Best chemical routine to prolong water life?

[solo]

I've owned my spa for a little over a month.  No major problems.  Sometimes the pH gets out of line and other times the TA goes out.  But mostly it's been fairly easy to maintain normal water chemistry.

I am usually the only one using the spa.  After each soak I will put 2, sometimes 3 teaspoons of 99% dichlor in.  Every other week I shock it with 44% dichlor shock.  I also have ozone and Nature 2 silver ion cartidge.  

So far so good.  I am hoping to get by with this regimen for 4 months, then change the water.  

Is their a chemical regimen that you think gets you longer life out of your water?  Changing every six months or once a year would be great.

[Richs100]

Hey Solo, sounds like your "getting into the swim" of things....(bad pun)  After 15 years of tub owning, I still feel like a novice at times, but the only thing I was concerned about was the amount of dichlor you are using after your normal soak.  

It sounds like your soak habits are similar to mine.  I have a 450 gal tub and never use more than 2 teaspoons of dichlor after a soak.  Everybody's water is different, but you might want to test the Chlorine level about a 1/2 hour after you soak to see where your dosing is taking you.  

Since you are using N2 and ozone, I have found you can use even less dichlor in your regular dose.  This way you are not unnecessarily increasing your cyanuric acid levels by overdosing the tub, and there is less chlorine damage to your pillows and tub cover.

[Cyn]

After the recent posts by some long term users and short term users that thought they had a handle on water chemistry, I have deduced that there is no such thing as a best chemical routine that prolongs water life.  Something that has worked for several water changes for a user will very suddenly no longer work.  I have even found by testing my water from the tap that I get different pH and alk readings at different times...and we have city water, not well water.  And all of us, or most of us, have some sort of difference in usage pattern at least a few times a month, whether our family members suddenly decide to join us or we have a friend over, or we can't use our tub for a few days after using it daily, or we need to use it more frequently because of a new ache or pain.  One day a user might not bother to wash off lotion.  Even having to treat my water on a rainy day where I have the lid open for the dichlor dosage and suddenly the sprinkle turns to a downpour will suddenly mean a different chemical treatment might be necessary for alk and pH.  I think there was a recent post about a user that goes 6 months on average between water changes...maybe a search will bring that post up or he will respond.  Wouldn't changing your water once a year be wonderful?  

[hottubdan]

A rep for a chemical company explained to me one time why you want to change your water more rather than less.  Take with a grain of salt, as he was selling chemicals.  However, it seems to make sense to me.  Here is what Bob Ventura (affectionately known as Ventura Freeway in honor of the miles he drove) said:

When you fill your spa, you are adding water.  You balance the water and sanitize it and you are still mostly bathing in water.  Every time you use the spa and each time you add chemicals, you are changing the chemistry.  You are adding sweat, ammonia, lotions, oils, and other biological wastes we won"t name.  You are adding chemicals.  And so on.  So, you start soaking in water.  Over time you end up taking a chemical bath.

That was his story 20 years ago.  Made sense to me.  What do you all think?

(Chas, did you know Bob, who was with Leisure Time at the beginning of our industry?  Anyone else?)

 

[solo]

I agree to an extent.  However, we are talking about a chemical bath still in the PPM range.  

[windsurfdog]

I don't know about others but I REALLY look forward to my thrice yearly water changes...there's nothing that feels better in the tub than fresh water...well, nothing water-wise anyway!    No way would I consider stretching my changes out past 4 months.

[Vinny]

The best chemical to add to your tub is fresh H2O. Emptying and refilling a tub during nice weather is no big deal.

[tony]

I've owned my spa for a little over a month.  No major problems.  Sometimes the pH gets out of line and other times the TA goes out.  But mostly it's been fairly easy to maintain normal water chemistry.

I am usually the only one using the spa.  After each soak I will put 2, sometimes 3 teaspoons of 99% dichlor in.  Every other week I shock it with 44% dichlor shock.  I also have ozone and Nature 2 silver ion cartidge.  

