New to this first hot tub drain slip up

[Asha]

I’m currently using bromine and would like to switch to chlorine to help problem solve hot tub rash my wife is suffering from.  Being new to this I jumped the gun and drained my 3 month old new tub withought using a purging product.  After a full drain it left 1” of bromine water in the footwell along with probably the lines.  I have since than refilled the tub. My question is, can I still change over to chlorine with having a small amount of bromine left in the tub?  Thanks

[Botswana]

Mistakes are always made, its okay.

In the future, you could have used a wet/dry vac to get the rest of the water out.  I bought a cheap portable sump pump to get most of the water out.  I've also used a leaf blower to blow out the jets (the best I could).  One could also look for pump drain plugs or just unscrew them at the unions.  You will never get 100% of the water out.  I think at some point it would be so diluted and trivial it wouldn't matter.  Its not like chlorine and bromine aren't compatible with each other in the first place, they are often used together.  I use chlorine to shock my bromine tub.

I wouldn't hesitate to just give it a go with what you've got now.  If it doesn't get any better, try doing it all again but use a purge product like ahhh-some (amazing but expensive).  Even then, you wouldn't know if the problem was fixed by purging or changing the chemical.

I myself use the spa frog bromine stuff and am also trouble shooting a rash problem.  I did a purge/flush two times and its made it a lot better, but it hasn't completely stopped, so I'm not ready to say if its due to a dirty tub (biofilm, etc) or the bromine chemical.  My ability to balance the water chemistry has also improve which I'm sure helps.

[bud16415]

I have read switching from chlorine to bromine at any time is no problem. Going the other way you want to get every bit of water out you can and then flush it with water. Maybe not a total fill but enough you can run the pumps a little and dilute the bromine.

The reason being adding chlorine to bromine the reaction is that the bromine is dominate and will convert the chlorine to bromine. Thus the reason people use dichlor to shock a bromine tub.

My tub started out bromine and I had a bad reaction also, it kept me out of the tub for months I would get better and try the tub and again problems. When I switched mine over I drained it and then used a wet dry shop vac. After that I used the vac on blowing and stuck the nozzle in each jet then sucked it out again with the vac. Then I took my hose with a jet nozzle on it and blew water into each jet. Cleaned the filter and sucked out the tub a final time.

I then switched to Dichlor dosing daily and watching the stabilizer level. When it gets to about 50PPM I switch over to regular household bleach unscented and not the thickened drip proof kind. All my problems have went away.

As a side note based on advice I learned here I started adding salt to the water at water change time. I put in the same amount as if the tub had a salt generator system. the combination of cheap salt and cheap Clorox has the water feeling amazing.

Shower before getting in and moisturize after. Our skin has never felt better.     

[Asha]

Thanks for the timely response.  What you said makes sense to me and was what I was hoping.  I did pick up a spa mineral sanitizer cartridge to try to minimize the amount of chlorine I need once I get the new water balanced.  I understand that ideally I should heat my new water up to 95 again then flush the tub out before draining for the second time.  (95 degrees which is a requirement for use spa purge).  Living in a house with a well makes this a 3 day process. 

[Botswana]

Bud, can you elaborate a little more on putting salt in the tub before you drain it?  Why would one do that?

Also, 50ppm? Is that a typo? Why would it need to be soo high?  I'm thinking of switching, only reason I ask.

[bud16415]

Bud, can you elaborate a little more on putting salt in the tub before you drain it?  Why would one do that?

Also, 50ppm? Is that a typo? Why would it need to be soo high?  I'm thinking of switching, only reason I ask.

No I put the salt in the tub and leave it there for the life of the fill. My friend has an aftermarket salt Gen on his tub. It makes chlorine out of the salt in the water with an anode. The side benefit of having the salt in the water is it makes the water feel great. I have long thought about buying a saltron mini unit and doing just as he did and be done with messing with dichlor and the rest. I haven’t done that yet but a member posted last year her supplier was recommending salt just for the feel it provides. So I gave it a try and like it. My tub is about 400 gallons and I add 7 pounds of salt when I change the water. I don’t use the mineral cartridges any longer as I didn’t feel they did anything.

As to the 50PPM that’s not chlorine that’s stabilizer CYA that is built into dichlor. Dichlor is made for pools and they see sunlight. Sunlight breaks down CYA and its purpose is to slow down the action of the chlorine. Hot tubs are mostly covered so if you keep using dichlor the CYA keeps building and gets too high and your chlorine doesn’t work well. Bleach is just chlorine and has no stabilizer CYA. 50PPM is a good range to try and stay in if you dose your tub daily or every other day.

