Water care regime?

[Dustyn19]

I should be taking possession of my new Marquis spa in June and am starting to look into the water care/maintence side of things.  I tend to be very OCD about things being clean and well maintained.  What is the general water care routine/chemicals that I will be working with? My spa is coming with the startup up kit and one of those floating chlorine dispensers.  The dealer is also throwing in some aquafinesse - which I'm a little confused about what exactly it is/does.  Obviously they will walk me through it once I take delivery, but I am trying to gain a good understanding now!  Does aquafinesse really reduce the amount of overall chemical I will require?

[The Wizard of Spas]

Floating chlorine dispensers should be outlawed with hot tubs.  Do what you can do do something different, whether it be granular chlorine, bromine, mineral stick, or @ease (Marquis dealers should have this) or anything else.  Just never chlorine tablets in a floating chlorinator:  It is bad for headrests, covers, and the air you breathe when you open up the cover.

Once you get a new sanitizer, check back with us.

[Tman122]

Floating chlorine dispensers should be outlawed with hot tubs.  Do what you can do do something different, whether it be granular chlorine, bromine, mineral stick, or @ease (Marquis dealers should have this) or anything else.  Just never chlorine tablets in a floating chlorinator:  It is bad for headrests, covers, and the air you breathe when you open up the cover.

Once you get a new sanitizer, check back with us.

And it dispenses chlorine into your water when you don't need it. Chlorine needs to be in your water at sufficient levels after you soak to kill what you introduced by bathing. Then it needs to be at a very low level when you soak. Floaters can't do this.

[Dustyn19]

Thanks!  I am going to look into getting the @Ease product for chlorine/minerals to go along with the aquafinesse.

[Tman122]

Thanks!  I am going to look into getting the @Ease product for chlorine/minerals to go along with the aquafinesse.

That's better because it's less, but. The ultimate goal hasn't been met. There are other ways to get minerals to supplement a good chlorine strategy. But it's a longer learning curve.

[Dustyn19]

Honestly, I'm open to any suggestions!  I've got a few months before delivery to wrap my head around it.  So I gather that I add chlorine after the tub is used, and monitor the levels to ensure it stays reasonably low for the next use.  Does chlorine only dissipate when it kills bacteria introduced by the bathers?  I am guessing it's a bit of trial and error then to get the right chlorine dose to use after each spa session?

[bud16415]

Right or wrong I will tell you what we have done. We are not in the hot tub business just folks like you wanting a tub and figuring our way as we go.

We bought a very fine high end tub with the inline frog cartridge system. It came set up with one cartridge for bromine and one of frog minerals. The start up was to adjust the water and add a bromine starter pack and then set the canister on setting 4 and forget it for a month on the bromine and 6 months on the minerals, or something like that. As a new spa owner you will be checking your tub all the time with test strips and we found it was up and down like a yoyo. The system keeps putting chemicals in 24 7 and bather load is sometimes missing a few days etc. It drove me crazy trying to figure it out. I talked to a dozen people I knew with tubs and got a dozen different ways they maintain their tub. Besides the cartridges being pricy I was fiddling all the time with the settings. It seemed when the cartridge was new it dispensed more than when it was almost out. After a lot of reading I pulled the cartridges out and switched to dichlor granules each day at the end of the day after usage. For our tub it worked out that a tablespoon was about right more for heavy uses less for light use. And then once a week or every other week give it a shock with non-chlorine shock you will learn when the water looks like it could use a shock as it won’t sparkle as much. Then hose the filter good about once a month.

After a couple cycles of doing it this way I found I never had to think much about it and it was really easy. The only problem I had with dichlor was it has stabilizer in it for sunlight and tubs don’t see a lot of light being covered most of the time. As the stabilizer level got high the water became more wonky to try and keep in range. At that point I started doing the dual method of starting with dichlor and once my stabilizer got to about 50 I switched to regular old Clorox. It saves money, I don’t have to go to the pool store as much and it maintains the tub much longer. You will have to play around a little with figuring out how much to add for me it is about a quarter cup. I always add my stuff after we get out for the day and then run the clean Cycle with the cover open. When it shuts off I close the cover.

I don’t test the tub as much as I used to because you will get a feel for it after a short time. I use maybe 3 test strips a week now.         

[Garrys Hot Tubs]

Floating chlorine dispensers should be outlawed with hot tubs.  Do what you can do do something different, whether it be granular chlorine, bromine, mineral stick, or @ease (Marquis dealers should have this) or anything else.  Just never chlorine tablets in a floating chlorinator:  It is bad for headrests, covers, and the air you breathe when you open up the cover.

Once you get a new sanitizer, check back with us.

I would just like to clarify on that myth.

You want to leave your cover off your spa for 20-40 minutes after adding ANY form of chemical into a unit.
The floater itself is not what causes deterioration of your pillows, covers, etc. It is the fact that 90% of tub users will add Chlorine/Bromine and/or other chemicals, and not let the fumes dissipate. They will just throw the cover on top and say "Great, lets go".

Picture yourself grabbing a case of Chlorine or Bromine, and putting it to your nose, we immediately turn ourselves away because of how overpowering it is, correct?

So imagine your hot tub cover, pillows, etc, getting this added into it, and you just throw the cover back on top instead of letting the vapour dissipate. You are literally choking out all of your accessories.

[mpkelley20]

The method Bud mentioned above is easy and very cheap to maintain.  The only issue with the daily dichlor method (or you can use household bleach as well) is if you can't get to your tub often to test the water or you are going to be away for a while.  That is where the in-line system can be used.  But if you plan on using the tub daily or every other day, then go buy the following

1.  Baking soda -for alkalinity and PH increaser
2.  Borax  (laundry booster) - for PH increaser (with no impact to alkalinity)
3.  Dichlor granuals or chlorox unscented liquid bleach - your sanitizer
4.  I good test kit like Taylor or TFT.

