Calcium & Alkalinity Adjustment

[Snowbird]

1st Question: The manual with the Taylor test kit says to use Calcium Chloride to increase Calcium Hardness.
It also says to use Muriatic Acid to decrease Alkalinity or decrease pH.

Is this the same Calcium Chloride that I use to melt ice on my sidewalk and the same Muiatic Acid I use to clean my bricks?  
 This just doesn't seem like a smart thing to do.  

2nd Question:  If I am using Dichlor, is there any big advantage to using MPS too since it is an enhancement and not a substitue for Dichlor?  Does anyone else use both?

[Brewman]

I don't ever have to add calcuim to my water, so not sure about that part of your question.  I'd be hesitant to use that snow melt stuff in my spa, just in case there are other ingredients in it beyond calcium chloride.  

I suspect the muratic acid you have is okay for using in your spa.  Do you need to drop your Ph or alk a lot or just a little?  

Where I've heard about using muratic acid is where the Ph and alk levels are so high you'd need pounds of the Ph decreaser to get in range.  I'm thinking of doing this next water change, since my water is extremely alkaline and I have to add a lot of Ph decrease to get in range.

MPS is a shock, not a sanitizer.  I used it as shock when I was on bromine.  You can use it with dichlor if you want, but you can also use just dichlor to shock, thereby reducing the amount of stuff you need.
I think MPS has a tendency to drop Ph/alk.  

I have some MPS left from when I was on bromine- I'm too cheap to just throw it away, so I'll use it every so often just to get rid of it.

One nice thing about MPS is that you can use the spa pretty soon after you use it.  If you shock with dichlor, you have to wait a bit to use the spa, until the chlorine reading is low enough.  

[Snowbird]

Do you need to drop your Ph or alk a lot or just a little?

One nice thing about MPS is that you can use the spa pretty soon after you use it.  If you shock with dichlor, you have to wait a bit to use the spa, until the chlorine reading is low enough.  

I am trying to learn more about this stuff and it was just a general question. If needed I would try to find something less risky.

As to mps, I think I will add that no more weekly and stick with the dichlor regimen. The Taylor book said it enhances dichlor by oxidizing the non-microbial stuff so the chlorine can do a better job of sanitizing.

When you use dichlor, do you sanitize before you get in or after?

[drewstar]

chiming in my data point:

I use MPS as a shock (about every 2 weeks or after about 12 soaks.

I use dichlor as my sanitizer, and add it AFTER I soak.

[anne]

I do exactly as Drewstar said, probably because about 80% of what I know about tubs came from right here!

I dont know how much you need to bring your pH down, but here's my story: Before I started using MPS, I was adding dry acid all the time, and barely getting my pH to budge. It was at 8 or higher, and perfectly happy to stay there. Now that I'm using MPS, (and have achieved a bit more tub savy, too) I add very little acid. With my fairly basic water, it seems that the chlorine and MPS keep the pH down enough, and the baking soda that I add for alkalinity keeps the pH from getting too low.

I also didn't like shocking wth chlorine, since it meant planning when not to tub for a day or two.

[svspa]

Snowbird,

I started with a dichlor only routine (dichlor for shock and daily sanitizing).

Still use dichlor for daily sanitizing but I recently started using mps for the weekly (really 1-2 weeks based on use) shock and I do a dichlor shock occasionally for the super sanitizing effect.

Seems to be a good program. MPS does seem to be a really effective shock and you can get in the tub soon after.

We add the dichlor for our daily sanitizing after using the tub. Dichlor ppm level is then very low by the time we use the tub the following night.

Steve

[Vinny]

I think the calcium chloride used for snow removal isn't as "pure" as for pools and spas. I do use pool calcium chloride in my spa and it is very inexpensive when on sale. I buy 5 or 8 lbs of it at a time.

I use both dichlor and MPS both have advantages and disadvantages.

Dichlor will make the chlorine level high so if you don't want to soak in higher levels, you have to wait to use the tub but it will super disinfect the tub where MPS will not.

MPS will effect PH and add to your TDS quicker but you are able to use the tub in 20 minutes after using it.

I sometimes use a combo of both (think enhansed shock) and shock with MPS and add dichlor after 20 min. I recently found MPS from my pool that's been in my garage for about 4 years ... I'm using that before purchasing spa MPS... same stuff.

[hottubdan]

The pool MPS is probably not buffered and will drive pH down faster.

[Vinny]

But Sea Klear MPS is unbuffered also ... I think it has a very low PH (3 or 4)

[wmccall]

chiming in my data point:

I use MPS as a shock (about every 2 weeks or after about 12 soaks.

I use dichlor as my sanitizer, and add it AFTER I soak.

Yea, what he said.  After the water is 2 months old or more, I find MPS brings it back from cloudy faster than anything else.