Spa Talk for Dummies

[Spatini]

I read on this and other forums about bather loads and various other things that everyone assumes everyone else just knows , so please clear up some terminolgy for me.

Heavy bather loads --what does this actually mean?

shock after use -- what if I plan to use two or three times a day , do I shock in between or wait till the end of the day.

Please continue this thread by answering and adding your own questions.

[Chas]

Heavy bather loads --what does this actually mean?

Anyone over 200 pounds is considered a 'heavy bather.'

shock after use -- what if I plan to use two or three times a day , do I shock in between or wait till the end of the day.

That depends. If the shock is: "honey, I'm pregnant," then you might want to wait. If it's just something like, "Dad I dented the door of your Jeep..." then in between is fine.

Please continue this thread by answering and adding your own questions.

[wewannahottub]

My answers:

Heavy bather loads=lots of bathers

SHock after use--at the EnD of the day!

[Spatini]

Heavy bather loads --what does this actually mean?

Anyone over 200 pounds is considered a 'heavy bather.'

shock after use -- what if I plan to use two or three times a day , do I shock in between or wait till the end of the day.

That depends. If the shock is: "honey, I'm pregnant," then you might want to wait. If it's just something like, "Dad I dented the door of your Jeep..." then in between is fine.

Please continue this thread by answering and adding your own questions.

Nice Chas , Nice comebacks, was looking for something a little more serious , but nothing wrong with a little humor along the way as long as we also get some real answers

[windsurfdog]

Tiniman,

As wwht said, more bathers/session or just more sessions in a given period constitutes a higher bather load.  Obviously this puts more demand on sanitizer and has to be taken into consideration when consdering addition of sanitizer.  You would certainly put more sanitizer in your tub in one day if 8 people soaked during the day than you would if only 1 person soaked during the day.

Shocking after a soak is not the routine I use.  I prefer adding sanitizer after a soak and shocking only when necessary...normally every 2 weeks or so...once again depending on bather load for the week.  As far as adding sanitizer after each session in a multi-session day, if you were in by yourself in the a.m., you probably would have added some after that soak.  If you soaked again say around sunset, then you may have added some more or not, depending on the FC available after your 2nd soak.  You could measure it or, more likely in my case, just add a little more or not.  I usually add 2 tsp of dichlor after a normal soak by myself or with one other person.  I might only add 1 tsp after the second soak.  Then, if 3 or 4 guests came over to soak later in the evening, you would probably want to add a couple of tsp more...it all depends on bather load.  I'm more likely to add rather than not just because I feel a little too much is better than a little too little.  YMMV

[Spatini]

Tiniman,

As wwht said, more bathers/session or just more sessions in a given period constitutes a higher bather load.  Obviously this puts more demand on sanitizer and has to be taken into consideration when consdering addition of sanitizer.  You would certainly put more sanitizer in your tub in one day if 8 people soaked during the day than you would if only 1 person soaked during the day.

Shocking after a soak is not the routine I use.  I prefer adding sanitizer after a soak and shocking only when necessary...normally every 2 weeks or so...once again depending on bather load for the week.  As far as adding sanitizer after each session in a multi-session day, if you were in by yourself in the a.m., you probably would have added some after that soak.  If you soaked again say around sunset, then you may have added some more or not, depending on the FC available after your 2nd soak.  You could measure it or, more likely in my case, just add a little more or not.  I usually add 2 tsp of dichlor after a normal soak by myself or with one other person.  I might only add 1 tsp after the second soak.  Then, if 3 or 4 guests came over to soak later in the evening, you would probably want to add a couple of tsp more...it all depends on bather load.  I'm more likely to add rather than not just because I feel a little too much is better than a little too little.  YMMV

Dog,
 didnt mean shocking after soak , but as you said adding sanitizer after, what if after you add sanitizer someone wants to get in , how long should they wait ?

[Chas]

"Shock after use..."

I add a small amount of Dichlor after each use. Yes, if I am lucky enough to go in twice in the same day I will add Dichlor after each use.

To shock is a different story. There have been many long discussions on exactly what constitutes a 'shock.' I say it is when you add enough chlorine that you get a reading of 5 to 10 PPM eight hours later. If you test after a shock and get a zero chlorine reading, you did not shock. But you may only need to add a half ounce or so at that point.

MPS does a good job of shocking, without the chlorine fumes, but you have to have a baseline of chlorine before you do an MPS shock.

 8-)

[Jacuzzi Jim]

"Shock after use..."

MPS does a good job of shocking, without the chlorine fumes, but you have to have a baseline of chlorine before you do an MPS shock.

 8-)

 Not necessarily true if using Nature 2 with ozone.   I set 90% of my customers up with Proclear (nat2) and some do shock after use MPS only, add chlorine weekly or less depends on load.

 I like chlorine as mentioned after use, but have also shocked with just MPS after use, and it works fine when using Nat2.  I still do hit it hard with chlorine once in awhile.

 Like you said they are many arguments on which is best, fact is. They all work well with a common denominator of chlorine.

[Spatini]

 Not necessarily true if using Nature 2 with ozone.   I set 90% of my customers up with Proclear (nat2) and some do shock after use MPS only, add chlorine weekly or less depends on load.

 I like chlorine as mentioned after use, but have also shocked with just MPS after use, and it works fine when using Nat2.  I still do hit it hard with chlorine once in awhile.

 Like you said they are many arguments on which is best, fact is. They all work well with a common denominator of chlorine.

Jacuzzi Jim,
 If you were to set me up with the Proclear system as you said above , what all would I need in addition to that , and do you have a basic starting point or system as far as what and when to add on a normal basis , at start-up and then maintenance etc. Am I trying to make to much of this or is the Proclear ( nature 2 ) really fairly simple and straight forward. Is the Pro-clear the same size as the Nature2 and just rebranded or is it a little larger?

[windsurfdog]

Dog,
 didnt mean shocking after soak , but as you said adding sanitizer after, what if after you add sanitizer someone wants to get in , how long should they wait ?

If I add 2 tsp of the All Clear dichlor which has 62% available chlorine, it will raise my chlorine level about 3 ppm.  Rule of thumb is to not enter the spa if the ppm is over 5 so entering after running the jets 10-15 min. wouldn't be a problem, in my estimation.  If you shocked with dichlor and brought ppm above 5, then waiting 24 hours or so would be prudent.  Wouldn't hurt to check chlorine ppm levels with a test kit if you were unsure.  Increase chlorine depletion by leaving the cover open and subject to sunlight if over-medicated.  I understand hydrogen peroxide can be used to lower chlorine levels as well but I've never needed to fiddle with that...just one more source of TDS contribution...