clorox Pool & Spa Small Pool
These UV protected chlorine tablets are efficient to fight algae and prevent bacteria in your hot tub. Specifically meant for the small pools, these chlorine tablets ideally work with the floating dispenser. Very small in size, these tables are ideal for the kids and inflatable pools.
As these tablets do not dissolve instantly, they do not increase the chlorine levels instantly which may lead to harmful effects like skin discoloration and eye irritation. On average, one tablet of 1” lasts up to a week for an inflatable or kids pool and keeps the water sparkling refresh effectively.
These multi-purpose tablets can also be used in toilets to keep them clean and free from odor.
Pros
- Effectively kill the bacteria present in a hot tub
- Prevents algae to make the water fresh and refreshing
- Ideal for pools up to 5000 gallons
- Highly durable product
- Offers the protection against the sunlight
Cons
- Works well only for small pools
- Not ideal for people with sensitive skin due to high chlorine composition
3. SpaGuard Spa Stain
The building of calcium carbonate or scale on your spa surface can damage the circulation system and the spa surface in the longer run. This spa stain is an effective remedy for scale prevention with its powerful agents. All the stains caused by manganese, iron, and copper are removed easily with this stain guard.
As the cloudy water and filter clogging occurs due to scale build-up, this liquid formula filters out the metal ions in your spa to avoid such troubles. The product is claimed to be quickly shipped and works great.
Pros
- Effective in the prevention of clouding of water
- Restricts the scale formation
- High in calcium levels
- Cleans the fresh metal stains from surfaces of spa
- An efficient sequestrate agent
- Priced reasonably
Cons
- The chemical composition does not withstand excessive heat
4. Leisure Time RENU2
If you are using your swimming pool frequently, you must be looking for bulk buying to suffice the large demand for cleaning tablets. This is an ideal deal for the buyers with large requirements as the tablet is available in the bulk packaging with economical pricing.
It is efficient in cleaning any kind of odor and murky water, making your swimming pool fresh and healthy to swim. It is great to work against dirt and microorganisms and works well with the chemicals like bromine and chlorine in your swimming pool.
Pros
- It is compatible will all types of swimming pools
- It efficiently stabilizes the pH levels
- It eliminates all types of contaminants and murky water
- You can make bulk buying at economical pricing
- It prevents the chloramines formation
Cons
- The customers complain about too many types of foam with this
5. Spa Essentials 32305000
Make your spa water refreshing and sparkling with these efficient bromine tablets which control the bacteria largely. These tablets are appropriate for the sanitization process for people who are allergic to chlorine. Use it with a ‘floating’ feeder to achieve the best results.
Maintain the perfect pH levels of your spa water with these efficient tablets. It is safe to use in the longer run. It keeps the user safe from the cloth discoloration and skin irritation as well.
Pros
- It comes with less pH sensitivity
- It is compatible to infuse in tablet floater and brominator
- It is efficient in keeping your swimming pool odor-free.
- Compressed 1” bromine tablets
Cons
- Few customers complain about in-transit damage
- The packaging is not up to the mark
6. In The Swim C6010
Constituted with the larger bromine content, this tablet produces effective sanitization without causing much irritation to skin and eyes. Enhance your pool enjoyment by saving a considerable amount of money with these tablets. You need to use an automatic feeder to achieve the desired results.
As these tablets dissolve at a very slow rate, these keep the swimming pool clean and refreshing for a longer run. Compared to the other local spa tablets, these bromine tablets are great to buy. It is one of the low-cost bromine tablets to clean your pool clean in the longer run.
Pros
- Available for the bulk buy
- Makes your spa water smooth and soft
- Keeps the swimming pool free from chlorine odor
- Just 27% of the chlorine and 61% of Bromine
- Priced reasonably and quick shipping
Cons
- Few customers complain about the slower working of the tablets
7. Robarb R20154
Just 1 oz is required to clean the 5000 gallons of water. It effectively removes the dirt particle and reduces sanitization demand. It does not clog filters and compatible with all types of the filter. This efficient sanitizer works well without shocking first. You can easily elevate the pH levels and nitrates with each application.
Overall, it is an effective solution to fight against the cloudy and green water and turn into a sparkling refresh.
Pros
- A highly concentrated formula which is used in lesser quantity
- Cleans the cloudy water at a faster rate
- Efficiently Avoid any hazy water appearance
- Compatible with all the range of chemical levels
- It works well at the varied temperatures
Cons
- Not appropriate for the tiny jobs
- Not that durable as expected
8. Spa Depot Bromine Tablets
Recommended to use in adjustable release rate floating feeder, these premium bromine tablets are ideal for your hot tubs and spas.
