Sydney is a city with a deep connection to water. It begins at the waterfalls and winding creeks of the Blue Mountains, then flows down the Parramatta River, through the harbour, and around to the endless selection of gorgeous beaches.
Sydney is also home to some of the highest quality drinking water in the world – which is also the stuff you’ll use to fill your hot tub. But in order to enjoy the highest quality soak possible, you’ll need to treat it and chemically balance that tap water to make it hot tub ready.
Here’s all you need to know about the quality and chemical makeup of Sydney tap water, and how to transform it into perfect hot tub water.
Water quality in Sydney
Sydney tap water is famously high quality. A city blessed with steady rainfall throughout the year and carefully controlled catchment areas, the taste of the local tap water is as good as you’ll find anywhere on the Australian mainland.
But good drinking water is a very different thing to good hot tub water. In order to properly balance the water in your hot tub, and make it as clean, clear, soft and fresh as possible, you need to understand a few key characteristics of Sydney water:
pH level/Alkalinity
pH is a measure of how acidic or basic the water is, with zero being perfectly acidic, 14 being perfectly basic, and seven being neutral. Sydney tap water typically has a slightly basic pH level of around 7.5, which is actually right where you want it – the ideal pH range for hot tub water is generally considered 7.2-7.8.
Alkalinity levels are a related but separate measure of the presence of dissolved alkaline minerals in the water. The alkalinity levels of Sydney water generally sit between 16-21 parts per million (ppm). This is well below the 80-120 ppm recommended for hot tub water, which you’ll increase through the addition of sanitiser.
Hardness
The ‘hardness’ of water describes the level of dissolved minerals in that water – the higher the mineral content, the harder the H2O. Hard water can lead to scale buildup within the hot tub, and can affect pH and alkalinity levels.
Water with dissolved mineral levels of over 60 ppm is considered hard. The latest water analysis places Sydney just below that mark, at 57 ppm. By way of comparison, Adelaide’s water is quite hard, with levels sitting near 100 ppm, while Hobart’s is notoriously soft, with levels nearer 10 ppm.
Chlorine
Minor amounts of chlorine are added to the water supply in Australia to help kill nasties that might have made their way into the drinking water. Australian Drinking Water Guidelines state that the level of chlorine in drinking water should not exceed 5 ppm, and the actual number in Sydney is generally well below that figure.
Ultimately the chlorine added to Sydney water is negligible, so you’ll need to add sanitiser to your hot tub water.
Impurities
Trace amounts of impurities can be present in Sydney drinking water. Catching these impurities is the job of your hot tub filter system, and elevated levels may mean cleaning the filters more often than you otherwise would, or prefiltering the water as you fill your tub.
Sydney Water tracks the presence of impurities every day to ensure they stay within safe consumption limits: you can check the levels in your area here.
How Sydney water quality affects hot tub water care
Ultimately Sydney water is very high quality, and meets the standards laid out in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. But how does its unique makeup affect how a hot tub owner might treat and care for their water?
Let’s look how the composition of Sydney water affects the two key steps in spa pool water care:
Filtration
Your spa pool filter system is tasked with removing dirt, debris and larger particles from your water, primarily contaminants that fall into the water once the spa pool is full, although impurities can also enter your spa directly from the tap.
If you see that Sydney Water has measured higher-than-normal levels of impurity in your local water supply, it might be worth attaching a pre-filter to your garden hose when filling your hot tub. You should also choose a model fitted with a high quality filtration system that constantly filters your water.
Sanitisation
Sydney water is relatively well balanced: the water isn’t particularly hard, and pH levels generally sit at a nice level. This makes balancing your hot tub water simpler than it can be in other parts of the country. But you will need to add sanitiser and other chemicals to turn drinking water into hot tub water that lasts.
Hot Spring: the ultimate in hot tub water care
Want to enjoy the softest, clearest and most luxurious hot tub water possible? Hot Spring has you covered. We invest heavily in the research and development of innovative water care technologies that enhance the quality of your H2O, while simultaneously minimising the time and money you spend on maintenance and upkeep.
FreshWater® IQ
Ultimately keeping your water clean, safe and luxurious is about testing. You need to keep tabs on important factors like pH, alkalinity, chlorine and more, then add and balance your water as required.
Traditionally this means using manual test strips a few times a week. But not any more.
FreshWater® IQ is a revolution in spa pool water testing. It conducts automated, ultra-accurate water tests every single hour. If the system senses the water could be improved, it tells you exactly what to do via a digital display.
FreshWater™ Salt and FreshWater™ Ozone Systems
Say goodbye to that distinctive chlorine smell with the FreshWater™ Salt System and FreshWater® Ozone System, which trade the traditional sanitising chemical for clever salt and ozone technologies that get rid of nasties in a gentler, more organic way.
100% no-bypass filtration
Models in the premier Hot Spring Highlife collection are the only machines in the world to filter 100% of your water 100% of the time. This 100% no-bypass filtration, which continues to filter the water even when the hydromassage jets are on, is powered by the SilentFlo 5000 circulation system and our ceramic, dishwasher-safe Tri-X filters.
Ultimately Sydney tap water is a good base to work from. And with the help of Hot Spring water care technologies, you can turn it into the most incredible and luxurious hot tub water you’ve ever experienced – the type that delivers an unmatched soaking experience.
Ready to experience the Hot Spring difference? Visit your local dealer today!