Category: News

“To be forewarned is to be forearmed”

Throughout the research and development phase of Clarion Spa’s eco-friendly ‘3 step’ hot tub chemicals, extensive research was conducted into creating high quality, effective, value for money and hassle free water care products, but most importantly SAFE chemicals for you and your family! Although ClarionSpa has 20 years experience in the water care industry we are continuously learning and evolving our products to meet the needs of our customers.

This blog is certainly not intended to ‘scare-monger’, moreover to ensure that you, the consumer, are aware of the effects of the chemicals which may be present in your usual hot tub chemical brand. It’s so easy to keep purchasing the same old thing without realising a. what you are actually buying, and b. that there are innovative alternatives out there. Now you can make an informed decision and purchase confidently.

Okay so lets start with ‘Chlorine’ and its derivatives ‘Dichlor‘ and ‘Trichlor‘ (please do double check the ingredients of your usual brand as manufacturers will try to pull the wool over your eyes by listing them as something you will not easily identify). Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and whilst it is technically waterproof, the skin can absorb contaminants from the water as heat opens your pores. If you notice dry and flaky skin after you have relaxed in your hot tub then these chemicals may be the culprit. Chlorine strips the skin of its natural oils and causes it to dry and crack, which can also cause premature wrinkles. If you have sensitive skin or allergies you may also develop an itchy skin rash, sinus / breathing problems or sore red eyes. If you have colour-treated hair, particularly you blondes, you need to take extra care as these chemicals may cause hair dryness and, worst case scenario, breakages or the dreaded ‘green tinge’.

Those are some of the effects on your hair and skin, but don’t forget ‘Chlorine’ is also not great for your swimwear. It causes the fabric to shred, the colour to fade and the elasticity to break down. It can also corrode your expensive hot tub’s operating system, discolour the shell, and can make the plastic parts brittle. You do NOT need harsh chemicals to achieve effective water care or cleaning results.

Moving onto ‘Bromine’; whilst not quite as odouress as the chemicals mentioned above it can still cause all the same effects. It is often a more expensive ingredient within your hot tub chemicals, however showering off the residue of bromine from your skin and hair is certainly not as easy as trying to wash away chlorine and even that can be difficult enough.

Then you are probably using pH balancers, pH reducers etc etc so that you are essentially relaxing in a hot chemical cocktail… eugh! You do NOT need multiple products to achieve effective results (plus all the time, effort and money that it entails).

All of this, and don’t even get us started on the negative effects of all these chemicals on the environment when you purge and drain your hot tub!

Is there an alternative to Chlorine, Dichlor, Trichlor and Bromine?

Taking these basic facts into consideration (along with comprehensive research conducted by our specialist chemists) Clarion Spa has developed for you a high quality ‘chlorine/bromine free, easy to use and environmentally friendly’ 3 step hot tub chemical range. Effortless weekly water care with our Active Silver Oxygen pouches, quarterly purge and drain deep clean with our EcoPurge Power Puck and top up / refill your hot tub with our Mineral Ball Water Filter. There is no need for multiple, expensive, ineffective products and you should not need test strips and balancers etc.

Obviously please don’t just take our word for it, do some research of your own and this will help you to make your own informed decision about the best hot tub chemicals to suit your needs.

Hot tubs should be a fun, relaxing experience for you and your whole family, but most importantly they should be safe!

Making the most of your hot tub

Clarion Spa can provide you with some of the most innovative hot tub chemicals on the market place today, but we obviously also want you to make the most of your fantastic hot tub experience.

Hot tubs and spas offer you a warm water environment that combines massaging jets with buoyancy, making it not only a thoroughly relaxing experience but your hot tub can also provide hydrotherapy to promote a variety of health and wellness treatments.

First things first… your safety is paramount!

Don’t forget it is always extremely important to SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE first to ensure that hydrotherapy and high-heat conditions are suitable for you and your family.  Please follow our guidelines below and those of your hot tub retailer. Clarion Spa’s recommended quality hot tub stockist is Project Pool, who currently offer free delivery and free installation (to the UK mainland).

