chemicals/ Brands

[nicker]

Has anyone every compared the chemicals from their dealer (name brand) and the ones you buy at Walmar, Home Depot or Rona ??     My friend just bought some from Rona and says its the same stuff from his dealer yet much much cheaper.  I have not had the chance to compare yet.  What are your thoughts.  Is the quality there  

[scott10367]

Stick with the name brand stuff from reputable dealers.  Cheaper chemicals are often bonded in a different way leading to a rise in TDS, cloudy water, and in the case of sanitizers you need more to achieve the same results!  Also, who are you gonna ask for help if you use the Home Depot stuff?  Trust me those guys are NOT trained in chemistry.  SInce poor chemistry can void most warranties and definitely shorten the life of your spas' vital components it is NOT worth the 101-15% savings.  Good luck!

[TubsAndCues]

I'm a dealer, so of course I'm going to lean towards doing business with yours, however, there are a few good reasons to spend an extra dollar here or there.

1.  Not all chems are the same.  Most are, or extremely close, but read the bottles and see what percentages of the products are.

2.  Inert ingredients are key, especially if you are using bromine or chlorine tablets.  Not only can the amounts of free available chlorine and bromine differ, but more importantly it is how they are held into tablet form: compression or glued!  Good tablets will be compressed, while cheaper ones use glue and animal by-products to hold them together.  These extras can lead to staining and a build up of gooey filth in your tub.

3.  If you buy from a dealer, chances are they have water testing available, which helps you learn the cycles of you tub and it's water chemistry.  Also, since so many warranties are subject to the water chemistry, if you are working with your dealer, they will know that you take care of your tub and if you do need service, they are much more likely to help your warranty claim go through.

It's all up to you, but the benefits from the dealer far supercede a small amount of money saved.  If money is a much larger issue, you can either read the labels and decide for yourself, or ask your dealer about larger sized containers which have price breaks for buying in bulk.

As a side note, we are extremely careful when giving advice to customers who buy their chems elsewhere (particularly for pools more so than spas), since chemical make up isn't always the same and there are safety issues we have to watch out for.

Hope this helps and good tubbing!  

[Brewman]

One place to save a few bucks is to get your Ph Increase and Decreaser from a big box store.  I'm all for bringing my business to the local dealers, but the prices charged for those little bottles of Ph + and - and alk + are pretty stiff, IMHO.  For about the same price my dealer charges for a skinny bottle of Ph up or down, I can get an 8 pound jug at the local Fleet Farm, and the ingredients are exactly the same.  For alk increaser I use baking soda, which is what sodium bicarbonate is.
My water is high in alk, so when I change water I need to add a lot of decreaser, and I just can't see paying that much when there is an acceptable alternative.

I still get my other chemicals from the dealers, though.

[Soakin]

I agree that it is best to get most of your chems from your dealer, especially while you are learning how to manage your tub.  They are your best resource for information and have a vested interest in helping you maintain your water.  As others have mentioned, while in warranty, having a good relationship with your dealer is important.

Once you feel comfortable with what you need to maintain your tub, it certainly doesn't hurt to shop around to make sure your dealer's prices are fair.  For the most part, chemicals that are single ingredient like dichlor, dry acid, baking soda, etc are the same whether branded or not.  Just check the label for % active ingredient.  If there are a lot of inert ingredients, or if you are buying combination products, I'd follow Tubsandcues advice and stick with a name brand.  You get what you pay for often applies.

FYI, I haven't seen much chems I'd want to buy at "Big Box" stores, but have had luck at on-line stores like Dr. Spa's.