Caldera Freshwater Phosphate Test Strips 25 pack

Caldera Freshwater Phosphate Test Strips

Effective phosphate management is essential for a smooth start-up of the FreshWater Salt System.
Phosphates can encourage algae growth and diminish the salt system’s performance, so regular water testing is a key step in ongoing spa maintenance.

1. What phosphates are

• They’re naturally occurring compounds from things like tap water, body care products, leaves, dust, and even some spa chemicals.

• They’re harmless to humans at typical levels, but in water they’re basically “algae food.”

2. Why it’s a problem in hot tubs

• Even though hot tubs run hot (and algae doesn’t thrive as easily as in pools), phosphates can still feed biofilms in the plumbing.

• Biofilms make it harder for your sanitizer (chlorine, bromine, active oxygen) to work properly.

• This can lead to cloudy water, strange odors, or sanitizer demand suddenly shooting up.

3. What testing does

• A phosphate test kit tells you the concentration (in parts per billion / ppb).

• If levels are above ~300 ppb, many spa pros recommend removing them with a phosphate remover (liquid that binds them so they can be filtered out).