After months of stalking used hot tubs on Craigslist, I finally found what I wanted and bought it today! It is a two year old Hot Springs Vanguard that I wet tested and I am happy with
. Thank you so much to all of you who offered advice during the process! I felt MUCH more educated on what to look for and ask questions about based on this forum!
The dealer I bought it from will deliver it on Sunday, but since his store is an hour from me and our 220 line will not be hooked up until Monday, we will be on our own for filling it and getting it going for the first time. I am buying new filters since (a) the ones in it are original to the tub and (b) it just makes me feel better anyway since it had a prior owner. I read over some of the information in other threads and on a couple of the sites referenced in them. Taking that information into account I have a few big questions for now (many more to follow I am sure....)
1.
I am leaning towards a Spa Frog for ease of use. My understanding is that once I have the tub set up (see below for that issue!) I will only need to keep that in 24/7 and use a shock (bromine based? I have read not to mix chlorine and bromine?) once a week unless I have water issues. Is that correct? Drain and refill every 4 months or so, rinse filters every 6 weeks or so and then clean them at the 4 month water change. So, with that in mind, here are the supplies I am planning on purchasing:
- the floating Spa Frog system and appropriate cartridges
- Leisure Time Renew Shock (are other brands better price/quality wise? Open to suggestion)
- Spa Up and Spa Down to adjust messed up levels (which I am sure I will have, plus it sounds like I will need it on the initial fill)
- Test strips (how often do I need to use these? Every use or weekly?)
Does this sound right? Is there anything else critical that I will need right off the bat or is there something that I don't need?
2.
Now the really important part: what steps do I need to take to set up my water correctly the first time? As a disclaimer, I did read some other threads on this and also read the Leisure Time page referenced in another thread
http://www.rhtubs.com/info/Lt-spacare.htm but I was confused as to what chemicals to use since I am using the spa frog system and not their system. If there is another good thread on this please accept my apologies and point me in the right direction - I did not see it.
If I understood the threads I read and the Leisure Time page correctly it said to fill the tub, use a sequestering or Metal Out agent to remove the minerals present in tap water (is this necessary in Houston or only in areas with high metal content in their water?) and then what? It just says to test levels with a test strip. Am I supposed to add shock or let the Frog float for a while or something before getting in it the first time, or is that just to keep it clean once it's sat for a little while? (My hubby just pointed out that you don't have to add anything to a bathtub when you take a bath. I guess that's true.) Do I need to heat the water up before adding any chemicals? I am sorry to ask such obvious questions, but I suppose we all go through it at the beginning (please just say "yes" to make me feel better!
)
Again, thanks in advance for the advice - it is a life saver!
Sandy