• Avoid hot tub temperatures that are excessively high.  The control panel on your hot tub allows you to manage the temperature of the water. Different temperatures are recommended for different treatments. A water temperature between 102 and 104 degree F loosens tight, tense muscles and relieves pain from arthritis, muscle spasms, and backaches. A neutral temperature of 92 – 94 degree F calms the nervous system and is effective in treating insomnia and reducing anxiety, exhaustion, and chronic pain. The water temperature for young children and the elderly should not exceed 95 degree F.
• Do not soak in your hot tub for more than 15-20 minute intervals as sitting in a hot tub elevates your body temperature and the temperature of your internal organs.  Don’t worry it only takes a matter of minutes for you to reap the benefits of hydrotherapy! If your hot tub is set at a lower temperature you can soak in it for longer periods of time.
• Ensure that your hot tub is regularly sanitised to keep it clean and hygienic.  Use Clarion Spa’s “chlorine free, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly” 3 step hot tub chemical range. Effortless weekly water care with our Active Silver Oxygen pouches, quarterly purge and drain deep clean with our EcoPurge Power Puck and top up / refill your hot tub with our Mineral Ball Filter. If you are pregnant SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE to ensure that it is safe for you to use your hot tub.
• If you or your family have mobility problems always ensure that somebody else supervises your use of the hot tub.
• Children / vulnerable adults should always be supervised whilst using the hot tub.
• After using your hot tub allow 60-90 minutes before retiring to bed in order to let your body temperature drop.

Okay so you’ve established hot tubs are safe for you… so what happens during hydrotherapy?

• After 5 minutes… Your blood pressure and pulse rate begin to drop.
• After 8–10 minutes… The heat from the hot tub leads to a process called ‘vasodilation’ (or the widening of blood vessels) to stimulate and increase the blood circulation throughout the body, particularly the immune system’s white blood cells. This increases the circulation in your hands and feet, making them feel warmer.
• After 12–15 minutes… The buoyancy effect of the water allows your muscles to relax and become more reactive to passive exercise. Your tissues are more malleable and become receptive to stretching, which encourages the release of lactic acid and other toxins from your body.
• After 15–20 minutes… By eliminating the effect of gravity, pressure is removed from the joints, and stress on the supporting muscles and ligaments is lessened. Your minor aches and pains begin to decrease in severity.

Ahhhh…. Relaxation

As the blood vessels open up (dilate), tension and pain can subside and the body increases the production of endorphins (those lovely feel good hormones). The buoyancy of the water creates the relaxing sensation of ‘floating in space’. Jets release a mixture of air and warm water and can be used for a gentle or vigorous directed massage. Your hot tub can help to lower blood pressure caused by day to day stresses. Hot water is known for its soothing properties, and you can enhance this further by introducing aromatherapy with essential oils. Always use caution with essential oils as some may exacerbate certain medical conditions; if in doubt SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.

Project Pool’s hot tub range includes their ‘Theatre Spa’ with integrated T.V. and sound system.

Ouch…. Exercise Injuries

Hydrotherapy can be a useful when healing exercise injuries, however be patient and proceed with caution!  Cold water/compression aids the reduction of inflammation and heat should only be used at the correct time in the repair process. If you use hot water hydrotherapy treatment too soon after injury it may only aggravate the inflammation and cause further damage to the tissue so SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.

When pain and swelling have significantly subsided, hot tub hydrotherapy can be used to improve circulation, reduce muscle spasms and provide pain relief. Areas of the body can be fully immersed and jets can provide a directed massaging effect.  The buoyancy of the water may also help to increase a range of physical motion and loosen muscles.

Project Pool’s hot tub range includes a variety of ‘Swim Spas’ which provide you with a gentle or vigorous swim against resistance jets.

Pain Relief from Ongoing Medical Conditions e.g. Arthritis

Those with arthritis may benefit from the pain and stiffness relief that hydrotherapy can provide, however do remember to SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.  Exercise is important in the long-term management of arthritis as it helps to keep joints moving, increases strength and flexibility, reduces pain, and protects joints against further damage.

