If you’ve ever wondered if the water from your swimming pool or swim spa can be harmful to specific parts of your backyard, you’re not alone. However, we provide you with what you need to know about your spa’s water in relation to your yard so that you know whether or not it’s something to be worried about.
What Swim Spa or Hot Tub Water Does to Grass
Are you thinking about adding a swim spa or hot tub to your home this season? If so, you can expect it to impact certain sections of the natural grass underneath it. This is inevitable, especially if the spa is meant to be placed permanently in one area. Like with any other plant, natural grass needs water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and space to grow.
It’ll be a different story if your lawn has artificial grass. There’s no need to worry about issues for this type of yard because it won’t undergo any change in colour, and there won’t be any mud. The only thing that an above-ground swim spa installation will do to artificial grass is flatten the blades. But once you take your spa out, you can easily brush it back up into place, and it will look the same as before.
A far more important consideration than the grass is the condition of the land beneath your swim spa. Making sure that the ground is level and stable is a standard procedure before laying out the installation plan. Ensuring proper structure with concrete pads, sand, solid foam, flooring underlay and more can allow your spa to have the solid foundation that it needs.
How Spa Water and Chemicals Affect Landscaping
Some people assume that the chlorine in a spa’s water can cause damage as soon as it comes into contact with grass. But here’s the deal: a few splashes of water shouldn’t be an issue because it’s been diluted with water. So, you can rest assured that the next time you have a pool party, none of the surrounding greenery will suffer any real harm.
Plants actually have the ability to distinguish which nutrients they should absorb. This means that if a bit of chlorine gets on the ground surrounding your spa, the grass will most likely avoid absorbing it. However, if the soil becomes too saturated with chlorinated water, the grass will have no choice but to take it in. When this happens, certain parts of the lawn can turn brown and eventually wither.
In the case of draining your spa; however, large quantities of water can spill over to the grass. To ensure the least amount of possible damage to the landscaping, the best way to go about it would be to neutralize the pH levels as much as possible before you proceed. You can do this by simply not adding any more chlorine or other chemicals during the days leading up to the draining process.
Another measure you can take to keep your lawn away from harm is to check your spa’s pH levels before draining. Highly acidic water can destroy plants and ruin your landscaping, so it’s best to conduct a reading first. By following this practice, not only will you be able to maintain a healthy lawn and garden, but the whole community will thank you as well.
Reducing the number of chemicals in your swim spa’s water before draining it into a side gutter is also necessary for the health and safety of everyone in the vicinity. After all, the filtration in such systems is not the same as what a sanitary sewer water treatment has. You can also contact a swim spa provider near you if you’re wondering about the different measures needed to properly drain your water.
It’s highly unlikely that a swim spa will cause major problems for your lawn. This means that there’s no need to minimize the use of your spa just because you’re worried about what it can do to the surrounding landscape. That being said, it’s still important to be aware of the potential risks involved. By taking proper care of your spa, practicing safety precautions during the draining process and keeping an eye on how it’s affecting your yard, you can ensure that both your swimming area and your landscaping can look their absolute best. If you need help in choosing the perfect spa for your home, download our free buyer’s guide today.