Drain/refill

[searchinginfl]

I am getting ready to do my first drain/fill. I have had my tub since December 1, and though my water looks great, I can't get rid of my CC reading. So, I am going to follow the newbie rule, and drain early. I have a drain at the bottom outside (though I don't see how it will get all the water out).

I bought a whole bunch of chemicals at the local pool store. They didn't have spagloss, so I just bought Solus Spa cleaner. I bought Metal gone (I was not told to use anything but dichlor and mps on my first fill w/my frog), I bought Calcium booster, and this time I'm going to try Nat 2 cartridge instead of the Frog.

I assume I am supposed to turn off the power when I drain. After using the cleaner, I guess I keep the hose attached to the drain for when I rinse? Is there any advice for my first refill?

[Flyonthewall]

[size=16]get yourself a drop in electric pump.  its the best thing i ever bought as a spa owner.  i've seen cheap ones at lowe's for around $70.  you will thank yourself 2-3 times a year for as long as you own a spa.[/size]

[searchinginfl]

In my case, I think I'll try it once before investing in another thing. We have no basement or attic here, and are having some storage issues. If the process stinks that bad, I'll be at Lowes immediately! Thanks.

[Vinny]

I've heard draing from the bottom drain can take forever. I use sump pump tubing and it works OK. If you do decide on a pump - go sump pump. I have a pool cover pumps and it too takes forever.

Return any cleaner/ polish for the spa. I have had my spa almost 3 years and have never used cleaner/polish on it. If you need to wipe gunk off - 2 things magic eraser or baking soda on a rag.

Do you need calcium booster?

Do turn the power off and if you rinse leave the hose on. When you refill, fill it through the filter(s) to force out the air.

[Chas]

there is a happy medium between using the built-in drain and buying a pump.

Put the garden hose over the side of the spa and start a siphon. It usually goes faster than using the drain system, and most tubs don't design the drain fittings to drain the tub all the way to the floor anyway - (HS does...)


The larger and shorter the hose, the faster it will drain.

 8-)

[Zep]

Get something like this.....well worth the money!

http://cgi.ebay.com/1200-GPH-Submersible-Pump-LITTLE-GIANT-1-6-HP-POOL-SPA_W0QQitemZ300199295905QQihZ020QQcategoryZ20732QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

[searchinginfl]

Well, the draining was slow, but I wasn't in a rush. Halfway through, I just took the hose off the drain and dropped it in the top, it siphoned itself, that made it a little faster. I see no dirt anywhere, so I guess I'll just start filling!

[In Canada eh]

Ivie,

  I see its too late to offer a couple of hints as you are now filling.  Just a couple of things to do and look for while draining and filling your tub.

1   Always turn the power off, its a great opportunity to test your GFCI, just push the button and the power is off

2  I also use a small submersible pump, it really does speed things up, less then $100 at Home Depot

3  Always remove your filter and stick the garden hose down the pump inlet a couple of inches,  This will prevent
    an air lock from happening when you go to start your tub back up

4  After fill is complete add a tablespoon of dichlor and then take your water to your dealer for a complete test the
    next day.  They will be able to tell you how much of what to add to your water

5  Enjoy, there is nothing like freshwater

[searchinginfl]

I followed all these instructions, and I am almost full. Is that ALL I should add? JUST Dichlor? When I first got it they said, throw in a cap of MPS and a cap of dichlor.

I have a Taylor kit. Is it necessary to get it tested at my dealer? I think that is what they use as well. The local pool store says that based on our city water we should add Metal Gone and Calcium booster. I never added calcium booster, but according to all my strips, it was always super low in hardness.

[searchinginfl]

I just read the Natures 2 instructions. It says to activate the cartridge I should add 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS dichlor per 250 gallons, I have a 500 gallon spa. That seems like a lot, but I want to make sure I activate it. Advice?

[Chad]

I followed all these instructions, and I am almost full. Is that ALL I should add? JUST Dichlor? When I first got it they said, throw in a cap of MPS and a cap of dichlor.

