Hi clevelandguy:
For a guy that doesn’t own a tub yet, Vinny doesn’t give bad advice (sorry Vinny
). Let me expand a little on his recommendation.
I have a large tub (500 GAL) that gets pretty heavy use on a weekly basis. I have an ozonator and use Nature2. The ONLY time I get cloudy or foamy water is when the sanitation level is "low" or the water is "dirty."
Generally, you can keep "lower" sanitizer levels with Nature2, but the trick is continually maintaining your levels. My use includes 30-45 minutes nightly and "socials" on the weekends. To keep adequate sanitation, I use a shot glass of dichlor on Tuesday and Thursday nights after use and shock with 2 shot glasses of MPS on Saturday morning. If guests are coming Saturday or Sunday night, I add another shot glass of dichlor, with a second follow-up treatment after they leave.
Shocking eliminates chloramines and bromamines in the water. As chlorine and bromine "neutralize" organics, the sanitizer also attaches itself to these organics. The byproduct is the aforementioned **amines. The cl/bromamines are more irritating to the nose, skin and eyes than cl/br on there own. Shocking (oxidizing) allows these byproducts to leave the tub in the form of a nitrogen gas. This why you should leave the cover off after shocking for about 30-45 minutes (Credit to Hot Tub Man for the EXCELLENT explanation
).
Sanitation doesn’t always result in clear water, however. Solids suspended in the water can also cause cloudiness. To solve this, go to your local Lowes (if you live near one) and buy a product called "Super Clear Clarifier" by AquaEZ (the big BLUE bottle, about $8.00 and it lasts a LONG time, see link below). This product (or another like it) is a highly concentrated “cationic polymer” that will "clump" the CRAP out of the stuff in your tub. From what I can tell, it’s also pH neutral. Similar products are available at other stores.
To use it, turn the tub on and adjust the diverter valves so that the surface water (and foam) is directed into the filter box through the weir door. Add 3 to 6 caps of the blue stuff to the water while the tub is running. Don’t be afraid to add more than the instructions say, it won’t work like I indicate unless you use quite a bit. Keep a small bucket of water and a cotton rag handy to wipe out the nasty stuff that will appear in the filter box.
Very shortly, the tub will start to foam. It may even push right out of the top of the tub. Scoop the foam out of the tub if it becomes a problem. The reason why the water is foaming is because it contains dissolved oils that create surface tension and ultimately cause millions of small bubbles to form. The process is similar to shaking up a bottle of Italian salad dressing containing both vinegar and oil. After the tub begins to foam, you will probably see orange/brown/grey "stuff" clumping in the foam and running into your filter. Some of this stuff may also be deposited on the tub walls. GET RID OF IT! Use the wet cotton cloth and wipe it out, followed by rinsing the cloth in the bucket. This “STUFF” is what comes out of people’s skin (sun tan lotion, deodorants, moisturizing agents, dissolved fats, dead skin, dirt, etc., YEAH, I know, that’s GROSS). Keep the tub running for about 30 minutes. If the water is REALLY bad, foam will continue to form. At some point you might consider adding anti-foam if it gets too bad, but try to avoid this because it defeats our purpose. Also consider closing the air injection valves.
After the tub runs one cycle, pull the filters and REALLY clean them using a filter cleaning solution and a garden hose. Use the hose on "stream" and REALLY blast the crap out of the filter, especially in the ends of the pleats. Replace the filters and let the tub run an additional cycle. Stop the pumps and let the water settle for about 15 minutes. At this point, the water should be clear. If not, repeat the treatment again. Consider doing this every weekend if you use the tub daily. Generally, I add MPS and dichlor AFTER I "clean" my water, not before.
If this method doesn’t keep the water clear, your problem might be chemical in nature. From what you wrote, it sounds like your base level of sanitation is too low. Low levels of sanitation can be tricky when using a "mineral purifier" like Nature2 because "extra use" or "no use" over several days can push your equilibrium levels out of whack. I generally "over-sanitize" in these cases to avoid problems.
PH and calcium levels could also be an issue here, so test and make certain they are within acceptable range.
A product link to the clarifier agent (blue stuff) is
http://www.aquaez.com/sub_chemicals.html.
Hope this helps. Post questions if you have them.
Good Luck!
Drewski