Increased circulation and free movement in the buoyant heated water of your hot tub creates an ideal environment as the buoyancy reduces your body weight by approximately 85-90%.  This allows for the safe exercise of sore joints and muscles without weight or pressure. Your hot tub simulates gentle exercise, therefore you gain some of the same health benefits of exercise but with less stress on the heart. A hot tub increases the heart rate while lowering blood pressure, instead of raising it as other forms of exercise do.

Project Pool’s hot tub range includes a variety of ‘Swim Spas’ which provide you with a gentle swim against resistance jets.

Protect your Investment

No doubt you spent a lot of time and hard earned money researching and purchasing the perfect hot tub? Here at Clarion Spa we want to stress how imperative it is that you now protect your investment by cleaning and maintaining your hot tub on a regular basis. Your hot tub will love you for it and you will reap the benefits!

Prolong the Life Span of your Hot Tub

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever, but you should be able to enjoy your [new] hot tub for anywhere between 5 to 20 years  (an average of 10 years) depending on a number of factors including:

• how often you use your hot tub… obviously you want to enjoy your hot tub as much as possible, in fact if you don’t use your hot tub for prolonged periods of time it can cause problems e.g. the pump seal may dry up, crack and begin to leak. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for appropriate use.
• the climate your hot tub is in… if your hot tub is outside in a particularly cold climate the operating system has to work much harder to maintain heat.
• where your hot tub is positioned… frequent debris from trees, dust, sand etc can create problems with the filtration system.
• water source hardness and impurities… when filling and topping up your hot tub it can create a build up of hard scale deposits within the operating system components.
• how often you clean the hot tub inside and out… unfortunately you do have to put in the time to get rid of the grime!  Weekly water care, and quarterly purge/drain and refilling is essential to keep you and your hot tub free from harmful bacteria and deposits.
• how effective your cleaning products are… more products/processes certainly doesn’t mean a better clean, in fact it only highlights how ineffective the products are and creates more work and expense for you!  The more products you use means that you are essentially just bathing in a chemical cocktail tub (ewgh)!
• the ingredients of your cleaning products… some chlorine and bromine chemicals corrode your hot tub’s operating system, discolour the shell, and can make the plastic parts brittle. You do NOT  need harsh chemicals to achieve results. Do check the ingredients of your product, you’ll quickly realise that they have no ‘finesse’  in spite of their claims.
• buying ‘second hand’… as with anything you buy second hand you have no way of knowing how it has been cared for.  Always purchase a pre-owned hot tub with caution, ask yourself why they want to sell it before you part with your money.
• the quality of the build… generally an American manufactured hot tub is a much higher quality than its Chinese counterpart. Clarion Spa’s recommended quality hot tub stockist is Project Pool, who currently offer free delivery and free installation (to the UK mainland).

Get into a ‘Clean Routine’

Okay so first things first, when you buy your new hot tub the manufacturer will have conducted a ‘Wet Test’ where your hot tub has been filled, switched on, checked for leaks and operating faults, drained, wrapped and finally shelved. This is great right? Well yes and no, you know it works but there may now be water residue in all the dips and troughs of the internal pipework, which creates the perfect breading ground for harmful bacteria.

Initial and Quarterly Purge and Drain

Don’t panic…

Your retailer/manufacturer should always advise you to initially ‘Purge and Drain’ before stepping foot into your hot tub. You can do this easily by filling your hot tub to the recommended level then using your purge and drain product before refilling.

By popping Clarion Spa’s environmentally friendly EcoPurge Power Puck into the hot tub skimmer basket or floating dispenser both initially and then quarterly (every 3 months) you ensure the elimination of scale, rust and bio-film deposits on your hot tub pipe work and the mechanical parts of the operating system.  Unlike most purge and drain products on the market you can rest assured that EcoPurge Power Puck is not just an inadequate degreaser, it is a 2-in-1 degreaser AND oxidisation designed for a thorough inside and out deeper clean treatment.

