Where to get chemicals for spa online cheap?

[squale]

Got my 2005 Sundance Altamar all setup up.  I bought some starter chemicals from my local dealer, but I think I should be able to find them cheaper online.

Where do you guys/gals recommend online to buy chemicals at a cheap price?

and what brand of chemicals do you recommend?  I need Shock, Bromine, Scale Control, and PH Decreaser.

When I fill the spa with my garden hose, the water akalinity is very high, the PH is high, and the hardness is high.

Thanks

[D.P. Roberts]

No takers? Okay, I'll tell him:

http://www.rhtubs.com

[Brewman]

If your water has high Ph and alk you might consider using muriatic acid to lower it.
  The stuff is about $3/gallon- very inexpensive and you'll use a much lower volume of chemical vs the dry Ph decreasers.  You can get it in the paint department at any good home or paint store.  If you use it, be very careful- I use an ice cream pail, scoop a few quarst of spa water into the pail, add the acid, mix and slowly pour the bucket into the spa.  

Check out the pool departments of your local Big Box stores like Home Depot, etc...
for chemicals, too.  Very often you can get the exact same stuff there in much larger containers, for less expense.  I get #5 of dichlor for under $20 at fleet farm.

Online you have to watch your shipping costs.  That can in some cases erase any savings over buying local.

Consider the link that DP Roberts put out.  He includes shipping in his prices if the order is over a certain minimum amount.

For those of you in the "Support your local Dealer" camp, I give my dealer plenty of money.  He gets all my filter business, and plenty of other stuff.  I also purchase chemicals there if I only need a small amount of something.  

[cburk0677]

I just buy my chemicals at lowes.

I use the dupont spa products. For chlorine I use the dupont pool chlorine in granular form. I bought a 25lb bucket for $83.00  Should last me 3-4 years by my estimation or even longer.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=232445-23132-10039&lpage=none

Now some people might think that pool chlorine should not be used in a hottub but I doublechecked the type of chlorine and it is the exact same type of chlorine used in the leisure time spa chlorine line.

[squale]

you really shouldn't be using chlorine in a hottub anyhow, why not bromine?

[cburk0677]

99% of people with hottubs use chlorine. What are you smoking?

[D.P. Roberts]

As long as you're using "dichlor" and not "trichlor", chlorine is fine. Bromine can be a lot easier to use, as it's formulated to be more stable in hotter temperatures than chlorine. This is why you find bromine floaters or bromine dispensers in many hot tubs. However, many people have a stronger allergic or skin reaction to using bromine. When I get my new spa I'm tempted to try bromine at first. If it bothers me I can always switch back to chlorine, which I used for many years without problems.

[tony]

As long as you're using "dichlor" and not "trichlor", chlorine is fine. Bromine can be a lot easier to use, as it's formulated to be more stable in hotter temperatures than chlorine. This is why you find bromine floaters or bromine dispensers in many hot tubs. However, many people have a stronger allergic or skin reaction to using bromine. When I get my new spa I'm tempted to try bromine at first. If it bothers me I can always switch back to chlorine, which I used for many years without problems.

Actually, chlorine is more effective at hot temps than at cool temps until you reach 180 - 200 where it starts to go the other way.  However, trichlor is unstable in warm water and will dissolve faster than in cool temps.  Bromine is used in a spa because it will dissolve slowly and thus can be supplied in tabs or pucks.  Bromine tabs are 2/3 chlorine as it is.  Dichlor is near pH neutral and quick dissolving so ideal for a spa's relatively small water volume.  IMO, chlorine is the easiest way to maintain your spa.

[tony]

I just buy my chemicals at lowes.

I use the dupont spa products. For chlorine I use the dupont pool chlorine in granular form. I bought a 25lb bucket for $83.00  Should last me 3-4 years by my estimation or even longer.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=232445-23132-10039&lpage=none

Now some people might think that pool chlorine should not be used in a hottub but I doublechecked the type of chlorine and it is the exact same type of chlorine used in the leisure time spa chlorine line.

Dichlor is a pool sanitizer as well as a spa sanitizer.  It is not very popular as a pool product because it adds nearly as much CYA as it does chlorine.  CYA is important to monitor in a pool.  There are other pool chlorines that are better suited for pool use.  Dichlor and lithium are the only pool chlorines that can be used in a spa.  Be careful.

[squale]

well I have been using bromine for the first week of having my spa.  I have a red skin rash developing on my inner arms.  I get this same exact rash everytime I go away on vacation to a carribean destination or somewhere hot and humid by the ocean.  I think it has something to do with the salt water and humidity drying out my skin.  Now I am getting the same rash from going in my hottub.  The rash doesn't look like a bacterial infection, and others that have been in my tub are fine.  I think I am just alergic to either bromine or maybe I went in it the other day when the bromine was too high.. I shocked the spa the other day then went in about an hour later and I think the bromine level was at like 8 when I got in, but then the next morning the bromine was back down to 2.  Do you think this could of caused this rash?  weird thing is, the other person that was in the spa with me that night has no skin issues...

[Chad]

Imo, it's better to have/start a close relationship with your dealer(i.e.- SUPPORT THEM) then to save $10-20 a year shopping online for chemicals. This of course is only for those that have dealers they actually like. Mine is wonderful, so I give them almost all my spa accessory business.

[D.P. Roberts]

Imo, it's better to have/start a close relationship with your dealer(i.e.- SUPPORT THEM) then to save $10-20 a year shopping online for chemicals. This of course is only for those that have dealers they actually like. Mine is wonderful, so I give them almost all my spa accessory business.

I do too, when I'm in the area. My dealer is 25 miles away, so I'm not driving there just to get chemicals, so I end up buying a lot of stuff from Doc. He also has a lot of chemical alternatives & accessories my dealer does not have.

[JerryofWNY]

Imo, it's better to have/start a close relationship with your dealer(i.e.- SUPPORT THEM) then to save $10-20 a year shopping online for chemicals. This of course is only for those that have dealers they actually like. Mine is wonderful, so I give them almost all my spa accessory business.

This could tend to pay big dividends if service is needed in the future.

[Brewman]

Gee, your dealers must be a bunch of soreheads.  My dealer's service has been top notch and I don't get  my chems. there.
 They've probably got better things to do than worry about where every single one of their customers buys their Ph up.

[TravelingSpaGuy]

Chemical sales pay the bills for the hot tub companies typically...im sure your dealer would love to see you whenever possible.