Chemical Brand

[Ohio45424]

I use a combination of Leisure Time and White River chemicals for my spa and have always had good luck with them. Leisure Time seems to be one of the highest costing brands on the market and White River can only be found at one local store, which seems to be higher priced. I was wondering what brand(s) others are using with good results and good prices. Where do you buy your chemicals from? ( Not looking for businesses to promote your store, looking from feedback from real users)

Here is what I use on a daily/weekly basis.

Disinfectant = White River
Shock = Leisure Time Rew
Scale = Leisure Time Defender
Enzymes = White Rive Pool Pizazz

As needed.

Leisure Time Spa Up
Leisure Time Spa Down
Leisure Time Alkalinity Increaser

Thanks!

[Vinny]

I have bought chlorine from wherever but usually the 5 lb tub from rhtubs. I also have bought stuff off of ebay and I believe I have a 5 lb tub from spa depot. Some chlorine is more potent than others but it's not like any is 25% less available chlorine than others. Once you get past a total of 35 ppm chlorine usage (dichlor) you can switch to bleach ... look up how to do it around this forum.

I use SeaKlear non chlorine shock and clarifier. I use store brand baking soda for alkalinity increasing (it also tends to raise my pH) or borax (20 mule team) for just pH increasing. I just purchased HTH pH down. I sometimes use metal free from Natural hemistry.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Since we sell Leisure time chems that's what I use.   Defender once a week,  Replenish (chlorine/shock mix) once or twice a week and a Zodiac nature 2 stick. Spa down since I am on a well and bright n clear if needed.   

  About as simple as you can get.   If I didn't have access to chems at a discount I might look at some other brands as Leisure time is expensive.   I have talked with people that purchase chems from Wal-Mart and they always seem to have constant water problems. Specially with the bulk chlorine which is mostly sodium hypochlorite.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Read the ingredients on the label. Most brands do NOT make their own chemicals (other than their proprietary specialty chems). They buy in bulk for others and repackage it.

Leisure Time Spa Up & Alkalinity Increaser are just arm and hammer baking soda (actually A&H is a little more pure and dissolves quicker...and is a LOT cheaper). Renew is MPS, available under multiple brand names, ALL manufactured by Dupont, at vastly different prices (though, Leisure Time adds some other products to it to make it more pH neutral...which you pay heavily for).

[Vinny]

Since we sell Leisure time chems that's what I use.   Defender once a week,  Replenish (chlorine/shock mix) once or twice a week and a Zodiac nature 2 stick. Spa down since I am on a well and bright n clear if needed.   

  About as simple as you can get.   If I didn't have access to chems at a discount I might look at some other brands as Leisure time is expensive.   I have talked with people that purchase chems from Wal-Mart and they always seem to have constant water problems. Specially with the bulk chlorine which is mostly sodium hypochlorite.

I think Walmart's spa chlorine is Cal Hypo and I guess if you used it until the calcium got to the max and stopped using it it should theoretically work OK. There's plenty of on line places to get spa chems, if one brand is too expensive then it's easy to use another. Basically they're all the same assuming you are comparing the same type of chemical (not comparing dichlor to the stuff that has dichlor and MPS)

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Since we sell Leisure time chems that's what I use.   Defender once a week,  Replenish (chlorine/shock mix) once or twice a week and a Zodiac nature 2 stick. Spa down since I am on a well and bright n clear if needed.   

  About as simple as you can get.   If I didn't have access to chems at a discount I might look at some other brands as Leisure time is expensive.   I have talked with people that purchase chems from Wal-Mart and they always seem to have constant water problems. Specially with the bulk chlorine which is mostly sodium hypochlorite.

I think Walmart's spa chlorine is Cal Hypo and I guess if you used it until the calcium got to the max and stopped using it it should theoretically work OK. There's plenty of on line places to get spa chems, if one brand is too expensive then it's easy to use another. Basically they're all the same assuming you are comparing the same type of chemical (not comparing dichlor to the stuff that has dichlor and MPS)

  My bad and you are right,  it is calcium not sodium.

[Ohio45424]

After looking around locally I think I found a different brand I'm going to try and use. With talking with one of the sales reps at a store I was told that I'm not adding sanitizer correctly. After each use I add enough chlorine to maintain 3 ppm, and have never had an issue. I was told I should be adding an oxidizer after each use and not additional chlorine. I'm pretty sure I have a good understand what the oxidizer does and have always used it weekly during my routine maintenance.

Should I be adding an oxidizer such as Renew after each use? What I have been doing, is that correct?

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Chlorine is an oxidizer, as well as a sanitizer. Renew is only an oxidizer, at some 3 times the cost.

WHAT, is your "Disinfectant " Chlorine? Bromine? Hydrogen peroxide? Some voodoo magic thing (from Colorado)? Something else?

[Ohio45424]

"After each use I add enough chlorine to maintain 3 ppm, and have never had an issue."

Chlorine

[Vinny]

The sales person is wrong! You need to add enough chlorine to have 3 PPM chlorine 20 minutes after adding it. The amount of water, the amount of bathers and other factors will make the amount needed to be added and how often different possibly time. If 2 people soak then you'll have the same amount but if you have a party then you may have to add chlorine a few times during the party. Non chlorine shock is great for times that your combined chlorine gets out of hand and is high - put enough in the tub to get it to burn it all off and you're go to go 20 minutes later.

Also, once you hit about 35 PPM of total Dichlor chlorine use you can switch to bleach. You need the stabilizer in Dichlor to keep the bleach from being too aggressive. You may notice that your pH creeps up with bleach and you'll have to deal with that but with a low stabilizer level your chlorine will work more effectively.