Hot Tub rash, where does it come from?

[Bonibelle]

Never drink out of the garden hose....I once tried to start a syphon and ended up with a mouth full of spiders!
Won't do that again...You never know who could be lurking inside....
I just bought a new hose at Walmart and some quick connect fittings because I don't want to forget and leave the hose attached in freezing conditions.I am also going to shorten it so it will only be used to fill the spa and I can easily hang it up to dry out.

[Vinny]

Never drink out of the garden hose....I once tryed to start a syphon and ended up with a mouth full of spiders!
Won't do that again...You never know who could be lurking inside....
I just bought a new hose at Walmart and some quick connect fittings because I don't want to forget and leave the hose attached in freezing conditions.I am also going to shorten it so it will only be used to fill the spa and I can easily hang it up to dry out.

One time this summer I went to use the hose and put the nozzel on it. Water wouldn't come out of the nozzel so I took it off and blew into it from the tip ... nothing. I proceeded to take the nozzel apart and found a dead cricket in it!

[rick]

I'd warrant that over 90% of rashes aquired in the hot tub are of the "dry skin" variety.   Eczema is by far the most popular rash you'll get.  
I've found that I'll get flair ups of it only in the Winter.  

It itches like hell, especially when you sit in the spa.  Remember,  don't scratch,  it makes it worse.

A little Clotrimazole is a good topical cream to apply.  Hydrocortisone will also help the itching.  

[HotTubMan]

I am probably still a "rookie" compared to many contributors here on the board, as I have been in the business since May 2002.

I have seen many a rash in my day. I have had customers with pseudomonas.

It is very difficult to know exactly the cause of a rash. All we can do is trial and error or elimination processes to isolate causes. Doctors are really in a hard position too. They often say stop using the hot tub, or start writing prescriptions until something works.

At the end of the day the most common "cure" for customers with rashes has been a sanitizer switch. Often when this is recommended, I suggest to stop using any and all "accessory" products (stain & scale, enzymes, classifiers) and re-add them to the routine one at a time. This has "cured" 90% of the rashes.

Other common causes seem to be:
eczema (this may not have been present before hot tub ownership)
chloramines / bromamines - I may have missed it, but I was surprised no one mentioned this. If they did, sorry i missed it. MANY do not understand shocking/oxidizing. I know some of you will disagree with me, but to super chlorinate/brominate the tub you really need to leave the cover off for 45-60 minutes.

Lastly but not least, pseudomonas can cause rashes.