I have always bought all of my hot tub chemicals from my dealer (who is a great person; one I like to support). However, I've "heard" that some of the basic things most of us have in our homes can take the place of spa-store bought chems. Like the baking soda which I have in the cupboard.......is it really the same as alkalinity increaser? And my laundry area has a box of 20 Mule Team borax, which apparently can take the place of pH up. There may even be more I haven't heard of.
Can any of you who are knowledgeable about spa chems shed any light on this? If it's true, then I could save myself some coin by using products for my hot tub which I'm already using in my home for other things like baking and laundry.
Don't get me wrong.........I don't cross shop for my chems at Walmart or Home Depot to save a few pennies; I'd rather give my business to my spa dealer. But if I'm buying chems specifically for my hot tub when I don't really need to do that, I'd like to know.