Water Care Guide

Water Maintenance Made Easy

MSpa maintenance comes down to keeping your pool water chemically balanced, especially holding the pH in the ideal range of 7.2–7.8. Failure to do so can result in catastrophic failure of the components in your MSpa control unit in as little as 3 months, costing hundreds of dollars. Product failure due to poor or incorrect water maintenance is NOT covered by warranty.

To ensure your spa is always ready to use, and for the health and wellbeing of everyone using it, it's essential to treat and balance the water so it stays clean, fresh and inviting. You may have received a Starter Kit with your purchase, which is used alongside this guide. If not, you can purchase one from Portable Spas New Zealand. Make use of our easy Water Testing App for precise test results and dosing suggestions.

Section 1: Beginner's Guide to Water Treatment

Water treatment has two parts: sanitising (killing bacteria) and balancing (keeping the chemistry in range). We'll keep both straightforward.

Sanitising the water

Sanitising means adding a disinfectant – chlorine or bromine – to kill bacteria. Without sanitiser, bacteria from bathers' bodies, oils and dirt can quickly turn the water foul, smelly and unsafe. Even if your spa has a UVC or ozone system, these alone cannot fully sanitise the water; a small, regular dose of chlorine or bromine is still essential.

• Chlorine comes as a powder. Always dissolve it before adding it to your MSpa – stir until no granules remain (use hot water to dissolve faster). Pour the dissolved chlorine into the spa, then run the bubbles for 5 minutes.
• Bromine comes as tablets, added to a floating dispenser that slowly releases sanitiser. Use one tablet per 400L of water to start, aiming for 3–5 ppm.

Do not mix chlorine and bromine. If you want to switch from one to the other, completely drain your MSpa and refill with fresh water before starting with the other sanitiser. Our spas are not compatible with silver products.

Balancing the water

Beyond sanitising, you balance three key factors. It sounds more complicated than it is:

• pH (7.2–7.8): Focus your chemical management on keeping pH in this range. It keeps the water comfortable for eyes and skin and lets the sanitiser work. Too high or too low can cause skin and eye irritation, corrosion in the control unit, or cloudy water.
• Total Alkalinity (80–120 ppm): Stabilises pH. Adjust TA first at startup to make balancing easier.
• Calcium Hardness (120–250 ppm): Too soft is corrosive and damages spa parts; too hard causes scale. Town supply is usually in range but may need slight adjustment.

Add any dissolved chemicals needed to get pH, alkalinity and hardness into range before relying on your sanitiser. A quick shower before using the spa – especially after moisturisers, fake tan, sunscreen or deodorant – makes water balance and filter life much easier.

Other regular maintenance

• Shock dosing (chlorine spas): Every week, and immediately after heavy use, dissolve Spa Chlor in a bucket and add it with the bubbles running.
• Shock dosing (bromine spas): Shock weekly with O2 Shock, a non-chlorine (MPS) shock that oxidises bather waste and reactivates the bromide bank. Double-dose on the initial fill, and with daily use repeat every day or two until bromine starts to show on your test strips. (More on shock types below.)
• Filter cleaning: Check weekly, rinse thoroughly with a hose, and replace cartridges every 4–6 weeks. Dirty filters cause flow errors (E1/F1).

Which shock should I use?

For portable spas, the best routine shock is MPS (non-chlorine shock) – Crystal Water O2 Shock is a high-purity MPS. It oxidises waste and reactivates the bromide bank, adds no chlorine and no stabiliser, and is gentle on liners, heaters and control units.

Use Dichlor only occasionally, when water is cloudy or heavily used and a stronger oxidiser is needed. Avoid Cal-Hypo unless specifically recommended by a technician.

Section 2: Simple 8-Step Startup Guide

1. Assemble and inflate your MSpa.
2. Fill the spa with a hose to between the minimum and maximum levels (see manual). Once the water is above the bubble ring, turn the bubbles on to help circulate chemicals.
3. Turn the power on, set the temperature, and press the heater.
4. Balance the water first: test and adjust pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness into range. (Bromine won't read until the water is balanced.)
5. Add sanitiser – Chlorine: shock dose with Spa Chlor. Bromine: add tablets to the floater (1 per 400L), aim for 3–5 ppm, and give the spa a double O2 Shock dose to build the bromide bank.
6. Run the bubbles for 20 minutes with the cover off to mix and vent.
7. Replace the cover and allow the spa to heat. After 24 hours, retest pH and TA and rebalance if needed.
8. Test Calcium Hardness after 1–2 days and adjust if required. Enjoy your spa once it reaches your desired temperature.

