I survived my first water change!

[Bonibelle]

I decided after 3 months, and not such good luck with my water management, I would drain and start fresh. It was about 35 degrees when I started to drain the tub this morning.
I used the hose from my pool vac and filled it with one jet until I had a good syphon going.  It worked great.  In about 20 minutes I had the tub drained to about 2 inches of water when I lost my syphon. I have a contraption on my outside spigot that splits  into 2 hose hookups. I hooked my fill hose up and ran water into the tub then shut off the spigot and opened the other side of the contraption. The water syphoned out with no effort and I didn't have to suck up spiders trying to get a syphon going. I used a shower squeegy to clear off the seats and finished up with my shop vac. I wiped the tub down with IPA and started refilling right away. All in all , a pretty easy job. (much easier than cleaning my fish pond!)Just a bit cold to be barefooted.  The hose splitter is a really easy, fast way to start a syphon if you are draining with a garden hose.
Things are up and running again but hubby will have to wait until tomorrow for 101 water, it is only about 89 right now.

[NE-Phil]

Congrats Bonibelle,
35°F - Wow, that was chilly. Last month when I refilled, it was 40° and that was plenty called in shorts and bare feet. I also used the hose-to-jet method to get the syphone going. And a separate pump suckin' it out, too. They both worked really fast.
2 questions for you:
1) Tell us more about the 2 hose hookup connection. That caught my eye? Can you find a picture of it on the net or know what its called?
2) What is IPA? I haven't heard it mentioned before.
Thanks,

Phil

[tony]

1) Tell us more about the 2 hose hookup connection. That caught my eye? Can you find a picture of it on the net or know what its called?

The 2 hose hookup is a small Y fitting that screws onto your sillcock where you would attach your hose.  It allows you to attach two hoses to one spigot.  Its got two little levers that act as shutoff valves for each hose.  Any harware store or Home Depot or Lowes has hundeds of them.

There is nothing like fresh water.  We all get so used to the water slowly deteriorating that we don't notice how different it is to new water.  Four months is max for me, not because I feel I need to change the water, but because new water is just so nice.

[Perk1]

Brass Y adapter at home depot...


Boni had a hose hooked to one side and nothing on the other.  She ran water into her tub through the hose with the other side closed.  After water was running into the tub she shut off the water and opened the valve where no hose was attached.  It is actually a very good idea.  

[drewstar]

...I wiped the tub down with IPA and started refilling right away....

I wipe my down with a pilsner.  

[cappykat]

Boni...glad to hear the refill went well.  I'm thinking of going to dichlor with my next refill.  There's a good post from Tony in the Spa Frog King Tech thread.  I'll have to think about it...

I hope all goes well for you now.  Stay warm!!

Oh...is anyone else viewing this in "widescreen"?  Why is that?

[tony]

I'm in widescreen too.  I hate when that happens.  Don't know why.

[Perk1]

I'm in widescreen too.  I hate when that happens.  Don't know why.

I think it was the URL I posted.  I removed it and it went back to 'normal'...

[Bonibelle]

Perk, on that Y adapter (sorry my description wasn't too good, Phil), you can also hook up a hose and send that water away from your house. Since my other hose was frozen solid, I had no choice but to let it run out at the spigot. I diverted it from my foundation with my kids plastic snowboard ..you wouldn't want that much water running along your foundation as it could potentially end up in your basement.  Also, if you use the Y contraption, always be sure to open both walves as water trapped inside could freeze and ruin your frostfree spigot and again you get a basement full of water. I have also found that quick connects on the hoses help (my hands don't work too well in the cold).
Tony, my hubby said the new clean water was like having the clean sheets on the bed that were dried on the clothes line, crisp and smelling really fresh!

[Spatech_tuo]

I decided after 3 months, and not such good luck with my water management, I would drain and start fresh.

Boni,
Are you giving dichlor/Nature 2 a try now or sticking with bromine still?

[Tatooed_Lady]

Boni, best of luck on the new balancing act! Maybe the first time was rough due to cruddies from the factory....   THIS time, though...we expect to hea that you've got perfectly balanced water, clean and shiny and melt in your mouth good!  

[Bonibelle]

This is the hose thingy, Phil

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2162/hose3zp.jpg

[Bonibelle]

OK, da%n it, why does this work some times and not other times?

[cappykat]

Huh??

[Bonibelle]

my pictures, Cappy, sometimes they post correctly, but not today, there must be something in this coffee that my hubby is feeding me...I can't think straight