Water chemistry and dealer proximity

[bwspa]

How important is it to have a dealer close by if having water issues?  Can most water chemistry stuff be figured out from people here or elsewhere on the internet?  The spa I'm leaning toward at the moment is from a dealer an hour away.  The other dealer (15 min away) said any time I can bring in a water sample if I'm having issues. 

I know tub warranty support is one thing, but assuming high end spas are generally durable, I likely won't have many, if any warranty claims.  But water seems like it can flip on a dime.

I know I'm likely over-thinking things, but I research the hell out of stuff before I but, especially big ticket items that I have no experience with.

[Vinny]

Don't discount a quality spa having issues but I wouldn't go crazy overthinking it either. As long as whatever dealer you buy from will service that tub then no big deal.

If you get a good test kit then running to the dealer is not needed IMO. There is a learning curve but it's not steep and within a month or two you'll have it down pat. Your first water change should be about 30 days into ownership because of the newness of the tub and that learning curve. There are common problems that happen and initial fill water can be problematic as well and may complicate things. Between all the members here I'm sure you'll get help.

[bud16415]

We have had our tub going on 3 years and have never taken water in to be tested. That doesn’t mean we didn’t have a learning curve and went thru a lot of options before we found what works for us. To make matters worse I started a new med about the same time we got the tub and had a skin problem as a side effect of the meds. My doctor said the med could not be the cause and the skin doctor told me the tub was not the problem. In my head I thought it had to be the tub. And I was switching sanitizers right and left. Combine that and I think all new owners will let their levels drop to low at some point after heavy bather load and their tub will “skunk”. It happens to everyone and even though you might be able to correct it just drain it clean it and start over. Everyone new to tubs try and keep their chlorine perfect at 2-5 PPM and it will at some point slip to zero. Don’t be afraid to shock it when you think it needs a little extra. I think most new people don’t use enough sanitizer we have a really nice auto dispensing system on our tub and we don’t use it. I found it so much better for us to just treat the water after each use.