There are no quick fixes to purge and drain maintenance in spite of what other products tell you. Your hot tub will love you for it and you will protect your investment for much longer.

Weekly Water Care

It’s no use putting the time and effort into a purge and drain to keep your hot tub’s operating system happy if you are then going to soak in dirty water. Lots of things can create problems: moisturiser/sun cream residue; hair products; little ones having an ‘accident’; natural shedding of skin and hair; debris from leaves; spilling your cocktail etc. All of these things will alter the pH of the water and will cause bacteria, algae, foam, and biofilm deposits (that disgusting pink slime) in your hot tub.

By simply sprinkling the contents of one easy-rip Clarion Spa Active Silver Oxygen pouch into your hot tub water once a week you can ensure maximum water sanitation and avoid potential health problems for you and your family.  That’s it! ONE product… NO measuring… NO spillages… NO pH test strips… NO pH balancers. Amongst other benefits, Clarion Spa’s Active Silver Oxygen incorporates balancing buffers to do that job for you for normal everyday use.  Obviously if you do accidentally spill a drink etc in your hot tub you will negatively effect the pH balance and we would recommend that you test and balance the water accordingly until you use next week’s Active Silver Oxygen pouch.

As the name suggests, Clarion Spa Active Silver Oxygen harnesses the effective gentle cleaning power of oxygen and silver.  It does NOT contain chlorine, diclor, triclor or bromine, which can cause a variety of harmful effects for both you and your hot tub.

Water Refill and Top Up

Now you need to reduce your household water source hardness and it’s nitrogenous materials and impurities such as chlorine, fluoride and trace metals e.g. copper, iron, mercury and zinc. This will help to eliminate scale formation and prolong the lifespan of your hot tub operating system.

By effortlessly attaching Clarion Spa’s Mineral Ball Filter to your garden hose with the free adapter when you refill and top up your hot tub water, you can combat this problem throughout the year.  Clarion Spa’s Mineral Ball Filter uses environmentally friendly biodegradable ‘Activated Ceramic’ as it’s purifying media as opposed to un-environmentally friendly ‘Activated Carbon’. This activated ceramic media is penetrated with inorganic minerals.  Not only is this beneficial for the continuous maintenance of safe and clear water in your spa or hot tub, but it also benefits you the bather. These active ingredients are absorbed into your body, re-energising you and replacing vitamins and minerals that your body loses whilst relaxing in warm water conditions. To ensure the long life of your Mineral Ball Filter, simply drain it fully and keep it refrigerated between uses.

Remember to keep the cover off your hot tub as you re-fill with clean water and this will also stop nitrogen in the air being transferred into the filling water, as this is the main source of sustenance for bacteria.

Effortless Cleaning and Maintenance

How easy is that?

Three environmentally friendly, chlorine/bromine free products is all you need for effortless cleaning and hot tub maintenance.

Clarion Spa can provide you with some of the most innovative hot tub chemicals on the market place today in order to make the most of your hot tub investment for years to come.

We are offering every lucky ClarionSpa customer a chance to win a whole year’s supply of ClarionSpa products, worth over £350, just by clicking a button!  All you have to do is ‘like us’ on Facebook and you will be automatically entered into our prize draw and in with a chance to win this fantastic prize. Click the button below now and look forward to a relaxing, clean and luxurious skin soft spa or hot tub experience that has not cost you a penny.

This amazing prize consists of the following ClarionSpa products:

1 x Active Silver Oxygen System
1 x Mineral Ball Filter
4 x Eco Purge Power Puck

Every time you purchase a ClarionSpa product from www.ProjectPool.co.uk we are proud to make a monthly donation to Macmillan Cancer Support, a fantastic charity that is close to all our hearts.

The shocking statistics are that one in three of us will get cancer, and it is the toughest thing most of us will ever face.  If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer you will want a team of people to support you every step of the way.  Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support, and aim to improve the quality of life of those who are suffering from this disease. With your help we can make sure that nobody has to face cancer alone. Thank you.