Ichy hours after I get out..

[Snowbird]

Duffman,  the itch back could that be from air jets?  Those things make my skin itch.  

Yeah. me too.  Put the itch goes away as soon as the air is turned off.

[anne]

I would take the floater out...Adding Chlorine to the system is fine.

So I'm a little confused, since I just read this from Tony on the "New Tub" thread:

" If switching from bromine to chlorine, you must drain, clean and fill because adding chlorine only recharges the bromine.  The only way to be sure it doesn't stay a bromine tub is to get rid of all the bromine.

You can switch from dichlor to bromine anytime.  Bromine tabs are part chlorine, anyway."

So it is ok to add chlorine to a bromine tub, but if you want to switch from bromine to chlorine as your MAIN sanitizer, you have to change the water? Seems odd to me- just trying to clarify

[drewstar]

So I'm a little confused, since I just read this from Tony on the "New Tub" thread:

" If switching from bromine to chlorine, you must drain, clean and fill because adding chlorine only recharges the bromine.  The only way to be sure it doesn't stay a bromine tub is to get rid of all the bromine.
 
You can switch from dichlor to bromine anytime.  Bromine tabs are part chlorine, anyway."

So it is ok to add chlorine to a bromine tub, but if you want to switch from bromine to chlorine as your MAIN sanitizer, you have to change the water? Seems odd to me- just trying to clarify

Yes. Re-read the last sentence of your 2nd paragraph.

"The only way to be sure it doesn't stay a bromine tub is to get rid of all the bromine."

[stuart]

So I'm a little confused, since I just read this from Tony on the "New Tub" thread:

" If switching from bromine to chlorine, you must drain, clean and fill because adding chlorine only recharges the bromine.  The only way to be sure it doesn't stay a bromine tub is to get rid of all the bromine.
 
You can switch from dichlor to bromine anytime.  Bromine tabs are part chlorine, anyway."

So it is ok to add chlorine to a bromine tub, but if you want to switch from bromine to chlorine as your MAIN sanitizer, you have to change the water? Seems odd to me- just trying to clarify

In simplified terms Bromine is DiChlor with a salt base to stabilize it in hot water so that it will stay in. If I'm out of bromine I use Chlorine and visa verse.

The big issue is the nature 2....Bromine will blow the silver in that and make it not effective.

[Spatech_tuo]

So it is ok to add chlorine to a bromine tub, but if you want to switch from bromine to chlorine as your MAIN sanitizer, you have to change the water? Seems odd to me- just trying to clarify

You have clarification, that is 100% accurate. It may seem odd to you but if you get into the detail you'd understand it.

[kayaknva]

Well, went by the my dealer and they agreed with stuart and everyone proposing di-clor. She sold me the di-clor and the mineral purifier for the filter. Do I have to put in any additional chemicals other than the di-chlor? If so, it seems alot easier than the bromine technique. Thanks for all the help and hopefully this will do it.

Thanks again

[jsimo7]

I also found a wonderful new product called "Silken" that BioLab made for bromine spas. You add it at drain/refill and it will help a lot with dry skin, balance and odor.

I also tried the silken my last water change and I did notice a soft feeling to the water. I have a chlorine tub.

[NDfar]

I use a product called EZ Spa that balances and softens the water and works with diclor.

[ramdom]

When my wife first got 'the itch' what we did was empty the tub and fill it up with gasoline. One match and that sucker was spotless, somewhat. Then we hosed it down with paint thinner and milk. Then we soaked the whole tub in olive oil and BBQ sauce. Then we scoured it with thinned rubber cement and Fruit Punch. After finally rinsing the jets and skimmer with Vanilla Extract and egg yolks (very important to seperate the whites! you don't want anything looking like that in your tub!) it looked clean enough to refill and try again*.

My recent experience? Moderate your bromine and shock. That's powerful stuff and you may notice your rash gets worse after such an aggressive weekly treatment. I've found lowering the flow on the dispenser and shocking every 10 days or slightly more is adequate, depending on usage.

I said to our Dealer just recently that i wanted a 'Perfect Water' Certificate like the ones on his wall. He said, "Those are for Pools!, I haven't had a perfect water score in 18 months in any Hot Tub! And I monitor the Floor Models daily, as a hobby and a challenge and it's always off somewhere." And he has the full chemical lab right there!

That when i realized it was just water. And unless you put your head under for 10 minutes it won't kill you. I could be wrong - but everything nowadays is about company cashflow and repeat purchases: from light bulbs, to gasoline, to batteries, to Swifters�, to cable service, to spa chemicals. Don't believe the hype is all. Mellow and relax with the chem bath - make it more like water again.


*Some residue may remain.

[Duffman]

I was doing some web research on dermatology and itchy skin. It was common to see hot tubs as a significant contributor to itch for those with sensitive skin. As an example, here's a excerpt from an itchy skin article: http://www.yourskindoctor.com/itchy_skin.html

Lubrication:  Immediately after showering and towel drying, while the skin is still damp, moisturizers should be applied.  Ideally, moisturizers should be applied twice daily.  If a rash is present, a topical non-steroid anti-inflammatory lotion or cortisone cream is used before the moisturizing cream or lotion.  Generally speaking, the thicker the moisturizer, the more effective it is for severely dry skin.  Moisturizing creams or lotions are preferred over oils to moisturize the skin.  Lastly, avoid moisturizers with strong perfume smells, as this is a source for irritation to many people.

1) Avoid bubble baths.

2) Do not allow the furnace or car heater to blow directly on your skin.  The hot dry air can make your condition worse.

3) If you live in a dry climate, consider a humidifier or vaporizer in your bedroom.  If you have baseboard heating, try a large pan of water next to your bed.
Avoid applications of alcohol, astringents, drying lotions or powders to your skin.  They can be overly drying.

4) Avoid hot tubs or spas. The hot chlorinated water will strip away every bit of natural oil from your skin.  It may be soothing at the time, but can make the symptoms worse later.

5) Finally, a counter-stimulant such as a mentholated cream or lotion is very soothing to the skin.  It is important to understand that this is a recurrent condition. Itch symptoms may return without daily care.  

Successful treatment of itching skin requires daily maintenance.  If your skin does not clear with conservative measures, you should consult your dermatologist, as itchy skin can be the first sign of other medical conditions

No way am I going to "avoid" my hot tub, but the article does mirror a common recommendation to replace the oils that are "stripped away" by the hot tub through daily moisturization.

[SurgTec]

I've had my share of "itchy" after using the spa.  It is usually associated with too high bromine levels or "old" water - too many chemicals in the water.

I have moderately dry and sensitive skin.  We keep the bromine level fairly low since we have ozone - and shock to remove build up. So far - no skin issues this time.  (former problems were with old spa that was recently replaced)

[Bonibelle]

Aveeno, that's the ticket for dry skin and if you apply it when your skin is still warm and moist from the spa, it works even better!

[tony]

Well, went by the my dealer and they agreed with stuart and everyone proposing di-clor. She sold me the di-clor and the mineral purifier for the filter. Do I have to put in any additional chemicals other than the di-chlor? If so, it seems alot easier than the bromine technique. Thanks for all the help and hopefully this will do it.

Thanks again

I think you will be very happy with the dichlor and mineral purifier system for your spa.  The difference is that you will be soaking in chem free water.  The downside is you have to add dichlor when you get out of the spa.  You need to get yourself a good routine and I suggest (as many do) to go to www.rhtubs.com, get to the forum and look for the FAQ section (I think it is on the bottom).  In the FAQ, read both Vermonter's and Northman's routines.  They are quite complete and accurate and will give you a good understanding of how to maintain your spa from two slightly different perspectives.