Can someone please tell me how to treat the spa with chemicals?

[honeypot]

Okay, I'm not dumb, but all the instructions are here, there and everywhere.  There's the sheet the dealer gave me, there's the manual and there's what the dealer said which in no way matches either.  I just got into my Hot Spot Tempo and there was gritty stuff all over the inside... ugh.  Obviously, too much calcium?  I tested the ph and it needed correction.  I tested the chlorine (which the dealer said to only add after I get out, once a day) and it was zero. 

BTW, I have the ozonater, if that makes a difference.

Please, since you guys are the experts, you must have a simple way of stating how to care for the water in your spa.

As in:  Each day you do this...
          Before you get in the spa you do this...
          After you get out of the spa you do this... (and is that each time you get out or at the end of the day?)
          When you add stuff and it says to run the jets... how fast? 
          Anything else that you have to do.
                 
I asked a neighbor who has a spa and he said all he does is dump chlorine in it.  I asked about how he treated it for our hard water and he looked at me like I was from outer space.     maybe I am, but I really want to make it a safe, healthy environment and have my spa for a long time.

Be kind because I am sure this isn't rocket science, but it definitely is about as clear as mud to me. 

Thanks everyone.

Pam aka honeypot

[hottubdan]

First have to know what dealer gave you; what are you using for sanitizer.

The grit on the shell is actually a pH issue.  You have high pH which causes the calcium to come out of solution.  You can bring the pH down and scrub.

You should check pH weekly and make sure you keep it in the proper range.

[honeypot]

Thanks for the response.  I am having a lot of trouble getting my ph correct and my chlorine always seems low or zero.

Here is what the dealer gave me in the Rendezvous product line:

Activate
Foam Out
Spa Clarifier
Natural Clear
Protect Plus
pH Up
pH Down
Strips
Chlorinating Concentrate Granular

I have the ozonator, for what that's worth.

If you would look at my original post and assist me in how and when I should use these I would be thrilled.

Thanks again all.

Pam aka honeypot

[BNMac]

First, make sure the water is 80° or higher; the chemicals don't dissolve very well under that temp.

Second, bring the calcium hardness into range.  I had problems until I brought mine up to 250.

Third, balance the alkalinity.  This goes hand in hand with the ph.

Then work the ph.  I use Spa Up/Spa Down for the alkalinity and ph; I had problems with high ph until I got the hardness and alkalinity corrected.

Keep in mind, the hardness and alkalinity affect the PH - don't try to correct the ph until the hardness, then alkalinity has been brought into range.

For the sanitizer, I use ozone and bromine.  The store provided me a pack of bromine starter to establish the bromine buffer.  I use bromine tablets in a floater.

My bromine levels fluctuate from 0 to 10; it's due to the time since I last shocked the tub.  I've heard dozens of things about shocking - do it before use, do it after use every time, do it twice a week, do it once a week, do it when the bromine/chlorine is low, etc.  Bromine/chlorine levels are affected by the amount of use and what goes in the tub such as clothing (soap, fabric softener), sunscreen, dirt, underarm dope, etc. 

A tub is a closed system - there's no fresh water flushing out the dirties.  We go nude in our tub, we nearly always take a shower before going in the tub.  We use the tub every other day on average, for about an hour at a time.  Therefore our input is low so it doesn't take as much work to keep it clean. 

I've settled on doing the shock on a weekly basis, and I now test about every other day.  We've had a slight green tint to the otherwise clear water (with the exception of a couple of cloudy days) which I believe is due to the clarifier I use - it has blue dye in it.  It's real obvious in our tan speckled tub... now I can see why people like tubs with a faint blue or green tint - clear green water is not obvious. 

Keep in mind, we are newbies at this - we've had the tub in operation for about 2 1/2 months now.  We still have a lot to learn.

Help that hopes!
--BNMac (soakersforum.com for you natural hotspringers out there!)

[honeypot]

Thanks for the info.  For some reason, my dealer said not to use Bromine and the Watkins manual says not to use it.     another confusing thing 

If I need to get the alkalinity in line first, shouldn't there be a chemical for that, or is it the pH down?  That's what I've been using.  The dealer said that the pH down corrects the alkalinity and the pH at the same time.  If so, why am I having so much trouble?

I have to tell you that my dealer was great until the deal was made.  Typical salesman.  Once the money exchanged hands his answers got shorter and shorter.  When he came out all he said was to put in pH down to bring down the pH (duh) and chlorine at the end of the day of use.  So far, it hasn't been that simple and if I was to follow his directions, as I did in the beginning, my chlorine level was always at zero when I went to use the tub. 

Thanks.

pam aka honeypot

[hottubdan]

You do need to bring the Total Alkalinity (TA) down with pH decreaser.  It takes a lot to do so.  What is your TA reading with the test strip?  Personally, I prefer chlorine to bromine.  Don't like floaters.  However, if you do add chlorine at the end of the day, it will be gone by the morning.  It is used quickly in the hot water.  It means it has been killing bugs.  However it (and bromine) are pH dependent.  More effective at proper pH level.

[wmccall]

Thanks for the response.  I am having a lot of trouble getting my ph correct and my chlorine always seems low or zero.