If your PH gets too high, you can bring it down by using some PH down products or (if you can be careful handling it), muriatic acid which is sold at Lowes or Home Depot in the paint section.  MA is used in spas and swimming pools with no ill effects when used and handled properly.  And it is cheap.

Following the dichlor method Bud described, you will have water that is clean and very low on chemicals when you actually use it since you are adding the chlorine after you get out. 

[The Wizard of Spas]

Floating chlorine dispensers should be outlawed with hot tubs.  Do what you can do do something different, whether it be granular chlorine, bromine, mineral stick, or @ease (Marquis dealers should have this) or anything else.  Just never chlorine tablets in a floating chlorinator:  It is bad for headrests, covers, and the air you breathe when you open up the cover.

Once you get a new sanitizer, check back with us.

I would just like to clarify on that myth.

You want to leave your cover off your spa for 20-40 minutes after adding ANY form of chemical into a unit.
The floater itself is not what causes deterioration of your pillows, covers, etc. It is the fact that 90% of tub users will add Chlorine/Bromine and/or other chemicals, and not let the fumes dissipate. They will just throw the cover on top and say "Great, lets go".

Picture yourself grabbing a case of Chlorine or Bromine, and putting it to your nose, we immediately turn ourselves away because of how overpowering it is, correct?

So imagine your hot tub cover, pillows, etc, getting this added into it, and you just throw the cover back on top instead of letting the vapour dissipate. You are literally choking out all of your accessories.

With respect- How is that a myth?

You're on the money with leaving your cover off for a period of time after adding products.  But Di-Chlor (which is granular as it cannot tabletize) dissolves and their isn't much gas released after the initial 20 mins or so.

Cal-Hypo or Tri-Chlor (or tabletized chlorine) continues to do dissolve over time and continues to let off gas. This gas builds up under the cover and isn't vented until the cover is opened again.

How is that good?

[bud16415]

The method Bud mentioned above is easy and very cheap to maintain.  The only issue with the daily dichlor method (or you can use household bleach as well) is if you can't get to your tub often to test the water or you are going to be away for a while.  That is where the in-line system can be used.  But if you plan on using the tub daily or every other day, then go buy the following

1.  Baking soda -for alkalinity and PH increaser
2.  Borax  (laundry booster) - for PH increaser (with no impact to alkalinity)
3.  Dichlor granuals or chlorox unscented liquid bleach - your sanitizer
4.  I good test kit like Taylor or TFT.

If your PH gets too high, you can bring it down by using some PH down products or (if you can be careful handling it), muriatic acid which is sold at Lowes or Home Depot in the paint section.  MA is used in spas and swimming pools with no ill effects when used and handled properly.  And it is cheap.

Following the dichlor method Bud described, you will have water that is clean and very low on chemicals when you actually use it since you are adding the chlorine after you get out.

Because my tub has the Frog inline system, that’s how I solved my going away problem and I use the @ease product if we are going on vacation. I set the cartridge on 4 and put it in right before we leave for a few weeks.

When you get back you can just finish out the month with it.

I took it one step more and I pried the cap off my @ease cartridge and dumped the contents out. If I’m going away for 2 weeks I just add half of it back in. This is the real cheapskate method but it works great. Just be careful doing it.

[mpkelley20]

Because my tub has the Frog inline system, that’s how I solved my going away problem and I use the @ease product if we are going on vacation. I set the cartridge on 4 and put it in right before we leave for a few weeks.

When you get back you can just finish out the month with it.

I took it one step more and I pried the cap off my @ease cartridge and dumped the contents out. If I’m going away for 2 weeks I just add half of it back in. This is the real cheapskate method but it works great. Just be careful doing it.

I've used the @ease twice now.  It works well but I notice a significant different in how my water looks and feels with it.  The water almost takes on a more bubbly/carbonated look when the jets are on.  Like fizzy.  LOL.  The water also seems softer and my skin doesn't feel as dry.  So the @ease is clearly putting other stuff in the water besides chlorine.  Not saying it is bad....just different from using the dichlor method.  Hard to describe!

[Tman122]

The Wiz and Gary are agreeing but don't really know it. Dissipation of chlorine happens at its highest when it is initially added. This is why shortening the life of your cover and pillows happens when you don't let it gas off after addition of fresh granules or liquid chlorine.

But chlorine dissipates through it's entire life span and a feeder provides continuous chlorine or bromine for dissipation. Granules gradual lesson in severity of dissipation as they dissolve. How much life span are you taking from your covers and pillows during dissipation is likely better than..........bacteria in your water. I found granules to raise stabilizer levels (cyunaric acid) to the desirable level, then bleach to be the least expensive, easiest way to maintain water cleanliness based on use. And the proper PH and ALK increasers and decreasers as necessary to keep water balanced to be the harder part to learn. Using any supplement (minerals, ozone, UV, others) to be secondary to chlorine/bromine as a tool to reduce chlorine/bromine sanitizer demand and lenghtin time between additions of sanitizer.

[Dustyn19]

Thanks for all the replys!  I like the idea of adding granules after use, and will keep in mind the off gasing - and keep the cover up.  I'm a bit surprised thought that the dealer would recommend the floater method without offering me the other options as well. 
The wait is killing me...this tub can't come fast enough!

[Tman122]

Thanks for all the replys!  I like the idea of adding granules after use, and will keep in mind the off gasing - and keep the cover up.  I'm a bit surprised thought that the dealer would recommend the floater method without offering me the other options as well. 
The wait is killing me...this tub can't come fast enough!

Get a kit and test the water from the tap.