Start Up and maintenence

[ecw]

Is there a guide some where?  We bought a used Jacuzzi J-375 and have no idea what chemicals to use how long to run the filter, etc.  Any help would be appreciated.    

[Steve]

I would suggest going to a local dealer that offers watercare products and free water testing and get them to set you up with a weekly maintenance program. That's the easiest method of watercare for a new user and the least frustrating. Buying crap from a box store (not that you said you were going to) and trying to make sense of it online is going to cause you nothing but grief.

This is a HUGE part of ownership and having to mess around blindly will take away from the overall enjoyment and benfit of spa ownership.

[Nitro]

I have to diagree with Steve. I learned a lot about water maintenance online, and I never have water problems. My water is well balanced and sanitized, and I use the very minimum amount of chemicals.

If you want to learn about the method I use, go here.

[Vinny]

Buy a Taylor K-2005 kit, read the book and learn first hand what you are doing. The info at some dealers can be wrong or purposely misleading. If you find a dealer who really knows their stuff and is honest - it can be a way to go but most employees may not care to know what they are talking about.

I am very lucky as my water out of the tap is low PH, alkalinity and calcium but some are not as lucky. Knowing how the water is out of the tap and what it does when you add stuff is important vs being led blindly through it. Even "experts" can have issues that are beyond what they know ... at least by testing yourself and understanding you can gain a knowledge base of information about your water.

[tony]

You can download an owner's manual in pdf format from the Jacuzzi website to help with the operation of the spa.

[Nitro]

I agree with Vinny. The Taylor kit is a must, and the manual is very informative. However, I would get the K-2006 for chlorine instead of the K-2005.

[Vinny]

I agree with Vinny. The Taylor kit is a must, and the manual is very informative. However, I would get the K-2006 for chlorine instead of the K-2005.

The K-2006 is the powder kit. Other than running at high chlorine levels, I don't understand the need for that precision. Having any combined chlorine readings below 1.0 PPM will dictate a chlorine level of 10 PPM max for a chlorine shock. Once you get in tune with the water chemistry you should know that 1 teaspoon = so many PPM chlorine (for me it's about 1.5 PPM) and that will dictate how many teaspoons you need to get to 5, 8 or 10 PPM free chlorine. If it measures above 1.0 PPM hit the tub with MPS and that will take care of that.

As far as free chlorine I don't see the need again since IMO it doesn't matter if you have 3, 3.5 or 4 PPM chlorine, it is better to err on the higher side than on the lower side and adding extra chlorine every so often does make sense to me.

Most of the times chlorine in a spa doesn't need to be that high and to "complicate" water testing by adding powder could be problematic (I have never used the K-2006 kit but have had people tell me they have a hard time using drop kits). In pools that may be a different story since there are times you need to hit the pool heavily with chlorine to kill algea, I had an outbreak once where algea was eating my stabilizer and the only cure was to hit the pool with 15 PPM chlorine for days - this would be the appropriate use of the K-2006 kit which I didn't have.

[Nitro]

The 2006 kit is more acurate, reads higher chlorine levels and CC. Also, some people have trouble seeing color variations (color blindness). It is slightly more expensive, and takes a little longer. However, I use test strips to get quick FC esimates, and use the Taylor kit if I need more accuracy.

The bottom line is, with either kit you're light years ahead of using test strips alone.

[Steve]

I have to diagree with Steve. I learned a lot about water maintenance online, and I never have water problems. My water is well balanced and sanitized, and I use the very minimum amount of chemicals.

If you want to learn about the method I use, go here.

So you're that ONE guy.    All this BS about dealers not knowing or caring just pisses me off. Sure there may be morons out there but I suggest that the large % of them know their stuff. Maybe you're right and after 15 years I know nothing...

[Vinny]

So you're that ONE guy.    All this BS about dealers not knowing or caring just pisses me off. Sure there may be morons out there but I suggest that the large % of them know their stuff. Maybe you're right and after 15 years I know nothing...

Steve,

I was the one who said that and I talk from experience. I've had pool stores that do water testing and sell spas tell me that a CYA reading of 100 is where they like to begin. My own dealer said that I know more about water chemistry than they did and I like my dealer!

As far as not caring, I've seen dealers with ugly looking water in the spa. If they can't keep the showroom spa looking great - what are they going to do with my spa? And how many part time teenagers really care about their job.

We are in a financial mess because professionals did the wrong thing ... and not every professional did it. Didn't write it to piss you off, just to warn a newbie what to look out for!

Vinny

[Nitro]

So you're that ONE guy.    All this BS about dealers not knowing or caring just pisses me off. Sure there may be morons out there but I suggest that the large % of them know their stuff. Maybe you're right and after 15 years I know nothing...

I have little experience with dealers, so I can't (and didn't) comment on them. I did, however, comment on how much I learned about water maintenance Online, which is a lot.

[Spatech_tuo]

I would suggest going to a local dealer that offers watercare products and free water testing and get them to set you up with a weekly maintenance program. That's the easiest method of watercare for a new user and the least frustrating. Buying crap from a box store (not that you said you were going to) and trying to make sense of it online is going to cause you nothing but grief.

This is a HUGE part of ownership and having to mess around blindly will take away from the overall enjoyment and benfit of spa ownership.

I completely agree. While some people may be able to handle buying supplies on-line and going about it themselves the typical new owner is certainly best served having their dealer get them started.

From there the owner can take that initial knowledge, learn on the job and even use the internet to truly understand how to handle their water care but I think its important to start with the dealer. In reality after a while they should be fine to totally fend for themselves but that first month or two can be very iffy for a new owner.

I've done hundreds of in-home orientations where I'd hand them a sheet outlining water care and go over it with them. One of the set things I would say at the end is something like "after a while you'll get to the point where you don’t even need this sheet and will probably lose it. At that point you'll feel that you can even give advice to others so relax, you'll get it just fine".

[Nitro]

I completely agree. While some people may be able to handle buying supplies on-line and going about it themselves the typical new owner is certainly best served having their dealer get them started.

From there the owner can take that initial knowledge, learn on the job and even use the internet to truly understand how to handle their water care but I think its important to start with the dealer. In reality after a while they should be fine to totally fend for themselves but that first month or two can be very iffy for a new owner.

I've done hundreds of in-home orientations where I'd hand them a sheet outlining water care and go over it with them. One of the set things I would say at the end is something like "after a while you'll get to the point where you don’t even need this sheet and will probably lose it. At that point you'll feel that you can even give advice to others so relax, you'll get it just fine".

I agree, a "typical" new owner is certainly best served by having their dealer (or someone knowledgeable on the subject) get them started. I just happen to believe, there are plenty of knowledgeable people on this forum willing to help. I'd say anyone smart enough to find this forum and post on it, such as ECW, is smart enough to learn to care for their water themselves. Why chase them away?

[sonofsail]

ecw,

Get the Taylor K-2005 kit, read the book that comes with it and come to this forum to get questions answered.  The folks that post here are VERY knowledgable, even if they don't agree with one another all the time.  A reputable dealer/service tech in your area can also help you when it comes time to service your tub and they can help get you started.

Good luck

Son