Efficient enough, these tablets do not produce much odor of chlorine. As these tablets are slow-dissolving, it lasts longer and turns out to be more economical with use. These tablets work miraculously against bacteria and algae.
Fast delivery and reasonable pricing of this product make it a lucrative deal worth exploring.
Pros
- Superior effectiveness with the highest potency
- Quantity discounts available to save good money
- Compared to counterparts, it has a 95% active ingredients
- Solid tablets with no crumpling issues
- The fast and easy ordering process
- Bromine tablets are better than chlorine for sensitive skin
- Hassle-free speedy delivery
Cons
- Few complaints regarding the shipping discrepancies
9. Clorox Pool & Spa Shock
An easy to open bottle is present inside the pack to make your pool cleaning process easy. All you need to pour the content, and it will start working magically to clean your pool. It is efficient to keep your pool water free from chlorine odor, cloudy water, eye irritation, and contaminations.
The crystal shocks present in it kills the algae and bacteria efficiently. It effectively restores the pH levels and improves the swimming pool filters.
Pros
- Highly compatible with vinyl liners
- Efficient in removing contamination and odor
- No premixing requires, making it easy to use
- Dissolves quickly to deliver desirable results
- A detailed instruction guide
- Easy to open
Cons
- Comes with copper algaecide
10. Spa Choice 2-Pack Hot Tub Spa Bromine Tablets
Besides working well for hot tubs, these tablets are great as a deodorizer and toilet cleaner. It comes with great packaging to avoid any crumbled shipping. These tablets do not dissolve easily and last longer with effective results.
The tablets are an excellent choice for sensitive skin. There is no strong odor with these tablets. Enjoy crystal clear water without spending a hefty amount of money with these efficient bromine tablets.
Pros
- Slow dissolving tablets which last longer
- It comes with 98% active ingredients to add to its efficiency
- Outperforming tablets when compared to their counterparts
- Highly recommended over chlorine tablets for sensitive skin
- Ensure maximum effectiveness
- Smaller packaging to avoid tablet breakage in transit
- Multi-use tablets
Cons
- The large container comes with many broken pieces, as a complaint by a few customers
Things to be considered before buying hot tub chemical: Buying Guide
It is important to know exactly which type of chemical is suitable for your hot tub to narrow down your options and select the best one. Hence, we have laid the main criteria which one must consider to understand if the required chemical is compatible with your requirements or not.
Here are some of the factors which you must consider before buying an appropriate hot tub chemical for sanitizing purposes:
Size of the tablet
When you choose a chlorine tablet, it is mainly available in two sizes – 1” and 3”. Depending on your pool size, the size of the tablet you choose varies. For the bigger pools, you need bigger tablets to work faster and more efficiently.
Composition of chemicals
Generally, sanitizing chemicals are made up of different variants. The appropriate levels of chlorine and bromine must be available in the composition to make it work effectively. For sensitive skin, the chemical with a higher composition of bromine is highly recommended.
Packaging
It is another important consideration that adds to the durability of the tablet. Many manufacturers wrap individual tablets to avoid any damage during shipping. The liquid chemicals available in the bottle should be handy and easy to open.
As the chlorine tablets are fragile, if mishandled they will get broken easily. The broken tablets dissolve quickly and will not last longer as expected. Hence, look for smaller packaging which has lesser chances of mistreatment as compared to the bulky ones.
Dissolving speed
The tablets with higher dissolving speed are prone to ‘shock’ you pool with high chlorine content, making it unsafe due to higher chlorine dissipation. However, if the dissolving speed is quite slow, it will not work up to the mark and will not clear the water as expected.
Hence, depending on your pool usage, you should choose the chemical/tablets with a moderate speed which varies from 7 to 10 days.
Conclusion
Choosing an ideal hot tub chemical depends on many factors like choice of primary chemical – bromine or chlorine, size of your pool, frequency of usage and the price. Hence, it is very important to outline your requirements first and look for the chemical which can largely suffice your needs.
There are many manufacturers which offer great deals on bulk purchases. However, the tablets being fragile are prone to higher breakage in the bulk packaging. It is important to choose the right chemical to keep your spa free from algae, bacteria, and odor.
So, make your pool safe and ready to swim by using the right chemical without pinching your pockets.