Welcome to our forum.
I agree with Vinny. The Taylor kit is a must, and the manual is very informative. However, I would get the K-2006 for chlorine instead of the K-2005.
I have to diagree with Steve. I learned a lot about water maintenance online, and I never have water problems. My water is well balanced and sanitized, and I use the very minimum amount of chemicals.If you want to learn about the method I use, go here.
So you're that ONE guy. All this BS about dealers not knowing or caring just pisses me off. Sure there may be morons out there but I suggest that the large % of them know their stuff. Maybe you're right and after 15 years I know nothing...
I would suggest going to a local dealer that offers watercare products and free water testing and get them to set you up with a weekly maintenance program. That's the easiest method of watercare for a new user and the least frustrating. Buying crap from a box store (not that you said you were going to) and trying to make sense of it online is going to cause you nothing but grief.This is a HUGE part of ownership and having to mess around blindly will take away from the overall enjoyment and benfit of spa ownership.
I completely agree. While some people may be able to handle buying supplies on-line and going about it themselves the typical new owner is certainly best served having their dealer get them started. From there the owner can take that initial knowledge, learn on the job and even use the internet to truly understand how to handle their water care but I think its important to start with the dealer. In reality after a while they should be fine to totally fend for themselves but that first month or two can be very iffy for a new owner.I've done hundreds of in-home orientations where I'd hand them a sheet outlining water care and go over it with them. One of the set things I would say at the end is something like "after a while you'll get to the point where you don’t even need this sheet and will probably lose it. At that point you'll feel that you can even give advice to others so relax, you'll get it just fine".