I have a Taylor kit. Is it necessary to get it tested at my dealer? I think that is what they use as well. The local pool store says that based on our city water we should add Metal Gone and Calcium booster. I never added calcium booster, but according to all my strips, it was always super low in hardness.

I would definetly add the bottle of Metal Gon. Just make sure not to install the N2 for atleast 4 hours after you added it. It's also important not to install the N2 until your water is balanced. Basically, it should be the last thing you do.

Yes, more than likely your local pool store or dealer uses one of the Taylor kits. So if you have one and can use it accurately, there's no need to have them test it. Calcium is a tricky subject. Some say it's more important than others. My opinion, fwiw, is that you want atleast 100ppm. Test strips are very inaccurate for measuring CH. Your Taylor however, is extremely accurate. If it's way low, like less than 100ppm, add some until you're in the 150-200ppm range.

I just read the Natures 2 instructions. It says to activate the cartridge I should add 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS dichlor per 250 gallons, I have a 500 gallon spa. That seems like a lot, but I want to make sure I activate it. Advice?

Yes, what ever the instructions say, that's what you add. JUST MAKE SURE IT'S THE VERY LAST THING YOU DO.

Here's the order to do things.
1. add the Metal Gon and follow it's instructions for circulation time(it's best not to continue to step 3 for a few hours after adding Metal Gon) Fwiw, I probably only wait 1 hour after adding it before I adjust my levels and so far haven't had any issues.
2. test and record the CH, alk, and ph.
3. Adjust in the order posted in step 2.
4. Rinse Filters and install N2 when finished.
5. Add the activation dose of dichlor.
6. In the morning, test all levels again to make sure they're stable.

[searchinginfl]

Great Chad, that is EXACTLY the information I needed. Thank you so much!

[searchinginfl]

I have my alkalinity right, but my PH is way high. All I have is PH/Alk down. Since I don't want to bring them both down, what should I use?

[Chad]

I have my alkalinity right, but my PH is way high. All I have is PH/Alk down. Since I don't want to bring them both down, what should I use?

First off, what are the readings for your alk, pH, and FC.

Alk/pH down is sodium bisulfate and will bring both levels down, however it has a much greater effect on the pH. So you might be ok. But if you find that when you get the pH down in to range and then the alk drops out of range, you can just add some Baking soda to bring it back up. Before you do anything though, I'd like to know where they are before I give any specifics. If your pH is way high, it might also be best to go get some muriatic acid. Just be very careful with it as it is quite hazardous.

One more thing- when ever you're adding an acid to your spa such as sodium bisulfate(dry acid) or muriatic acid, it's very important not to run the pumps right after dosing like you normally do with other chems. It's actually best to scoop out some of your spa water in a bucket. Then add the acid to the bucket of water. Then gradually pour the mix over a widespread area in to the spa. Wait 5-10 minutes and then turn pumps on like you normally do when adding chems.

[searchinginfl]

Unfortunately, I added the ph/alk down before reading your post. Here are my readings now from the taylor now.
PH about 7.9
Alk 90
CH 210
FC about 4.5
TC about 4 (doesn't really make sense, does it?)
CYA--filled up the whole thing and still saw the black dot.

These readings were done at night, so my lighting may be off. When I really saw my water last though in the light, it still looked awful, greenish and kind of cloudy. Now at night it seems to still be cloudy, though I can't judge the color. It smells though, not like chlorine, but smells like my taylor kit....chemical-like. So far I have added 3 tablespoons of chlorine.

None of this happened on my first fill. I added a cap of MPS, a cap of dichlor, and a day later, my water looked good (though it measured SUPER LOW in PH and ALK). Before the refill my water was sparkling clear. Should I dump and refill again?

If I didn't enjoy being in this tub with my kids so much, I think I would be selling it like so many do!!! I am getting very frustrated. At first this chemistry thing was fun. Now that I'm adding a ton of stuff, running my jets all day to circulate, refilling.....I'm not having fun.

Maybe I should just have listened to my dealer and dump a cap of MPS after each soak, a cap of dichlor 1x/week, and thats it. It worked until I started overtreating for PH and alk etc.