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You said you were using chlorine daily I presume you are using dichlor. Depending on water temp, how many gallons of water you have, how many people are using it and for how many hours a day will determine how much sanitizer you will add. That will also determine how often you will need to change the water. For most people the time is between 3 and 6 months. You will get a feel for when to change the water even without it ever smelling bad it kind of loses its sparkle and my experience the numbers start bouncing around more when I check it. cleaning your filter often just hosing it off well helps a lot. without some kind of automatic sanitizer dispensing system like bromine or a salt system, I check mine almost every day after work. normally it is reading low but not zero on chlorine and I wait to add any until after we use it that evening. then I add about one tablespoon of dichlor. About every other week for us maybe sooner I give it a non-chlorine shock and I try and do it at a time I know we most likely won’t be in it right away. I have a friend that hasn’t checked his tub for 15 years and measures by eye what he adds to it and his water I have to say always looks nice. I’m just a person that likes to know and I’m also sensitive to if the levels get off more so than others. That’s my take on it the pros will be along to tell you the proper ways. Yes turn off power before you drain the tub at your GFIC breaker.
We've had our hot tub for about 6 weeks now. I had quite a few questions but was able to answer most of them by reading through the forums. I would appreciate it, though, if we could get help verifying what we learned is accurate and get help on a few remaining questions. Thanks in advance for your help.1) I was a little concerned that I was putting in sanitizer (chlorine) after each use, but it looks like most people do the same. If this is too often, please let me know.2) When we first got the tub I tested the water daily. After a few days. the only thing that changed was the chlorine. I am now only testing once every 7-10 days. Is that enough?3) The company I purchased from recommended draining and refilling after 6 months. Should I do it every 6 months (or sooner if the water starts looking/smelling bad)?4) I would assume I turn off the power (at the box) when draining?Thanks again for your help.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. There were a few questions in the replies I wanted to answer, and also have a follow up question:"Depending on water temp..." - I had been keeping it at 85 and turning it up when needed. Now I keep it at 98"...how many gallons of water you have..." - 450 gallons"...how many people are using it..." - usually 2 adults but occasionally as many as 4 teenage boys"...and for how many hours a day" - about 1 hour/day for 3 days a week so far"To get it perfect you should switch to bleach if your water gets hard to manage" - water hasn't been too bad yet. More curious at this point if I am chlorinating too often, not enough. Still would be curious about using bleach. How much do you put in and how often? Could you use bleach in an emergency (out of granules) then go back to granules? Yes you could use bleach, but make sure it's not scented or have any additional stuff in it"How are you testing your water?" - Using Aqua Check strips. They were provided by the company we bought the spa from. You should get a re-agent test kit to get more accurate and just use the strips for a quick test or to check your chlorine.I think I will change the water at 3-4 months this first time.