So I start off with dichlor (more expensive) watch the CYA when it hits 50PPM I switch to bleach (less expensive)

This works good about 350 days out of the year. When I go on vacation instead of having the neighbor come over I buy an @ease cartridge that lasts a month it is chlorine based. I pry the cap off and pour the contents into an old dichlor container. If I’m going away for a week I dump one forth of it in the frog inline container snap the lid on and put it in the tub. Two week vacation I put half back etc.

Call me cheap lol. I just see most of this hot tub stuff as overpriced and marketing. My dealer told me putting salt in my tub will cause it to rot out just like road salt eats up our cars.   

[Asha]

Thanks for the responses.  Salt in the tub sounds appealing.  My dealer also said that you can just add it, but the size of the package they showed me was no larger than 1 pound.  In your opinion would that amount do anything for the water feel, I’m not necessarily looking for it to help with the sanitation at this point. 

[bud16415]

Thanks for the responses.  Salt in the tub sounds appealing.  My dealer also said that you can just add it, but the size of the package they showed me was no larger than 1 pound.  In your opinion would that amount do anything for the water feel, I’m not necessarily looking for it to help with the sanitation at this point.

Pool salt comes in 40 pound bags and it seems like a good size mixing bowl 7 pounds is a lot, but in concentration it is less than the salt in a humans tears. Ocean water on the other hand is something like a 100 times greater if I remember correct.

I can’t say scientifically, but it is my opinion after running salt in my water that it makes maintaining my chemicals easier as well as feeling better.

I know the salt you are talking about Dead Sea salt or something. IMO that’s just more snake oil. The stuff I’m talking about is dirt cheap like 5 bucks for 40 pounds. It is basically table salt without the iodine I think.     

[Botswana]

Bud, can you elaborate a little more on putting salt in the tub before you drain it?  Why would one do that?

Also, 50ppm? Is that a typo? Why would it need to be soo high?  I'm thinking of switching, only reason I ask.

No I put the salt in the tub and leave it there for the life of the fill. My friend has an aftermarket salt Gen on his tub. It makes chlorine out of the salt in the water with an anode. The side benefit of having the salt in the water is it makes the water feel great. I have long thought about buying a saltron mini unit and doing just as he did and be done with messing with dichlor and the rest. I haven’t done that yet but a member posted last year her supplier was recommending salt just for the feel it provides. So I gave it a try and like it. My tub is about 400 gallons and I add 7 pounds of salt when I change the water. I don’t use the mineral cartridges any longer as I didn’t feel they did anything.

As to the 50PPM that’s not chlorine that’s stabilizer CYA that is built into dichlor. Dichlor is made for pools and they see sunlight. Sunlight breaks down CYA and its purpose is to slow down the action of the chlorine. Hot tubs are mostly covered so if you keep using dichlor the CYA keeps building and gets too high and your chlorine doesn’t work well. Bleach is just chlorine and has no stabilizer CYA. 50PPM is a good range to try and stay in if you dose your tub daily or every other day.

So I start off with dichlor (more expensive) watch the CYA when it hits 50PPM I switch to bleach (less expensive)

This works good about 350 days out of the year. When I go on vacation instead of having the neighbor come over I buy an @ease cartridge that lasts a month it is chlorine based. I pry the cap off and pour the contents into an old dichlor container. If I’m going away for a week I dump one forth of it in the frog inline container snap the lid on and put it in the tub. Two week vacation I put half back etc.

Call me cheap lol. I just see most of this hot tub stuff as overpriced and marketing. My dealer told me putting salt in my tub will cause it to rot out just like road salt eats up our cars.   

i like cheap.  I may have to try the salt thing.  It doesnt effect any other chemistry?  Also, Ive been prying the lids off my bromie spa frogs and replacing them with 3rd party tablets and its been working great (except the skin irritation thing, lol).  Cant believe there is no third party knock off that fits the spa frog stuff.

[bud16415]

Bud, can you elaborate a little more on putting salt in the tub before you drain it?  Why would one do that?

Also, 50ppm? Is that a typo? Why would it need to be soo high?  I'm thinking of switching, only reason I ask.

No I put the salt in the tub and leave it there for the life of the fill. My friend has an aftermarket salt Gen on his tub. It makes chlorine out of the salt in the water with an anode. The side benefit of having the salt in the water is it makes the water feel great. I have long thought about buying a saltron mini unit and doing just as he did and be done with messing with dichlor and the rest. I haven’t done that yet but a member posted last year her supplier was recommending salt just for the feel it provides. So I gave it a try and like it. My tub is about 400 gallons and I add 7 pounds of salt when I change the water. I don’t use the mineral cartridges any longer as I didn’t feel they did anything.

