cover off when adding dichlor?

[Tonyf]

It has been recommened here on the forum that when you add dichlor and MPS that the cover should be left off for about 20 minutes and run the pumps to protect the cover.

When adding dichlor after each soak, do you still need to leave the cover off for a while?

Tony

[Richs100]

I don't think you have to worry about gas-off when using MPS.
With a regular dose of dichlor after a soak, I leave the lid open for about 5 minutes.
When I shock (superchlorinate), I leave the lid off for 20-30 minutes.

[TubsAndCues]

You should leave the cover off for MPS as well.  Any time you are shocking, you are oxidizing waste products out of the water and into the air, "gas-off" is still occurring.  I always recommend to my customers to leave the cover off for 1/2 hr. after any shock.  This allows the chemicals to work at their full potential and will extend the life of your cover.

[Richs100]

You should leave the cover off for MPS as well.  Any time you are shocking, you are oxidizing waste products out of the water and into the air, "gas-off" is still occurring.  I always recommend to my customers to leave the cover off for 1/2 hr. after any shock.  This allows the chemicals to work at their full potential and will extend the life of your cover.

T&C, are you saying you should leave the cover off for both regular dosing and Shocking with MPS?  I always thought that was an advantage MPS had over dichlor.

[hottubdan]

Only leave cover off when shocking, whether with MPS or chlorine.

[TubsAndCues]

T&C, are you saying you should leave the cover off for both regular dosing and Shocking with MPS?  I always thought that was an advantage MPS had over dichlor.

Yes, you should leave the cover off.  The advantage of MPS is you don't have to wait as long to use the tub after shocking as you do with a dichlor based shock.

If nothing else, the chemical degradation to your cover should keep you inclined to keep it off when shocking.  One other common mistake I see some of my customers make is only leaving it half open.

I promise you that more than a few people on here have had covers that only go water logged on one side...

[Tonyf]

Is adding dichlor after soaking considered shocking?

[TubsAndCues]

Is adding dichlor after soaking considered shocking?

Not neccessarily.  Adding a small amount will only boost your sanitizer level, but adding a larger dose will begin the oxidation process and "shock" the tub.  Either consult your local dealer or the back of your dichlor bottle to see how much it will take to shock the tub.  Most bottles use the term "superchlorination" to reference shocking with dichlor.

[tony]

I leave my cover open for about five minutes after regular dosing and twenty minutes after shocking.  The reason for leaving the cover open in because of offgassing and the damage it can do to the cover, headrestst, etc.  This is critical when shocking, not as much so with a small daily dose.  If I had to wait twenty minutes after a regular dose to close my cover....I would never use the spa.

Any time you add MPS, you are technically shocking or oxidizing so you may want to leave your cover open longer if you add MPS after you soak as some do...or alternately add it before you soak.

[tony]

Not neccessarily.  Adding a small amount will only boost your sanitizer level, but adding a larger dose will begin the oxidation process and "shock" the tub.  Either consult your local dealer or the back of your dichlor bottle to see how much it will take to shock the tub.  Most bottles use the term "superchlorination" to reference shocking with dichlor.

Shocking or superchlorinating with chlorine refers to reaching breakpoint chlorination to eliminate chloramines/combined chlorine.  Combined chlorine is measured by the difference between total chlorine and free chlorine.  Breakpoint chlorination is reached when you raise your free chlorine level to ten times your combined chlorine level.  If you don't reach this point, then you have not shocked and your combined chlorine level will remain the same.  If you shock with chlorine you should do so when your combined chlorine level hits .2 ppm.  10 ppm free chlorine seems to be a common level that is used to be sure to have shocked.

[Honorable]

It has been recommened here on the forum that when you add dichlor and MPS that the cover should be left off for about 20 minutes and run the pumps to protect the cover.

When adding dichlor after each soak, do you still need to leave the cover off for a while?

Tony

Oxidizers (MPS and Superchlorination) you should leave your cover completely off for about 30 minutes.  Running your pumps will help mix the chems and help to oxidize faster.  

A thought about superchlorination... as long as you are testing Free Available and Total Chlorine before you put in your "maintenance" Dichlor dose, you don't necessarily need to take the cover off.  You do need to make sure that the dose you put in, will not reach 10ppm breakpoint... or superchlorination will occur.  

I always recommend when you put in dichlor OR mps, always take the cover off for 30 minutes.  It may be a little inconvenient, but saving hundreds of dollars on a new cover is worth a few minutes of work.

Better safe then ... ooopsy.

[TubsAndCues]

Very true.  Even for a good sale price a cover will put a dent in your wallet.

[tony]

I know for me....my couple of teaspoons of dichlor after use isn't reaching breakpoint chlorination so I'm not too worried about dosing.  My cover is over five years old and still going strong.  

[Brewman]

You got 5 years out of your cover?  I'm jealous and impressed.  My Sundance cover is just over 4 years old and is plenty heavy.  I got just over 3 years out of it.  Physically it's in great shape- the vinyl has held up really well- but it's extremely waterlogged.
 
I'm going with one of doc's covers- and am getting the double wrap option, hoping to extend the time between water loggings.

You must be doing something very right.

[tony]

You got 5 years out of your cover?  I'm jealous and impressed.  My Sundance cover is just over 4 years old and is plenty heavy.  I got just over 3 years out of it.  Physically it's in great shape- the vinyl has held up really well- but it's extremely waterlogged.
 
I'm going with one of doc's covers- and am getting the double wrap option, hoping to extend the time between water loggings.

You must be doing something very right.

The cover lifter disintegrated on me....I just replaced that and I am trying a thermal blanket that comes with cover lifters from rhtubs.  So far using the blanket hasn't been too bad and you can see where they will extend the life of the cover, though I can't credit my cover's life to one.  I have a little stitching stress at the far ends of the hinge but barely noticable and no tears.  My cover isn't heavy yet so I'm feeling pretty good, but I realize it must be getting close to the end.  The only thing I can say that I've done right is I've always kept my cover open for at least twenty minutes after shocking.  Also, I've only used chlorine to sanitize.