Newbie - struggling! Questions about Chlorine and more (help please) :)

[spladao]

New HT owner. I am really having a hard time. Have a Marquis tub with the Frog ease cartridge (minerals plus chlorine).

Have had it for 3 weeks. I really don't know WTF I am doing. Things were good for the first couple weeks, but after 3 of us when it one night and losing water, I added it and did nothing after (mistake).

I just noticed that the water was very cloudy and I got the beginnings of the itchy bumps. I tested the water and the PH / Alkalinity was was again, very high (PH / Alkalinity had already been high to begin with when we first added the water).

I brought a sample of the water to our dealer. He's nice but he shoots off directions super quick without explaining what things do and that's not how I learn, so I am not comfy with all this and I hate bothering him). He tested it again and said the PH / Alkalinity was very high and as I suspected of course, the chlorine was very low.

He said to get the PH / Alkalinity down (add 5 oz) and once that's down, then add chlorine. I had written down to "2 - 3 oz" of chlorine but after looking online, I believe that was supposed to be 2 - 3 teaspoons!! So sadly, once I saw the PH / Alkalinity in range after the 5oz, I added 2.5 oz of the chlorine granules he gave me.

Questions:

Did I just screw this all up by adding too much chlorine or if it was in fact pretty low, am I ok?
How long will it take for the cloudiness to go away?
How do I know how high my chlorine is if it was in too much?
What's the best way to decrease chlorine if I in fact added too much?
WTF is the difference between the "shock oxidizer" and adding chlorine?

I was given a bucket of PH/Alkalinity increaser and decreaser, a few chlorine cartridges, shock oxidizer and test strips. I already had to buy more PH decreaser.

My dealer is not that close, but there is a pool / spa place close by where I can get more stuff if needed.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

[Sam]

Don't worry about adding too much chlorine.  When you have cloudy water you need a large dose.  It got cloudy because you didn't have enough chlorine to meet the demand of the bather load.

However, if you have itchy bumps you may possibly have pseudomonas or folliculitis.  This would require a decontamination procedure to properly remove the hot tub of the bacteria that causes it.  There is a good write up on this somewhere on this forum.  Just search decontaminiation procedure.

As for the difference between shock oxidizer and chlorine, generally speaking, shock oxidizes contaminants but does not sanitize.  Chlorine sanitizes and oxidizes.  I personally only use chlorine in my hot tub and rarely use shock.

[spladao]

Thank you - this is all new to me.

My case is light (I have about, 75 bumps on shoulders back, nothing horrific) but it's itchy. Not sure if it's just folliculitis or from going in too much or what. I am barely getting the hang of having this Hot Tub, and finally have some more info about water care. I have balanced it more, the water is clearer (much less cloudy) after balancing, chlorine, shock, and spa clarifier.

I have not drained the tub before (it's only been 3 weeks since I have owned it) and am slightly dreading it. Is there a way to tell if there's bacteria in the water before going through a decontamination process? Is it possible that just having it balanced now with everything means it's safe? I guess I am trying to determine if it's possibly ok as is, or if I need to go through a full decontamination process.

Thanks!

[Sam]

There's no way to really know without having a doctor diagnose it.  You could try just putting a mega dose of chlorine in it and letting it go for a couple of days.  If you do this, remove all of the pillows and any other removable components and leave the cover open for awhile with the jets running.  Honestly, I would just do a system flush.  Ahh-some is the best product.

[A.O.]

Do you by chance have a Leslies pool supply anywhere near you? You can take a water sample in and they will give you a printed page with whats going on and how to deal with it.

A big dump of chlorine will dissipate after a few days and you should be fine, and bonus.. that should have killed any bacteria you had in the tub. Also they make a clarifier liquid you can put in the tub to clear up the cloudiness.

[Sam]

Do you by chance have a Leslies pool supply anywhere near you? You can take a water sample in and they will give you a printed page with whats going on and how to deal with it.

A big dump of chlorine will dissipate after a few days and you should be fine, and bonus.. that should have killed any bacteria you had in the tub. Also they make a clarifier liquid you can put in the tub to clear up the cloudiness.

I don't think they can test for pseudomonas bacteria though

[Mikedee]

Do you by chance have a Leslies pool supply anywhere near you? You can take a water sample in and they will give you a printed page with whats going on and how to deal with it.

A big dump of chlorine will dissipate after a few days and you should be fine, and bonus.. that should have killed any bacteria you had in the tub. Also they make a clarifier liquid you can put in the tub to clear up the cloudiness.

I don't think they can test for pseudomonas bacteria though

spladao:

I read your issues above and can empathize with you..When I first got my hot tub 21 years ago ( I still have the same one), I also couldn't grasp chemical use and all I can remember is the guy at the pool store counter telling me to buy this and that chemical without any real explanation and I couldn't get my spa water under control..Anyhow I started  doing my own research and figured it out..I am not familiar with the newer tubs and their cartridge systems but I do use a Nature 2 mineral stick and chlorine in my tub..
It is important for you to get the Alkalinity/PH in range..If it's too high your chlorine will not be effective and you could develop scale in your tub.If your PH is too low your chlorine will be more effective but your water might be acidic and corrosive which could damage your tub..Thats why it's important to balance your water...Dry acid will bring your PH and Alkalinity levels down..Baking Soda will raise your alkalinity and ph..( Baking soda is cheaper than buying PH increase at your supply store)..I would also recommend ditching the test strips and buying a Taylor Technology FAS-DPD Testing Kit..These kits are easy to read and much more accurate than the test strips..
 As far as the itchy bumps you are getting, I'd be willing to make a $1 bet that you are allergic to the shock that you are using...I had the same exact experience when I used chlorine \ shock oxidizer...I did some research and discovered that some people( mostly males) can have an allergy to shock and it will cause the bumps and itchiness as you described..That's why now I only use the Nature 2 mineral stick and chlorine recipe...If your red bumps persist you might want to dump the water , purge your lines and and try a mineral stick\ chlorine recipe...I haven't had a reaction in years since I stopped using the shock oxidizer..Anyhow keep researching and be patient and you will figure it out..Enjoy your tub..

[A.O.]

I don't think they can test for pseudomonas bacteria though

Sam, the original poster didn't ask anything about that on his original post.. was just asking about water chemistry..

[Sam]

Thank you - this is all new to me.

My case is light (I have about, 75 bumps on shoulders back, nothing horrific) but it's itchy. Not sure if it's just folliculitis or from going in too much or what. I am barely getting the hang of having this Hot Tub, and finally have some more info about water care. I have balanced it more, the water is clearer (much less cloudy) after balancing, chlorine, shock, and spa clarifier.

I have not drained the tub before (it's only been 3 weeks since I have owned it) and am slightly dreading it. Is there a way to tell if there's bacteria in the water before going through a decontamination process? Is it possible that just having it balanced now with everything means it's safe? I guess I am trying to determine if it's possibly ok as is, or if I need to go through a full decontamination process.

Thanks!