So far so good.  I am hoping to get by with this regimen for 4 months, then change the water.  

Is their a chemical regimen that you think gets you longer life out of your water?  Changing every six months or once a year would be great.

If you want to get six months to a year out of your water, you have to turn to enzymes.  Try the Natural or Eco One coupled with a very low amount of dichlor.

[solo]

I wish that Nature 2 would develop a better Silver Ion filter for Spas.  I use a N2 insert in my spa filter, but still have to use 3-4 ppm Chlorine.  

For swimming pools, nothing beats a Nature 2 system (at least 6 years ago when I owned a pool).  With the Nature 2 filter for swimming pools, you pretty much keep the Chlorine at one half ppm (0.5 ppm) and shock it every 4-6 weeks.  My swimming pool water was as clean as my tap water and I didn't need to shower after swimming because I didn't have any chemical smell or residue on me.  

[Bonibelle]

My friend who has a Lowe's tub (with little or no problems over the 5 years that he has owned it) claims to NEVER empty his tub. He just adds water. Sometimes he forgets and the tub overflows, but he never dumps and refills. He insists this is perfectly fine...and I am not going to argue with him, there is no point. they never wear suits, so maybe that makes a difference :-? but he has not emptied and cleaned that tub since he has had it.

My thought on clean water (I have made this analogy before)...it is like putting fresh- off the clothes line sheets on your bed. Sheets that have dried in a fresh breeze...It is crisp and refreshing even if is it HOT!

[AstaLaVista]

My friend who has a Lowe's tub (with little or no problems over the 5 years that he has owned it) claims to NEVER empty his tub. He just adds water. Sometimes he forgets and the tub overflows, but he never dumps and refills. He insists this is perfectly fine...and I am not going to argue with him, there is no point. they never wear suits, so maybe that makes a difference :-? but he has not emptied and cleaned that tub since he has had it.

My thought on clean water (I have made this analogy before)...it is like putting fresh- off the clothes line sheets on your bed. Sheets that have dried in a fresh breeze...It is crisp and refreshing even if is it HOT!

ewwwww to your friends tub.   :-?

[drewstar]

I think makes a some good points that water quality is directly linked to use.

given that,  let's also not forget Chas rule about chemicals and water quality:

"Fresh Water is the cheapest chemical to add to the tub.   "


Can anyone remind me what's the "better" method of shocking? Is it better to use Shock on a weekly basis or Super chlorinate (over 10 ppm)  with Dichlor?  I am lead to believe that Shock is less harmful as fas a building up CYA levels, but can increase TDS,  while the opposite is true for Dichlor, less TDS, but can increase CYA.  I alternate between super chlorination and shock.

Also, newbies should be warned to use Clarifiers, Foam down and other additves to the water very sparelsy.

As far as "Best routines" for extended water quality. I've heard that emzimes may work mircles but I have never seen any documented proof on the subject.

Since it seems that there are some new tub onwers here  who live in freezing temps and we are talkin about water care, I'd like to remind them, that if your water is/has gone down hill and it's the middle of Feb and -20 outside, don't forget that "Partial Water Change
Outs" can be make a huge difference until it warms up and you can  do a complete change out in the spring.  

[Bonibelle]

YEs..that is what I say..no fears, I will never go in their tub .  They just think I am nuts dumping mine.

 And now that we are talking about this, I was at a football banquet about 2 weeks ago and we were talking about hot tubs and the fact that I got mine cleaned out and refilled that morning and we could soak that night ..(the temp should be up). The couple across the table asked me why I dumped my water. They have a tub and they have never dumped their water either   ..they claim they never knew they had to...they said "You don't dump your swimming pool too do you?"

[Bonibelle]

tricky Drew how you slipped right in there...

[drewstar]

"You don't dump your swimming pool too do you?"

 

Wow.

didja give em a bio-chem lesson or just let them go on thier merry bacteria filled way?