2 months on, general water care questions

[CCC]

I've been enjoying my new Grandee for about 2 months now. Love the tub, no regrets. I opted for Chlorine/ozone as opposed to Ace.

My water is clear as a bell when I first open the tub. As soon as the just are running it is cloudy. Turn the jets off and it kind of looks like dish-soapy water for several minutes until it settles down. We had a couple of foamy incidents from not rinsed suits, but I've read that eventually the ozone will make that go away. Perhaps I just need to drain the water and start over? It doesn't stink or feel dirty but isn't it supposed to be crystal clear even with the jets running?

Also, I've been trying to keep it simple by just shocking it weekly and throwing some chlorine in there after use. I'm getting the hang of keeping that balance. Lately, though, my ph started going down. I have put a ton of spa-up in there and it still seems to be sitting on the low side. I am only using the test strips.

I'm thinking maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just drain it, as this has been my "training run" if you will. What do you guys/gals think?

Thanks.

[The Wizard of Spas]

Couple of points:

1.  There was a bad run of ozone lines recently in the industry and there was an oil in the ozone line that was causing the water to be exceedingly fizzy.  After, say, 5-10 mins or so, the microscopic bubbles would dissipate completely.  The water didn't foam mind you, so if you're having foam issues, a defoamer may work.  However, if you're having symptoms as described above, you may need to run a gallon or two of vinegar in your spa (while having all jets open, all air off, and your cartridge pulled out) for an hour or so, and then drain it.

I have Catalina Spas as one of my brands I carry but I have heard of other brands in the industry having the same issue with fizzing and it was all traced back to oils in the ozone line. 

2.  pH being low:  Usage tends to drop your pH level.  Be sure to have your alkalinity level balanced and that will keep your pH in line longer.  Sometimes, when increasing your alkalinity level, you will see an uptick in your pH level as well.  Thus, if your alkalinity is low, adjust that first and after an hour or longer, retest your pH and adjust if necessary.

I dislike Sodium BiCarbonate as it will bring up both pH and alkalinity (Yes- I know in my previous statement I indicated your pH can rise when adding alkalinity increaser but bear with me).  Sodium Carbonate is specifically for pH increasing and Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate is specifically for increasing alkalinity.  The BiCarb will bring them both up.  Sometimes you only need one to be raised, not both.

Does this make sense?  I hope I didn't make a mess of this explanation.

Good luck moving forward.

[Tman122]

I've been enjoying my new Grandee for about 2 months now. Love the tub, no regrets. I opted for Chlorine/ozone as opposed to Ace.

My water is clear as a bell when I first open the tub. As soon as the just are running it is cloudy. Turn the jets off and it kind of looks like dish-soapy water for several minutes until it settles down. We had a couple of foamy incidents from not rinsed suits, but I've read that eventually the ozone will make that go away. Perhaps I just need to drain the water and start over? It doesn't stink or feel dirty but isn't it supposed to be crystal clear even with the jets running?

Also, I've been trying to keep it simple by just shocking it weekly and throwing some chlorine in there after use. I'm getting the hang of keeping that balance. Lately, though, my ph started going down. I have put a ton of spa-up in there and it still seems to be sitting on the low side. I am only using the test strips.

I'm thinking maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just drain it, as this has been my "training run" if you will. What do you guys/gals think?

Thanks.

If this is your first drain by all means drain. It's pretty common to have dirty water during your honeymoon. Yea, soda ash for PH and baking soda for ALK