Getting the water balanced can be a challenge for the first 7–10 days; after that the small amount of chemical you add at each test becomes consistent. After setup, test and treat at least weekly (or after each soak if you use the spa less than weekly).

Section 3: No-Hassle Water Care & Dosing Guide

A suggested schedule for a family of three using the spa three times weekly:

• Startup – Balance the water per the guidelines (balance first – bromine won't convert if pH is out of range).
• Weekly – Add sanitiser after use, test pH & TA, and shock dose (bromine: O2 Shock weekly; chlorine: weekly, or fortnightly for very light use).
• Every 3–4 months – Drain, clean or replace the filter cartridge, clean the inlet and outlet valves, and refill (or less often with good maintenance – see Section 4).

Starter kit contents. Chlorine Kit: Spa Chlor, Calcium Hardener, pH Buffer, pH Decrease, Test Strips. Bromine Kit: Bromine Tablets, Calcium Hardener, pH Buffer, pH Increase, Test Strips. Helpful extras: O2 Shock (oxidiser for heavy use/cloudy water), Crystal Clear (clarifier), No Foam (anti-foam), Algaecide.

Using test strips. Turn off the bubbles, dip a strip horizontally for a few seconds, flick off the excess, then compare against the colour chart within about 10 seconds. If a colour falls between ranges, use the higher reading for safety. Chemicals don't change the balance instantly – wait 24 hours before retesting.

Section 4: Essential Water Treatment Rules

• Use chemicals, or completely drain and replace the water every 3 days, if you're not maintaining proper balance.
• Shower before using your MSpa, especially if you're dirty, sweaty or wearing sunscreen, fake tan, lotions or moisturiser.
• Test your water at least weekly (unless you use the spa less than weekly or not at all – in which case ensure the filter is clean, pH is in range, and use a slow-release dispenser before a longer gap).
• Focus chemical management on holding pH in the ideal range (7.2–7.8).
• Dissolve chemicals before adding them – stir until no granules remain.
• Treatment should rarely need more than 2 teaspoons of any chemical, apart from the shock dose. This prevents over-dosing.
• Balance the water (pH, alkalinity, hardness) before relying on the sanitiser.

Rain / tank water users: you need not drain every 3 months – with good filter and control-unit maintenance you can change water less often. But there are no exceptions to using chemicals: you must still balance your water, or be prepared to drain and refill every 3 days.

Section 5: Draining & Refilling Guide

Drain every 3–4 months (or less often with excellent maintenance). Turn off power, drain via the valve/hose, and sponge out the rest. Clean the shell with mild soap and a microfibre cloth, and clean the inlet and outlet valves. If gunk or scale is evident, also clean the pipes between the pool and control unit and flush the control unit with a hose. Wash or replace the filter cartridge, then refill and restart using the Section 2 guide.

Section 6: Troubleshooting

• Cloudy water: Clean the filter, balance pH/TA, shock dose, add clarifier. On a bromine spa, cloudy water often means the bromine has stopped converting because the pH drifted out of range – rebalance first, then shock with O2 Shock.
• Discoloured / smelly water: Indicates bacteria buildup. Increase sanitiser and shock dose (twice if needed). Run UVC and, if fitted, ozone after each soak.
• Foamy water: Caused by oils/detergents. Shower before use, skim the foam, add anti-foam if needed.
• Skin/eye irritation: Usually poor pH balance or sanitiser imbalance. Balance the water and adjust sanitiser.
• Scum line: Oils, lotions, makeup or high calcium. Clean regularly and shower before use.
• Floating debris: Clean the filter, skim with a net, shock dose, flush the system if persistent.
• Excess algae: Use algaecide and repeat if needed; use UVC/ozone features if fitted.

If water stays cloudy after these steps, if you're using more chemicals than recommended, or if problems persist after 48 hours, get in touch – we're happy to help.

Section 7: Spa Models & Water Capacities

Refer to your spa's manual for the exact litre capacity to ensure correct dosing. All MSpas sold in New Zealand are approximately 1,000L.

Contact Portable Spas New Zealand – Sales: +64 27 411 2323 | sales@portablespas.co.nz · Service: service@portablespas.co.nz