Is super chlorination needed

[Leslie]

Had previously posted the question of my problem with calcium, think maybe with the help of this forum I might have the problem solved. ( thanks)
But now after extensive reading, I have another question.
Several months ago when I filled the tub, we never used it at all because of the calcium problem.
I didn't put any bromine or chlorine in it because we didn't use it, so it ran many months without sanitization chemicals. Fast forward to now, should I
Super chlorinate it to get rid of any harmful germs since it wasn't sanitized for so long ( though no one one ever got in that water)?  I almost hate to do it because it would require draining it out again, right?  Or would just using those chemicals in normal amounts now be sufficient?

I have used bromine in the past, but I plan on switching to chlorine once I get my TA and ph closer to where they should be.

[Chas]

Here's the best way to superchlorinate I have found:

Add a couple of ounces of Dichlor. The best way to add it is to mix it with hot water in a plastic container. I have an empty Dichlor bottle I keep around, and I dip it into the spa to get some warm water. Then I cap it, shake it, and pour the water off into the filter area with the jets running. Sometimes there is a residual of Dichlor in the bottom of the bottle, so a second dip into the warm water of the tub, cap, shake, and it's usually all mixed and ready to pour over the filters. The next step is real important:

Check the chlorine level the next day. If you have a high level - 3.0 or above - you have successfully done a 'shock.' If the level is 3.0 or below, especially if it's at the bottom of the scale, then you have NOT shocked. In that case, add another ounce, and you should be fine.

Good news: you do not have to drain after a shock. Just add people. The chlorine level will be high the first time you use the tub, and if that's a problem for any of your users, simply have them wait a day. The chlorine level will drop by itself in a couple of days, or as soon as a couple of people have used the tub.

Of course, you can also use a 'Shock' product - MPS is available for this. The good part of MPS is that it does a shock and goes away in minutes rather than days, has no odor, and you can get right back into the tub, also without a water change. The down side is that it is more expensive than plain ol' Dichlor.

HTH

 

[Leslie]

Thanks Chas. you're my hero.  I think I'd like to use the MPS so I can use the tub right away without the strong chlorine smell.

How much would I use to do the heavy duty shock the first time?  Just want to kill nasty bugs if they are in plumbing.

Afterwards am I correct in adding 1tsp per person each time we are in, and then use about 5TBS of MPS weekly ?  My tub is 450 gallons.

[goose973]

I was told by my dealer to put in a teaspoon of dichlor per person per soak and shock with MPS once a week, too. If you do that, you will eventually reach a point where the cyanuric acid level in your tub (CYA is in the dichlor as a stabilizer) gets too high. It's supposed to be like 100ppm or less. I reached that level in a few weeks and then switched to using bleach as my sanitizer.

[Chas]

Thanks Chas. you're my hero.  I think I'd like to use the MPS so I can use the tub right away without the strong chlorine smell.

How much would I use to do the heavy duty shock the first time?  Just want to kill nasty bugs if they are in plumbing.

Afterwards am I correct in adding 1tsp per person each time we are in, and then use about 5TBS of MPS weekly ?  My tub is 450 gallons.

It all sounds good!

BTW - the chemical term is "Potassium Peroxymonosulfate," so the abbreviation should be "PMS," but that was already taken.


 

[chem geek]

MPS is an abbreviation for monopersulfate which is a synonym for peroxymonosulfate, but I like your explanation better 

[Chas]

 






 

[hottubdan]

When you do drain you should consider a purge product, such as Spa Purge or Spa System Flush, to clean out your pipes.