3 months of ownership

[stl-rex]

Well, it’s been nearly 3 months since our spa was delivered.  Today was the first water change.   I thought I’d share my observations on spa ownership.

Nothing (well almost nothing) beats getting into the spa when it’s cold out.
Nothing (well almost nothing) beats getting into the spa when it’s not so cold out.

We were in it every day the first month 40 minutes a shot at 100 - 101.  My wife’s use dropped to probably 4 times a week but mine has remained at virtually every day and sometime twice on the weekend days.  We’ve bumped the temp up and usually soak 20 – 30 minutes at 102 – 103.

All observations are from a Bromine sanitization system.

I don’t trust the pH strips.  None I have ever match the pH meter I eventually bought and some are so far off (reading low) it’s ridiculous.  SpaDepot, Aquachek and WalMart strips all were way off.  Capo was in the ballpark, but still not good enough in my opinion.  Don’t use aquarium pH liquids test kits either; they gave incorrect readings also.  I bought a Hanna Checker 1 off e-bay for under $30.  It’s the way to go.

I bought a TDS meter (TDS 4) that reads temp also off e-bay for under $30.  Tap reads around 140 and right before the change, it was reading 1400.  Part of that I’m sure was due to my adventures in pH management.  At 102F on the spa panel, the meter reads 39C – pretty close to spot on.

Aquachek bromine strips don’t match bromine readings on Capo, SpaDepot , and Wal-Mart strips.  Aquachek hasn’t responded to an e-mail I sent regarding this.  It reads way high.  I couldn’t recommend them.

SpaDepot MPS is NOT buffered.

pH readings of around 7.2 seem to give me a mild rash.  Higher pH’s don’t, although it could be the high TDS water was contributing also.

If you’ve just shocked and you’re bromine levels are up and friends show up, aquarium tap water conditioner neutralizes the bromine straightaway and makes the water useable.  Don’t use conditioner with aloe or other “conditioners”.  Use just the stuff that neutralizes chorines and chorlamines.  It works on bromine also.

Lower pH’s seem to keep my bromine levels higher  (and eat more pucks).

When we did finally get some foam from guests, we swapped in a paper filter for the micron and used a squirt bottle to squirt directly on the foam.  It seems to minimize use of the defoam stuff.  We swapped the micron back in the next day or so.  Defoamers are a no-no with the micron filters and we were not patient enough to see if the scum ball and filter would eventually clear the foam.

Initially, I was probably over-shocking the tub with MPS, every other day or so.  But I cut back and let the ozone do its thing and scheduled MPS once a week just to be safe.  We've been fortunate to not have cloudy water.

Once I got past the pH strip problems, it was smooth sailing and minimal maintenance.  I still probably test the water more than necessary, but since it sits right outside our basement door and it doesn’t get that cold here, I have the luxury of doing so easily.  Most of the time it’s for piece of mind.  We love our tub and aches/pains/tight muscles really do disappear or greatly diminish with regular use.  We have no regrets.

[J._McD]

This I am sure makes the whole experience WORTHWILE.

[fletch49]

I use the aquarium test kits (pH, kH, GH) and have found they work well. That is to say those readings have been inline with my sasmples taken to the dealer.

[Vinny]

After taking care of my pool for 4 years, I thought I had water maintenence "in the bag".  I got the spa in June and it didn't behave anything like my pool!

I wasn't ready for the foam (heck, I'm still not at this point ... but will be in the near future) and how quickly the water can turn from crystal clear to cloudy in a few short hours. So far, I haven't gotten 3 months out of the water, I get about a 1 1/2 months and change it out.

I agree that nothing beats getting in a spa when it's below 70F, as far as when it's hot ... well luckily the temps can be turned down!

Enjoy the fresh water!!!

[loneoak]

We've had our Arctic Cub since Oct. 7 and we agree - cold weather is best!  People who never do it don't know what they're missing!

What's a Hanna Checker?

Astrid.

[stl-rex]

What's a Hanna Checker?

Astrid.

It a small battery operated portable pH meter.  Hanna is a reputable name in scientific lab equipment.  I have this one:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Hanna-pH-TESTER-METER-Aquarium-Hydroponics-Lab_W0QQitemZ7577337819QQcategoryZ58191QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[stl-rex]

I use the aquarium test kits (pH, kH, GH) and have found they work well. That is to say those readings have been inline with my sasmples taken to the dealer.

I've got one that's close and one that isn't, but they use different indicator solutions and cover different ranges.  The one for lower neutral pH's (high 6's to mid 7's) is totally off.  What's really disturbing is the strip that reads 6.8 when the pH is about 8.2.  My water out of the tap starts at around pH 11.5.

[Tman122]

Did you ever try a reagent test kit Rex. We have discussed test strips and the fact that all seem to give you a different reading and reagent test kits seem to be acurate as heck or atleast close enough. The only thing I use test strips for is a quick chlorine reading.

[Kelly]

Just a comment since I've had my spa now for six months and have been through seven different types of test strips looking for one that's the most accurate (compared to my Taylor test kit).
I've found Aquacheck Red (bromine) to most closely mirror the Taylor kit on Total Hardness, Ph and Total Alkalinity. Aquacheck Red strips read about 3ppm higher on Bromine than does a Taylor kit. I use BioGuard's use-as-you-go bromine rather than a floater.

Here's a list of the strips I've tried thus far:
Aquacheck Red
Bioguard (labeled for pools & spas)
Leisure Time
Brilliance
Lamotte
ProCheck
Paradise Spa Strips (local to OKC, probably re-branded ProCheck)

[orlandoguy]

I like the ph meter linked above and checked it out.  My only concern is it seems like it might need as much maintainance as the spa to kee it right.  I'm talking about keeping it wet when not using it, keeping the buffers and chemicals stocked, etc.  Is it one of those things that gets easy after a few times?  

[Vinny]

I like the ph meter linked above and checked it out.  My only concern is it seems like it might need as much maintainance as the spa to kee it right.  I'm talking about keeping it wet when not using it, keeping the buffers and chemicals stocked, etc.  Is it one of those things that gets easy after a few times?  

All "lab" equipment needs to be recalibrated fairly often to maintain their accuracy. Ph meters need buffer solution, both high and low, to make sure their reading accurately. Then the buffer solution needs to be replaced every so often (as does test kit solution).

Although we're talking about simple "lab" equipment,  orlandoguy is probably correct about the maintenence needed on these items. I vote for the Taylor kit!

[orlandoguy]

Yep, looks like Taylor kit for me as well.  Also, stopping by the pool store for a free test every couple weeks is easy enough.  If it was a matter of pouring water into a meter and getting a reading, ok.  Calibrating is a word that scares me, and simplicity is one that excites me in my busy life.

[stl-rex]

Yep, looks like Taylor kit for me as well.  Also, stopping by the pool store for a free test every couple weeks is easy enough.  If it was a matter of pouring water into a meter and getting a reading, ok.  Calibrating is a word that scares me, and simplicity is one that excites me in my busy life.

I may check the Taylor kit out.  But the two things I worry most about is pH and sanitizer.  Alkalinity lvevls seems to follow pH and my water is not hard.  The Capo strips seem to give consistent results for sanitizer.  The pH meter is actually pretty easy to use and care for.  Using is dipping the tip in the water reading the LCD.  Storing is keeping the tip wet (I use pH 7 buffer).  Recalibrating is using Fresh pH standards, dipping the tip in and turning a small screw to match the number.  You can get by with a one point calibration (pH 7 only) since we are looking for pH's within 1 pH unit.  If you were looking for say 8.5, you would want to calibrate both 7 and 10.