Cloudy Water

[cappykat]

I'm sure there's a post concerning cloudy water, but I couldn't find it.  

Did my weekly routine yesterday (Wed) and the readings were all within normal range.  I added 2 oz of shock and 2 oz of clarifier and ran the jets.  The water isn't horrible but it's not crystal clear either.

We've only used the tub twice since I refilled it last Wed.  Should I leave it alone or try to clear it up?

[Bonibelle]

Hey Cappy, I hope you are keeping some sort of log on how to take care of your water.  That is the one thing that I am most worried about (even more than the rats!)
And I'll be asking you for help.   I know you will have it down pat by the time I'm ready to go!  Thank goodness for this forum!

[OregonVTX]

If the water is chemically balanced I would let it be for a while.

[cappykat]

You know, bonibelle, I thought about that the other day and kind of forgot.  Thanks for the reminder.

Hey, you have a pool, so this should be easy for you.  You might be helping me out...LOL!  I've got to get a better test kit.  I really don't like the strips.  I'll have to go to dr. spa and see what he has.  Drprwnap says he adds 1 tsp of di-chlor for each bather after use.  

Anyone else suggest that?  If we aren't using the spa every night maybe it isn't necessary??

[svspa]

cappykat,

I thought I saw before you said you were using Bromine so you shouldn't need the daily dichlor.

If you aren't using either then you should be using some type of sanitizer.

Normally even if you aren't using the tub you want to keep some level of sanitizer in it. If you are using Bromine with a floater then that should be fine. Since I use dichlor I put a small amount in every day even if we don't use the tub.

Do you have an ozonator and/or Nature 2 cartridge?

You might give us a run down on your chemical routine  so we can tell you whether it meets the very high standards of this forum.



Steve

[cappykat]

I've only had the tub 3 weeks and I dumped and refilled last week.  I messed up the first fill by checking the water and the pH and alk was high according to the test strips.  I added 2 lbs of pH down (see prevous post on that screw-up) and then the water was all messed up.

I refilled last Wednesday.  My routine as given by our dealer is to check water weekly, add up/down as necessary, add 2 oz of shock weekly.  I checked water yesterday and readings were within normal range but water is somewhat cloudy.  Not terrible but not crystal clear.  I added 2 oz of clarifier.  That is all I've done so far.

[svspa]

cappykat,

Well it sounds like you're missing the sanitizer (either Bromine or Chlorine are most popular).

Yucky stuff (technical term) can start growing if you don't put some sanitizer in there.

Either Northman's or Vermonter's water maintenance programs are good if you want to use chlorine (dichlor). You can find them here. They are pretty informative about water maintenance.

http://www.rhtubs.com/bbs/FAQ.htm

If you want to use Bromine I think there are a few on this site that can help you with a good program.

The basics of water maintenance are having a minimum level of sanitizer in the tub at all times and then a routine shock to further remove contaminants and chloramines if you use a chlorine program.

Note I am only talking sanitizer maintenance since I think are aware of the alkalinity and PH maintenance.

Steve

[svspa]

cappykat,

Just thought I would also add a brief quote from Vermonter's FAQ.

"Dichlor is used by more tub owners than any other disinfectant - and is pretty much the standard for commercial spas. It is simple, tremendously effective (when used properly) on bacteria, viruses and some other pathogens and is inexpensive to dose and to monitor. It provides a disinfectant residual which helps safeguard your tub during periods of non-use. It also is an efficient oxidizer and, for that reason as well as a few others, contributes to the clarity of the water in a tub."

Steve

[NE-Phil]

cappycat,
Wow! I can't believe all the dichlor users around here! (Luke - Come to the Dark Side!)
OK, you have the epic and that comes with the same in-line frog system that my reward uses with the bromine and mineral cartridges. I ran into cloudy water too awhile back and mentioned it on this board (here's the thread)[/url].
The best reply and the solution to my cloudy water came from Steve who told me to increase the sanitizer even if the strips are reading there's enough bromine. Unscrew the cap to the in-line frog and remove the bromine cartridge. Increase the bromine level a couple of notches. If it's at 1, put it to 3, if 3 change to 5. You get the idea. Now put it back.
I would also add a couple of ounces (not pounds! ) of shock.  
I found that in a day or two the water clears up. It's almost miraculous! :O

Phil

[keating]

2 nights ago, finished my soak, checked levels.....pH, Alk, and Hardness were high, bromine was low.

opened the floater a bit, added another 2 oz of pHDown, 2 oz of stain & scale left it an hour or so and then before bed added 2 oz of MPS.

went out last night, readings all good, (brom still low) but water was CRYSTAL clear.

had a soak, full jets with aerators open, and when I got out, the water looked almost like someone spilled in a quart of milk........15 minutes with the jets off and it was crystal clear again.......I'm guessing the aerators/jets, etc whip a lot of air into the water that makes it look not clear.

[Bonibelle]

Hey Cappy, you're right, I do a good job with my pool, so maybe I'd better hop on the next SouthWest out of Philly and come down and help you.  It was 27 degrees when we got up this morning and my Epic is still on Jed Clampett's truck....
Seriously the pool, I think is a whole different animal..a large amount of relatively cool water has to be so much easier to keep balanced than a hot tub.  I know I do use Pool Perfect, which is made by the same company as Spa Perfect and it does seem to make a difference. I shock less and my husband and kids swear that the water feels silky.  I wonder if the guys who are having the problems with itchy skin have tried an enzyme treatment?  Just a thought. Hope you get things straightened out. And get that sound system hooked up...

[drewstar]

The clarifier could be the culprit.

Why did you add the clarifier after only a week into fresh water?   I use the clarifier sparingly and only on an "As needed basis".

The clarifier will gunk up and possibly foam the water as it does it's job in removing the oils and small particles.

Give it a  day and depending on your filttration, perhaps turn on the filters for an additional cycle.

Don't forget to rinse the filters too.  

[orlandoguy]

I agree on using the clarifyer as needed, which in this case might be the case.  I also like to go a little heavier on the mps shock, around 4 oz.  I am not a big fan of measuring spoons for cooking nor spas so I use the cap for a reference.  In the case of shock, I fill the cap almost full and wham!  kick it up a notch.

As far as the bromine, I am a huge fan of putting the floater in and setting it to the lowest number that allows proper sanitation and forgetting it.

I sweated over the amounts in the beginning and worked out a very simple routine that has provided me with 6 months of perfect water, but hey that's just me.

[windsurfdog]

Drprwnap says he adds 1 tsp of di-chlor for each bather after use.  

Anyone else suggest that?  If we aren't using the spa every night maybe it isn't necessary??

cappy,

The idea with dichlor is to bring the chorine ppm up to 3-5 for effective sanitization.  With the 62% dichlor I use, 1 tsp. at 450 gallons returns +/-1.5 ppm.  I usually use 2 tsp. if I soak alone, 3 if others join me.  I may also bump it another tsp. if I didn't soak the day before or there is a larger bather load.  Compared to drpwrnp's routine, I may use a little more with fewer bathers, a little less with more bathers.

Spare the dichlor, spoil the tub.

HTH  

[hymbaw]

Cappy,
 Skip the clarifier. It treats symptoms, not causes.

 Was your water cloudy then you shocked? The shock should clear up most cloudy situations. Make sure you leave your cover open for at least 15 min. after you shock. It should be clear in an hour or two.