Dump and fill in MN and it's January!!

[kervis]

Crazy mild weather, here in the Twin Cities.  It is above freezing now and will climb to 42.  The lid is on and the tub is draining--wahoo!!

Over Christmas break, the kids and their friends were in and out for hours at a time.  Of course, they are all squeeky clean now!     I am so lucky this opportunity presented itself today.  Now, while it is draining, I'll head over to the dealer's for a bottle of Metal Gon.

I'll be set for the rest of the winter now.  

[kervis]

It only took 45 minutes to drain with my garden hose.  The spruce will appreciate the nice warm drink!

Now it is filling, with the same hose, and it should take 70 minutes.

I am going to be a rebel and not put in any Metal Gon.  We'll see what happens....  

Now bak to the North-facing driveway to remove the last of the ice so it can finish melting and drying before nightfall.

[Zep]

dang kervis....you are making me cold even down here in Texas!

[alwaysperky]

Ms. Kervis,

Way to go capitalizing on our above normal temps.  Enjoy these mild nights for soaking, rummor has it, winter might actually show up here in MN this weekend. Wind Chills, of near zero, typically wouldn't seem bad this time of year, but considering it was "shorts" weather today at a balmy 41 it might be a bit of a shock for a couple of weeks.

Who knows, maybe that will be it.  The days are getting longer again.

Happy New Year from Burnsville!

[Brewman]

Forecast for the south metro thru this weekend is highs in the mid 30's.
 Next week on Tuesday or so the temperature is supposed to be closer to normal, low 20's.  But they predict the temperature will swing back into the 40's soon after.
Looks like we're going to make it half way thru January with no major cold snaps.
 Nice to know that heating bills won't be as bad as they could have been.

New Years greetings from Prior Lake.

[windsurfdog]

Hey kervis,

Glad to hear everything is working well with your tub.  A cold front is coming through N. Fla. this weekend...we might have temps in the 40's......GASP!  

Actually, I love soaking in the 40's and below though it rarely gets below and definitely doesn't stay there long.  8-)

[Brewman]

Winter up here makes for some of the best tubbing.

[kervis]

Happy New year right back atcha all from Stillwater!

Hopefully the "cold" weather will bring us some decent ice so we can ice fish safely.  We have open water in some places here.

This winter sure has been a bummer so far.  The good part is that I can continue to run outside with no fear of slipping and falling.  The bad part is that I have to holler at the kids to get outside and run laps as well since there is no snow to play in and the yard is a bit muddy due to the warmth.  They are getting psycho.

I still have green plants growing/or holding their own anyway, on the east side of the house!  It's crazy!

Windsurfdog--I'll let you know how my Metal Gon experiment works!  

Zep, how about a picture!

[Reese]

Checking in to represent the west side, with a Happy New Year from Plymouth!

My water is only six weeks old, but Kervis' post got me thinking that I should consider at least a partial drain and fill this weekend, so I'm not worrying about stretching the water to late March.  The only problem is the Nature2, and the amount of time and acid it takes to balance my water.

[kervis]

Checking in to represent the west side, with a Happy New Year from Plymouth!

My water is only six weeks old, but Kervis' post got me thinking that I should consider at least a partial drain and fill this weekend, so I'm not worrying about stretching the water to late March.  The only problem is the Nature2, and the amount of time and acid it takes to balance my water.

My Nature2 was only 2 months old, so I just took it out, waited a couple hours to let the Defender do it's work, then I stuck it back in, added dichlor, and we'll see what happens!

It looks like you could do a drain/refill this weekend or on that ONE day next week where they are predicting 40!  I kept my cover on while it drained, which kept the tub warm.  Then it only took 70 minutes to fill 400 gal.  I suppose you could put the cover on for that as well, and prop it open so it won't squish the hose.  

Go for it!!

[Brewman]

With the mild weather we're having, you certainly could do a dump and fill right now.
  Something I wouldn't normally consider in January, with the potential sub freezing temperatures.  

[Reese]

My Nature2 was only 2 months old, so I just took it out, waited a couple hours to let the Defender do it's work, then I stuck it back in, added dichlor, and we'll see what happens!

It has been awhile since I looked into N2, but my understanding is that the all the silver and copper ions are released into the tub in the first couple of weeks, and they just stay in solution until the water is changed.  I may have this wrong, but I don't think there is anything left in your cartridge at this point.  I'm guessing that the 4 month life they talk about is based on an assumption that most water is changed on a 3-4 month schedule.

You mentioned not using Metal-gon this time.  I have tried Metal-gon, SeaKlear clarifier (which used to claim to remove metals), and nothing.  I found that Metal-gon and SeaKlear captured a light amount of iron and deposited it on the filters where it was easily rinsed off, while using nothing resulted in the same amount of iron deposits -- but not until the first shock, and bound to the filter in a way that didn't rinse off.  Now, I just use the SeaKlear at fill, and as a maintenance item alternated with Defender on a weekly basis.  That has been working well.

[kervis]

It has been awhile since I looked into N2, but my understanding is that the all the silver and copper ions are released into the tub in the first couple of weeks, and they just stay in solution until the water is changed.  I may have this wrong, but I don't think there is anything left in your cartridge at this point.  I'm guessing that the 4 month life they talk about is based on an assumption that most water is changed on a 3-4 month schedule.

You mentioned not using Metal-gon this time.  I have tried Metal-gon, SeaKlear clarifier (which used to claim to remove metals), and nothing.  I found that Metal-gon and SeaKlear captured a light amount of iron and deposited it on the filters where it was easily rinsed off, while using nothing resulted in the same amount of iron deposits -- but not until the first shock, and bound to the filter in a way that didn't rinse off.  Now, I just use the SeaKlear at fill, and as a maintenance item alternated with Defender on a weekly basis.  That has been working well.

I use Sea Klear as well, and I like it.  I used the SK and the Defender, waited a bit, then put the N2 back in.  

It is MY understanding that the silver/copper ions CONTINUE to release throughout the 4 months.  I believe that they can become coated with gunk and then be useless.  Then when you shock with dichlor or MPS, the gunk is removed and the ions are reactivated.  I think that their usefulness expires in a 4-month period.  Perhaps that is why they call them voodoo beads?!  

I think it is the Metal Gon that sequesters the majority of the metals on your initial fill.  I think that the SK and the Defender grab the few new ones from when you have to add a couple inches.  :-/

I am thinking that I do not have many metals in my water--just a lot of minerals.

[Ruby]

I guess I didn't realize there were so many of us Minnesotans here.  I guess I better check in from the northen burbs-Champlin.  I'm thinking I might change out the water this weekend too.  Not because I need it, but who knows what the rest of the winter will be like?  Besides, new water feels so good!