How clear is clear??

[orlandoguy]

I am doing everything right, I think, as far as keeping my bromine levels, ph and everything else at the correct levels.  I am shocking the water once a week as well. My ozonator is working too.

It still seems to me that my water is slightly cloudy but a friend swears I am stressing over nothing.  To give an example, at night, the footwell light's shine through a slightly smoky haze.

I will be adding clarifyer Monday and considering a refill after almost a month in my new jacuzzi, but was curious as to what most consider clear water?  Is it like tap water in a glass???

[txwillie]

I asked this question for months. I'll tell ya what I think.

First, is it clear when the jets are off, then cloudy, milky when they run? How old is the water?

This was my experience using bromine: everything was in balance and the water was crystal clear with the jets off and cloudy with them on.  Started  a week or so a after a fill, then only got worse. After 6-8 weeks the water looked like you dumped a bunch of alka seltser in it when the jets were on. I never made it more than 10 weeks on a fill using bromine.

I switched to dichlor one month ago and everything has been great. The water has been clear even with the jets on UNTIL.......... I had friends over. I told them to rinse their suits really good to get the soap out and explained what would happen if they didn't. Well, next morning it was foam city and I drained and refilled today.

I'm sticking with dichlor from now on. I'd recommend trying it if you problem sounds anything like what I experienced.

txwillie

[orlandoguy]

Thanks,

I may give diclor a try as I have heard many people praising the ease of use and results.  I guess as long as all the levels are good I may be giving it too much thought, but I think gazing into the jacuzzi with the lights on at night and having totally clear water might be cool.

My only concern with the switch in chemicals is the worry about itching or other negative things which I am not experiencing presently.

[drober30]

Dichlor here and water is clear as tap water! Jets on or off.

[txwillie]

one more thing...  I've read recommendations from many that it is always good to drain and refill after your first month. Some reasons are: 1. There may have been stuff left in the pipes during manufacture that gets flushed out in the first few weeks. 2. your skin and pores really open up during the first few weeks and add a lot of stuff to the water. 3. chances are that, as a newbie, you have messed something up. Don't take that badly, it's just a fact

Do the drain and fill. maybe stick with bromine for now, many on this board like it. I however made the switch to dichlor and will not go back.

txwillie

[bulmer4nc]

Our water was never as clear when we were using Bromine as it is now.  Right now our water is about a month old and when it's just sitting (no circ pump or jets) it doesn't even looke like there's water it the tub.  We can see the bottom as if there was no water in it.  I'm not sure if bromine was the issue for us before but now we have a very simplified approach and dont' put much in the water except for dichlor.  I think that in most cases that's what people expect out of clear water.  As our water gets older then it takes a bit longer after the jets are on to 'clear' up but it typically gets back to that same state where there's no sign of cloudyness at all.

[tony]

When your water is clear, you should be able to see the details of a quarter sitting on the floor of your tub, naturally with all the jets off.

[orlandoguy]

That's a good reference point Tony, thanks.

Mine looks more like a Pink Floyd concert with the lights shining through the smoky haze.

All things considered, what is better about bromine than dichlor anyway?  It costs more and doesn't seem to work as well from all I am reading.

[Vinny]

Maybe try running your filter a little longer, if you can.

Some tubs have a low speed filtering cycle to help the circ pump, if you have one.

I have a pool with a DE filter and it's awesome at cleaning, I'm still getting used to cartridge filters!

[Brewman]

All things considered, what is better about bromine than dichlor anyway?  It costs more and doesn't seem to work as well from all I am reading.

Not better, not worse, just different.  Bromine is less hands on- you set a floater or other dispenser, refill it every few weeks.  Dichlor requires more dosing.
And I've heard that the chlorine can attack the underside of covers if it's not used properly.
Either will do the job as a sanitizer, though.
Bromine works fine for us, but it is probably more expensive the dichlor.  Especially the version were using (Brilliance- which contains no chlorine).  

Some may be sensitive to bromine, others to chlorine.
Brewman