Rash with brand new hot tub

[pilot2fly]

Hi Everyone,

Last week I ordered an Intex Purespa 85 inch hot tub. I set it up this past Thursday, just three days ago, and added chemicals. For the first two days, I kept the hot tub plugged in and used it for about an hour each day with 2 other people. On Friday night, I forgot to add chlorine after getting out and I had to turn off the tub because the extension cord was extremely hot to the touch. With this, the hot tub stayed off all night. Saturday morning I wake up and the hot tub had a greenish tint to it, but it wasn't cloudy. I added chlorine and it seemed to help throughout the day. Last night I added more chlorine after using the tub, and today it was still a little greenish in tint but not much. By the end of the day, with about 45 minutes of use by 3 people, it was a little more green. I decided to add a bit more chlorine than I usually have, and tested the water and adjusted accordingly.

I am using the Blue Wave Spa Choice starter kit with chlorine as my sanitizer. I have been adding chemicals accordingly, except for Friday night. So I went in today for about 20 minutes (I've also been in every day since Thursday for about 30 minutes each day.

This evening after I finished up, I added an extra dose of chlorine and adjusted the rest of my chemicals according to the test strip results. PH was a little low at a few points over the past few days, but it wasn't extremely low. I went inside to take a shower and noticed that underneath my gut (I am a very big guy, so I have a gut) I felt this burning sensation under my gut when showering and washing that area. I got out and noticed on each side of my body under my gut, there was this reddish rash. It burned when I washed it and feels a little painful when touching it. There is no itch at all. Obviously I will call the doctor in the morning and schedule an appointment. However, can the "hot tub rash" aka Hot tub folliculitis, really happen this fast after one night of forgetting to add extra chlorine after I finished using the tub? Or perhaps this may be a chemical reaction of sorts? If this is Hot tub folliculitis, is there a way to get rid of it in the hot tub without draining the tub?

Here is a photo of the affected area on my body. Keep in mind, this rash has only happened in this area and nowhere else on my body.


***************WARNING PHOTO MAY BE GRAPHIC***************

[Tman122]

Wait for your doctor to make a determination. Don't ask a dopey spa guy. Could be many things other than folliculitus.

[dlleno]

+ 1.  get a dermatologist to diagnose, but in the mean time you can figure out what when wrong with your chemical program.  A few points

1.  anytime chlorine goes to zero it means bad guys can grow, and that means you probably need to purge

2.  the gang over at pool and spa forum will always recommend purging new tubs, as there can be artifacts of the manufacturing process and even biofilms still in the pipes and make the chemistry difficult

3.  unrelated to the water chemistry, the fact that your extension cord was hot is a clear signal that you shouldn't be using one :-).  If a cord is required in your install location, consider getting a very heavy/big cord as short as possible. if its hot, it means its too long and/or the wires are too small.   best case is to wire an outlet close to the spa and use the cord that came with the spa, but for 1,300 watts (a bit less than a blow dryer) you should be able to find a short/big cord. 

[bud16415]

Go to your skin doctor and see what they say. Stay out of the tub for 7 days and see if it clears up.

Get an extension cord as short as you can get by with and one that says it has number 12 gage wire or a gage size less than 12. Nothing with a number larger than number 12 wire.