Pathetic start to '07

[Tatooed_Lady]

Okay, we're a couple weeks into March, and we haven't had the opportunity to use the tub YET this year!!  Any time we've had time and the inclination, it's been windy, wet and cold out...otherwise, we've just not had the time when the weather cooperated. In any case, I've kept the bromine floater filled and in the tub all winter (threw in a second one when first ran out and I was too cold/lazy to take primary one out), ran jets whenever I thought of it (1-3 times per week, normally), and finally got a chance to open the tub today to dose with dichlor....
I'm VERY happy with the floater, as upon opening and adding chemicals for the first time in around a month, the water was still clear and had the residual of bromine. I added close to 2 Tbsp of dichlor just to boost the levels of sanitizer, left the jets run for a bit, and closed it up again. I want to hop in the tub tonight...we'll see. Sanitizer level was around 4, so it's all set for use.
One thing I've noticed since not using it lately...the pillows are starting to get discolored, so I took them out and rinsed off with tap water. They'll go back in when we do.  I also haven't had the opportunity to try out the lap weight belt yet. DOH!!  
There's the good and bad of it....

[golferm]

Hi Tatooed Lady,

Have fun tubbin' tonight.  Your discoloration is likely due to the fact that when you use a floater, there is still off gassing that occurs from the bromine.  However, because your cover is closed for long  periods of time, the gasses are causing discoloration of the pillows.  Typically, when you put your sanitizer in (non floater type), you leave your cover open for a while to let the gasses escape.  This is also easier on the inside of your cover.

When I'm not in the tub for a while, I put a large amount of bromine granular in, and it's always fine, and that's after 1-2 weeks of no chemicals.  

Mark

[Brewman]

Is it the bromine itself that causes the discoloration, or is it because some bromine had dichlor in it?  

I was using Brilliance a while back, which is 100% bromine, and maybe this product would cut down on the discoloration?

[Tatooed_Lady]

I'm not sure if it's the bromine, dichlor or ozone that's causing discoloration, but I guess it doesn't really bother me, as I can replace the pillows at some point, as well as the cover....the shell doesn't seem to be affected, so I'm alright with it...although, it WOULD be nice to have these pieces have a longer life...maybe I'll have to open the cover several times per week from now on.....
I also keep the water below the level of the pillows, and make sure it covers the top of all the jets, so it's gotta be the gas from one of the above mentioned. The water is clean and clear.
Hmmm.....  :-/

Brewman, I used Brilliance for awhile, and I liked it well enough, but it's not as readily available as the other products which contain dichlor...and since I've been adding dichlor (it's here, why not use it?), it's rather pointless for me to be real picky at this point over dichlor content.

[hottubdan]

If you are not going to use the tub for a long time and the pillows are easily removable, I would suggest removing them.  The ozone and the bromine off gassing will deteriorate the pillows, not just discolor them.

[Tatooed_Lady]

Okay, we broke the soak-less streak...we hopped in for a short soak tonight, and remembered why we bought the tub to start with.  I noticed at the end of the soak that there was a little clouding of the water and some black stuff coming out the waterfall feature, so I dosed the truck with a shock dose of dichlor and ran it through the system. I'll be washing the filters out hopefully tomorrow...
fun fun fun....but the payoff ROCKS!