New Spa Owner - Chemicals Needed?

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 So call me crazy, but most times I run across scale issues with customers it's calcium and the PH/Alk out of whack. Many times it's people using calcium hypochlorite from wally world.   Not iron and or minerals. 
 
  Thoughts?

[The Wizard of Spas]

So call me crazy, but most times I run across scale issues with customers it's calcium and the PH/Alk out of whack. Many times it's people using calcium hypochlorite from wally world.   Not iron and or minerals. 
 
  Thoughts?

You're not crazy:  Lower calcium levels will cause that as well.  I try to focus on pH/Alk first because if you don't know what it is, find out what it isn't.  pH/alk, then calcium levels and if the issues persist then check out metals, as you probably know.  But that is me.

[BullFrogSpasMN]

So call me crazy, but most times I run across scale issues with customers it's calcium and the PH/Alk out of whack. Many times it's people using calcium hypochlorite from wally world.   Not iron and or minerals. 
 
  Thoughts?

yup...water here in the midwest generally speaking is high in both unless the city is treating the high calcium, etc.....If I fill a tub here in my showroom and don't get at least 8-10 ounces of Bisulfate in it right away it will start to scale.  I just filled a 17' swim spa that took about 24 ounces of sodium bisulfate to drive that high Alk. down...normally I would opt for Muriatic acid but didn't have any on hand.  Just treat it right away and DO NOT under any circumstances let it continue to build up on the shell surface of your spa, that stuff will get harder than concrete and require a lot of work to re-cooperate from...