As to the 50PPM that’s not chlorine that’s stabilizer CYA that is built into dichlor. Dichlor is made for pools and they see sunlight. Sunlight breaks down CYA and its purpose is to slow down the action of the chlorine. Hot tubs are mostly covered so if you keep using dichlor the CYA keeps building and gets too high and your chlorine doesn’t work well. Bleach is just chlorine and has no stabilizer CYA. 50PPM is a good range to try and stay in if you dose your tub daily or every other day.

So I start off with dichlor (more expensive) watch the CYA when it hits 50PPM I switch to bleach (less expensive)

This works good about 350 days out of the year. When I go on vacation instead of having the neighbor come over I buy an @ease cartridge that lasts a month it is chlorine based. I pry the cap off and pour the contents into an old dichlor container. If I’m going away for a week I dump one forth of it in the frog inline container snap the lid on and put it in the tub. Two week vacation I put half back etc.

Call me cheap lol. I just see most of this hot tub stuff as overpriced and marketing. My dealer told me putting salt in my tub will cause it to rot out just like road salt eats up our cars.   

i like cheap.  I may have to try the salt thing.  It doesnt effect any other chemistry?  Also, Ive been prying the lids off my bromie spa frogs and replacing them with 3rd party tablets and its been working great (except the skin irritation thing, lol).  Cant believe there is no third party knock off that fits the spa frog stuff.

They must still have patent protection or something. The bromine in the frog canisters is busted up chunks. With the pills you might need to open the dispense rate up. I tried that a few times before we switched away from bromine. The @ease type of chlorine is made to break down slowly and as far as I know there is no way to buy that bulk yet.

There is a lot of misinformation all around about salt. The people that sell aftermarket salt gen systems will tell you there is nothing in the water path that salt will harm. The people selling bromine and chlorine canisters will tell you it will eat your tub up nothing flat.

Like I said above I see no down side to adding salt and it seems to me if anything made my water easier to keep in line.     

[Michael Russell]

i like cheap.  I may have to try the salt thing.  It doesnt effect any other chemistry?  Also, Ive been prying the lids off my bromie spa frogs and replacing them with 3rd party tablets and its been working great (except the skin irritation thing, lol).  Cant believe there is no third party knock off that fits the spa frog stuff.

My Marquis is due to be delievered in a few weeks. Once I have it I may try and 3d print one of the frog pods. Make one that is easy to refill....  I know you can pry the ends off but maybe this way its a quick unscrew and fill..

Mike

[castletonia]

Don't bother if you're planning on using chlorine.  I won't get into an argument about the rate the product dissolves once the cartridge is opened, but if you open an @ease cartridge, there is nothing you can fill it with.  Regular di-chlor will dissolve really quick and 1" chlorine tabs will void your warranty.

[bud16415]

Don't bother if you're planning on using chlorine.  I won't get into an argument about the rate the product dissolves once the cartridge is opened, but if you open an @ease cartridge, there is nothing you can fill it with.  Regular di-chlor will dissolve really quick and 1" chlorine tabs will void your warranty.

That’s why I only open them and put the real stuff back in. Just as much as I need for the vacation.

Yes don’t put trichlor in the cartridge.

[castletonia]

Don't bother if you're planning on using chlorine.  I won't get into an argument about the rate the product dissolves once the cartridge is opened, but if you open an @ease cartridge, there is nothing you can fill it with.  Regular di-chlor will dissolve really quick and 1" chlorine tabs will void your warranty.

That’s why I only open them and put the real stuff back in. Just as much as I need for the vacation.

Yes don’t put trichlor in the cartridge.

Curious, how do you put the real stuff back in?  I'm not aware of anyway to buy SmartChlor in bulk.

[bud16415]

Don't bother if you're planning on using chlorine.  I won't get into an argument about the rate the product dissolves once the cartridge is opened, but if you open an @ease cartridge, there is nothing you can fill it with.  Regular di-chlor will dissolve really quick and 1" chlorine tabs will void your warranty.

That’s why I only open them and put the real stuff back in. Just as much as I need for the vacation.

Yes don’t put trichlor in the cartridge.

Curious, how do you put the real stuff back in?  I'm not aware of anyway to buy SmartChlor in bulk.

You can’t buy it correct. I mentioned earlier in the thread I use @ease when I’m going to be away for a week or more. Once you get a cartridge wet you can’t take it out and use it later. So I dump the contents in a jar and then just put a weeks worth back in.