its all fun and games till someone breaks a hip

[bmsma]

just saying hi from oklahoma, wife and i just purchased our first hot tub. Looked at more than i want to remember but we decided on a Sundance 880 Marin. bottom line came down to the professionalism and friendliness of the dealer.

anyway we are reading and learning as we go, so forgive the stupid questions ill have along the way. and dont give me the "there is never a stupid question line. we have raised teenagers and there are LOTS of stupid questions out there

ok it took me 15 min to figure out how to match the test strip up with the bottle, but 10 of that was finding a magnifying glass so i could read the small print, eyes dont work the way they did 30 some years ago


thanks in advance all
Troy & Andrea

be safe, be happy, and ride free

[The Wizard of Spas]

Don't see a question in there to razz you about so kudos for warning us in advance.  Kidding aside- You should maybe look into getting a liquid reagent drop test kit (like what the life guards use):  Bigger bottles, more color, easier to read, less margin of error.  That may help you out vs the small litmus pads.  They're also still pretty simple (though not instant like a test strip). 

Lots of very savvy hot tub people on this site so don't be afraid to ask.  Good luck moving forward.

[bmsma]

thanks wiz: my smart @@@ gene was in full swing last night, now some real question, and let me say that since a hot tub does not use oil or fuel im a total newb. Also im pretty obsessive so i have a little notebook im starting to record everything.

Testing accuracy ? strips, liquid kit, digital meter??  what do you all find to do the job. Are the meters worth investing in ??
Ambient temp ? does outside air temp or time of day play into testing ??
Other additives? Wife has used some aroma crystal in the water a cpl times, and we used a liquid product called super soft spa and bath hydration stuff, and im wondering if i should stop all of that until i ge the water testing and treatment down.

Bromine? im seeing the bromine levels tank in short order, im using the bromine tabs and the dealer had me put 2 in the filter area, but i have to shock it daily to bring the level up to safe. Water is a bit cloudy, and we get some foaming. i used some anti foam and that helped alot in the short term, but it still does some on the edges, after the jets kick off.

We decided on a hot tub for the medical benefits, i have a bad back and wife has a metal plate in her leg. And just in the 6 days we have had it it has been worth every penny spent. we have both been in it a cpl times a day.

We haven't been the best at taking a quick rinse shower before getting in and she has some modesty issues in daylight. im thinking of a outside shower setup for next year.

[The Wizard of Spas]

thanks wiz: my smart @@@ gene was in full swing last night, now some real question, and let me say that since a hot tub does not use oil or fuel im a total newb. Also im pretty obsessive so i have a little notebook im starting to record everything.

Testing accuracy ? strips, liquid kit, digital meter??  what do you all find to do the job. Are the meters worth investing in ??
Ambient temp ? does outside air temp or time of day play into testing ??
Other additives? Wife has used some aroma crystal in the water a cpl times, and we used a liquid product called super soft spa and bath hydration stuff, and im wondering if i should stop all of that until i ge the water testing and treatment down.

Bromine? im seeing the bromine levels tank in short order, im using the bromine tabs and the dealer had me put 2 in the filter area, but i have to shock it daily to bring the level up to safe. Water is a bit cloudy, and we get some foaming. i used some anti foam and that helped alot in the short term, but it still does some on the edges, after the jets kick off.

We decided on a hot tub for the medical benefits, i have a bad back and wife has a metal plate in her leg. And just in the 6 days we have had it it has been worth every penny spent. we have both been in it a cpl times a day.

We haven't been the best at taking a quick rinse shower before getting in and she has some modesty issues in daylight. im thinking of a outside shower setup for next year.

TESTING:  Strips are fine but if you want to get something better and more reliable, liquid drop kits or even meters will be the better play.  Lots of people here love the Taylor kits.  I've never seen anything that notes temperature as something that may skew a test.  I deal in something similar to "soft spa" and it won't skew anything, nor does aromatherapy. 

BROMINE:  Think of your sanitizer like your pantry- The more you pull out of it, the more you need to go to the grocery store.  Your bromine level will be replenished easier if you keep a bromine floater in your water with the valve open as much as possible.  And if you're using it daily, for longer periods of time, and with multiple people, lower bromine levels + daily shocking = yep, just about right.  As you may use it multiple times daily, you may have to shock multiple times daily.

CLOUDY WATER AND FOAMING:  Cloudy is from too low amount of sanitizer.  See above.  Foam comes from your body.  Either shower before you get in or don't use lotions, deodorants, etc.  Foam may also come from your bathing suits.  Have your suits that you only use for the tub and never wash them.  This will reduce foam.