The 0 chlorine level doesn't bother me.  It should only bother you if the water turns cloudy, green, or starts to smell bad. I put my chlorine in when we get done soaking at night and if I measured it then, it would seem normal, but by mid day the next day the level is 0.  Sometimes I put in more if I know we aren't going to soak the next day or if we are going out of town.

As for the PH, someone said earlier, check it once a week.  I would say no more than every other day.  Many newbies get caught in the PH Yo-yo. It takes a while for the PH to stabilize when you add PH up or Down. and Many times people will try to raise their PH, check it hours later, see that it hasn't changed and add more.  Then by the time the PH stabilizes they will find its too high and add something to lower it, and to the same thing in reverse.   

I would say if your PH is too low, add 1/2 of what you think you need and check it 48 hours later.  How you check it can be a variable too. I have trouble reading PH on test kits or strips, I finally decided on the Accucheck meter to read PH.  I'm confident in its readings.   I bought mine at RHtubs, and recently bought one for my sister as well.

[honeypot]

Thanks for all the advice!

I will test the TA level again today.  Yesterday it was the top color on the test strip.  I will look at the number when I test and let you know.

I do have hard water here.  However, when the dealer tested it, he said it wasn't that hard... When I bought this house I had to get a softener installed because all of my appliances were covered in scale.  My hot water heater coil kept burning up, too.  Sounds pretty hard to me.

He suggested that I use my inside soft water to fill the tub.   A real pain with a hose through a window and I did some research and found it made more sense to use the outside water and bring down the hardness.  Maybe not?

I have been adding chlorine to my tub before I get in as the reading is 0 and I am paranoid about the bacteria stuff I read about hot tubs (i.e., two people in a hot tub = 300 people in a swimming pool).

Maybe I don't need to add chlorine to it before I get in even if the reading is 0.  The water is beautifully clean and I have a pearl interior so I would see any discoloration.

I just ordered the Redezvoux line of products off a website.  I did notice that they didn't sell anything like alkalinity down in that product line.  Perhaps it's only for bromine users?   Any comments on the Watkins Manual stating not to use Bromine?

Thanks again.

pam aka honeypot

[hottubdan]

Use whatever pH Decreaser you have to lower TA.

I believe Watkins position on bromine is left over from the spas with circ pumps.  Not enough water movement so floater settles in one place.  With the Relay, you have filtration cycles, so it should not be an issue if you use bromine.  Just my opinion.

[BNMac]

I decided to go with bromine because we've developed such a distaste of the chlorine smell, and the bromine is a bit easier on the skin. (so we are told).  In discussing Bromine with tub owning friends, they say they started with it but found it is more difficult to maintain all the levels.  They decided to go to chlorine and found it was much easier to maintain the levels.

One thing about both - Shock frees them - resulting in "Free Chlorine/Free Bromine"... those with vastly more experience here on the board can explain it better than I but I do know that several hours after I shock, my bromine level that was 0 or 1 ( on a scale of 10) will read 10.  Wow, look at all that bromine!

So.. with that, the tub is hot and ready right now, it's time for a soak!!!!

[honeypot]

Good info.  Believe it or not, I like the smell of chlorine.  I grew up a swimmer... even became a Master Swimmer in my twenties, so chlorine is like my best friend.  However, back then I had 'virgin' hair; hopefully now it won't turn green 

Interestingly, I also find that my skin feels softer after soaking.

The one biggy is that i never had to worry about the chemical treatment of the pool.  This is where I'm definitely stumped. 

Any more advice is more than welcome.

Thanks again.

pam aka honeypot

[chem geek]

Good info.  Believe it or not, I like the smell of chlorine.  I grew up a swimmer... even became a Master Swimmer in my twenties, so chlorine is like my best friend.  However, back then I had 'virgin' hair; hopefully now it won't turn green 

Chlorine does not turn hair green.  It is copper metal ions that can turn blond hair greenish and stain plaster surfaces.

If you want to learn a lot about maintaining pools, you can read the Pool School.

[honeypot]

Thanks again.

I looked at the pool school site.  I would venture to guess that maintaining a hot tub is perhaps a little different because of the size, jets, and water temperature.  No?

It is a good site for pool people; very informative.  I know a few that could really use it.  However, they think they know it all.  Been to their house when the water is green... ugh   

pam aka honeypot

[chem geek]

Yes, spas are different than pools for a variety of reasons including higher temperature and smaller water volume so higher bather loads.  Also, spas have a lot more aeration so higher Total Alkalinity (TA) levels tend to have the pH rise.  At the TFP site I linked to there are some threads in the Further Reading section of the Pool School about spas including Using Bromine in a Spa and Using Chlorine in a Spa.  Note, however, that the chlorine writeup is not what most people do -- most use Dichlor-only and this results in a buildup of Cyanuric Acid (CYA aka stabilizer or conditioner) over time that can lead to issues unless the water is changed more frequently.  The procedure described in the writeup is Dichlor-then-bleach which prevents the buildup of CYA after the first week or two, but requires special care including a low TA and usually use of 50 ppm Borates.  The water lasts at least twice as long and has more consistent sanitation and oxidation.

[wmccall]

Good info.  Believe it or not, I like the smell of chlorine.  I grew up a swimmer...

I completely understand that.  My high school had an indoor pool and we got to swim all year, and at the proper level the smell isn't bad.