Novice Tubber needing Imput

[Tuesday]

Hello to all! What an awesome forum. I Just purchase a Gulf Coast LX7000. Being that this is the most expensive endeavor I have made in years, I am full of questions and anxiety.
I am on well water and the water has alot of Iron. (I know this because of smell and rust on fixture toilets etc)
I know there are chemicals that take iron copper and other metals out of water. I am assuming I have to put said chemicals anytime I add new water.
My question on this is how hazardous is iron to the Hot tub? Do I need a water test to determine how much of this chemical I put in water? or could I just buy the chemical and put it in?
Also anyone have any feedback on Aqua Clara? I have a no chemical system. Requiring Aqua Clara, Bromine and obviousley the metal remover.
Also.. We built a brick patio in our yard. (the most level place we found) We dug up all the earth underneath and thought we had leveled it. Once the 40 bricks were in place we noticed it didnt appear to be completely level. Is this a huge issue? Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
Also any feedback on Gulf Coast?

[Tatooed_Lady]

I'm a newbie, waiting on my tub, but I've read a LOT of posts, so I'll try to answer some of your questions with some semblance of knowledge.....
Chemicals are something you don't want to "guess" at. If you bought your tub from a dealer, ask them if you can bring in a sample of your water to be tested, then ask them for a basic rundown on what chemicals you'll need to bring the pH, alkalinity, etc into line....
Many people on this forum use bromine successfully, and others swear by chlorine. Those are the "big two" sanitizer systems, supplemented by mineral sticks and ozone (the big two supplements to keep water sparkling clean).
The patio may not be an issue, depending what the manufacturer requires. The only one I'm familiar with so far that specifically states NO SHIMMING allowed and requiresb a concrete pad or suitably reinforced decking is the largest of the Hot Spring tubs. Check your owners manual or call the dealer to be sure that your tub manufacturer doesn't require something specific like that.
Regarding tilt: from what I understand is that if the tub sits an inch or so crooked through the entire length of the tub (no bulges in the lay of the brick), it should be fine, just may be annoying visually to you. Just be sure that the filter area is at the deeper end...
I'm sure others will chime in to correct me where I may be off base, or to give other pearls of wisdom.....but in any case, enjoy your new purchase! (I know nothing about Gulf Coast tubs, sorry)

[salesdvl]

No offense but if you already bought it, its kinda late to be asking for advice/feedback.  But since you asked...
Gulf Coast was formerly made by a company called HydroSpa and private labled as Gulf Coast.  Just this past fall the Gulf Coast "owner" decided that he wanted go on his own and build them in his own factory.  So technically, Gulf Coast has only been building their own for a few months.  When they were built by Hydro they were mediocre at best, now I would not want to speculate on.   Personally I would let other people be the guinney pigs.

[tony]

I know there are chemicals that take iron copper and other metals out of water. I am assuming I have to put said chemicals anytime I add new water.
My question on this is how hazardous is iron to the Hot tub? Do I need a water test to determine how much of this chemical I put in water? or could I just buy the chemical and put it in?

I have high iron and manganese levels in our water.  I use Leisure Time Metal Gon which seems to be a popular metal out product.  Add the whole bottle after drain and fill and it is good until the next water change.

[TattedVenus]

Leisure Time's Metal Gone is a great product! If you want to try something that doesn't use chemicals try a type of Charcoal filter or paper filter to filter out those metals. We just received a new filter by Great Barrier and it seems to work well. Now I know taht a lot of manufacturers do not recommend it, but if your water is totally horrible why don't you try some softened water? The biggest thing with taht is making sure that you adjust your TA and CH accordingly and that you don't have an extremely high TDS reading. I tell customers to bring me in a sample of both types of water(if available) and we can determine from there which to use. The biggest thing when you have a high metal content and CH is to use a Stain and Scale preventative as part of normal routine maintenance. I'm not sure if the system you mentioned has such a product or not, it's worth looking into. Remember, you dealer is your friend. They are there to help you make the right decision on what you should be using. We are the experts after all... Good Luck!