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Nitro's Guide to Water Maintenance

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Zep:
Nitro...wow what an amazing knowledge you have about
water quality and chemical issues with hot tubs/pools.

Thanks for your insight and sharing.

It all seems rather overwhelming to an average consumer like me.

Which begs the question....do you ever think water quality issues will
become more automated with hot tubs?

It appears to me that there is a huge segment of hot tub owners that are
confused, frustrated, and do not have the patience to keep up with the water
issues in their tub, so they basically just thrown some bromine tablets
in a float, maybe throw in some "shock" every so often, change their
water every couple of months and well...."hope for the best".[/b]

JeffB:
For what it is worth, I have roughly used Richard's bleach system through at least the last 3 water changes, which is about a year. It works very well for me and my tub. You have to watch for rising PH a little more, but no real problem. The quality of the water seems to hold longer than with diclor, and the effectiveness of the sanitizer does not diminsh over time as with diclor. The system is really not very radical. It is essentially the Vermonter method, but you switch from diclor to bleach after a week or two. You can shock with MPS or diclor just as with a diclor system. There should not be a big fuss. The way a tub is used, how many users, how closely it is watched, etc will eventually lead to a particular sanitizing system. For example, if you have kids (particularly teenagers) regularly using the tub, the way I once did, the best system I found was bromine tablets in a floater. In any event, bleach can work if one wants to use it.  Jeff

Nitro:

--- Quote ---Which begs the question....do you ever think water quality issues will
become more automated with hot tubs?
--- End quote ---
I think the way water maintenance becomes automated is if we demand it, and start thinking outside the box.

As I mentioned in another thread, Salt Water Chlorine Generators have been around a long time in pools, but getting more popular in spas, Onzen for instance. There is also a portable SWCG such as the Spa Pilot.

I personally like the idea of The Liquidator, built for spas, that will despense Chlorinated Liquid (Bleach) at a steady amount. It actually adds less TDS to the spa than adding straight bleach to the tub. That would allow you to go even longer between water changes.

Who knows, maybe someone on this board will come out with another idea that will make it easier/safer to maintain spa/pool water.


--- Quote ---It appears to me that there is a huge segment of hot tub owners that are
confused, frustrated, and do not have the patience to keep up with the water
issues in their tub, so they basically just thrown some bromine tablets
in a float, maybe throw in some "shock" every so often, change their
water every couple of months and well...."hope for the best".[/b]
--- End quote ---
This is the main reason I wrote this thread. I feel that hot tub water maintenance (or anything) is more difficult the less you know about. As you learn more about something it becomes much easier. There is a learning curve with this, and ALL methods. But many people who do use this method find that it's not difficult at all. Actually, I believe it's easier, because you have far less water problems to deal with.

But I'm always looking to improve things, so this method is not the do all end all.

Nitro:

--- Quote ---For what it is worth, I have roughly used Richard's bleach system through at least the last 3 water changes, which is about a year. It works very well for me and my tub. You have to watch for rising PH a little more, but no real problem. The quality of the water seems to hold longer than with diclor, and the effectiveness of the sanitizer does not diminsh over time as with diclor. The system is really not very radical. It is essentially the Vermonter method, but you switch from diclor to bleach after a week or two. You can shock with MPS or diclor just as with a diclor system. There should not be a big fuss. The way a tub is used, how many users, how closely it is watched, etc will eventually lead to a particular sanitizing system. For example, if you have kids (particularly teenagers) regularly using the tub, the way I once did, the best system I found was bromine tablets in a floater. In any event, bleach can work if one wants to use it.  Jeff
--- End quote ---
FYI, if your pH is rising to much, you can try lowering your TA to 50-60 ppm. Also, we found that the use of Borates (50 ppm) greatly reduces it pH rise. There is a product called Gentle Spa that is pH neutral, and makes it easy to  Borates. The cheaper way is to use Borax (20 Mule Team) and acid. Check out The Pool Calculator for details on how much to add.

TubsAndCues:

--- Quote ---I think the way water maintenance becomes automated is if we demand it, and start thinking outside the box.
--- End quote ---

Major problem I've seen with automated systems is the cost.  I know that one of the reasons (but not all) that you prefer bleach over dichlor is the price difference.

Any time more stuff like this gets added, it gets pricey really fast.  I've seen it in a number of pool systems on the market.  You'll pay for the ease, but then it's just a question of what's more important to you.

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