Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Swell-Tub on April 26, 2008, 07:27:18 pm
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Now that my spa search has come to a close, and we have some new spa owners on the horizon. I have not understood all the shocking chemical talk going on. What will I need to know to keep my new hot spot in the Desert from becoming a stink hole?
I have figured out that I will need to drain the tub every three months. I know there is some test strips I need to dip. I hear that I need to throw a plugged in toaster into the spa to shock it every so often. So what will become my daily, weekly, monthly routine?
Thanks in advance,
Scott :-?
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First you're going to need to decide if chlorine or bromine is to be used. Either way these are the 2 main sanitizers.
Both are easy to use but I would say that if you use your tub every day or every other day then dichlor is probably the best out of the two.
Check the water's parameters on a weekly basis adjust if neccessary, shock with either chlorine or MPS weekly or at least every other week. If you decide to shock with chlorine you need 10x free chlorine of the combined chlorine amount (TC+CC+FC). [size=16]<--- SHOULD BE: TC=CC+FC[/size]
Other than that you need to clean the filters on a monthly basis.
Thats about it.
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I see that many people use a garden hose filter to put water in their spa's. Is there one kind or brand that is better than others?
Scott :-?
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I can't say as I don't use one. Honestly don't know what they're for.
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I see that many people use a garden hose filter to put water in their spa's. Is there one kind or brand that is better than others?
Scott :-?
Although some people might need it, you probably don't . You are getting a Jacuzzi J-470. The "Polishing" filter is made of the same filtering agent as most "pre-filters". Your filtration system will take out as much in the first 60 seconds of filtering as a pre filter would.
As for the choice of chlorine vs bromine I am going to respectfully disagree with Vinny on this one. IMO Bromine is a much better choice. With chlorine you will have to add chemicals several time a week. with bromine most people add every 7-10 days. Your J-470 comes standard with a bromine dispenser inside the filter compartment.
One thing to look for in bromine is "100% chlorine free" bromine. Most bromine is diluted with chlorine to keep the price down. If it is "True Bromine" it will say 100% chlorine free
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As for the choice of chlorine vs bromine I am going to respectfully disagree with Vinny on this one. IMO Bromine is a much better choice. With chlorine you will have to add chemicals several time a week. with bromine most people add every 7-10 days. Your J-470 comes standard with a bromine dispenser inside the filter compartment.
One thing to look for in bromine is "100% chlorine free" bromine. Most bromine is diluted with chlorine to keep the price down. If it is "True Bromine" it will say 100% chlorine free
Isn't the bromine feeder for bromine pucks? I thought 100% bromine was only in powdered form ... learn something new every day!
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Isn't the bromine feeder for bromine pucks? I thought 100% bromine was only in powdered form ... learn something new every day!
I know that the Brilliance bromine product is 100% bromine and has its own feeder system. For bromine pucks that do not include chlorine, what do they use with the bromine to make it a slow dissolving puck?
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Brillance comes in a pellet form that works great with the feeder on the 400 series
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I personally use the Brillance bromine system and love it. it does not have the smell that the bromine/chlorine tablets do. They have a sytem that is very easy to follow, and I have had no issues with this sytem and I even "abused" it, ie: let it go longer than I was suppose to, not adding stain and scale, over shocking and under shocking, just to see what this chemical system did.( I knew some customers would not follow full instructions, so I wanted to see what happened) No big issues even doing that. I would look into it, and as Micah said, chlorine is very much more labor intensive.
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Brillance comes in a pellet form that works great with the feeder on the 400 series
I wonder if it would work in the Sundance feeder that is in the filter weir? I've seen a picture of the Brlliance feeder that you can attach inside the filter area. Is that the pellet form you are referring to?
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...I know there is some test strips I need to dip. I hear that I need to throw a plugged in toaster into the spa to shock it every so often. ...Thanks in advance,
Scott :-?
I really hope you are joking. Honeslty, (and don't mean to be rude here) but throwing a toaster into a pool of water to "Shock it" is asinine.
W. T. F?
to properly shock a tub, you sneak up on it, and annouce:
"I am Terminators and Bonniebells illegitmate love child!"
That will sufuccinelty shock the tub. ;)
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"I am Terminators and Bonniebells illegitmate love child!"
WHAT??? I'm shocked.......
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I personally use the Brillance bromine system and love it. it does not have the smell that the bromine/chlorine tablets do. They have a sytem that is very easy to follow, and I have had no issues with this sytem and I even "abused" it, ie: let it go longer than I was suppose to, not adding stain and scale, over shocking and under shocking, just to see what this chemical system did.( I knew some customers would not follow full instructions, so I wanted to see what happened) No big issues even doing that. I would look into it, and as Micah said, chlorine is very much more labor intensive.
Although I have never used bromine, to classify using chlorine as "very much more labor intensive" is a little of a misinformation. What's the difference of shocking before or after soaking with bromine or adding chlorine before or after soaking? Same amount of work. I would imagine that either system needs to be looked after weekly and things adjusted if need be. Unless this Brillience doesn't need shocking to re-activate the bromine.
If you use the tub often then there is no difference. The difference is when you don't use the tub often then bromine wins hands down. On the plus side of chlorine - there is nothing more powerful besides flourine and ozone to kill organisms ... florine is lethal and ozone is questionable in the quantities that we are talking here. Bromine can't do the killing/clearing job of chlorine even after 3 months of use with the exception of the hot tub itch bacteria ... don't know how long it takes for bromine to kill it, chlorine won't kill it after 50 PPM CYA.
I found that brilliance doesn't require the shocking before or after use as the pucks do ... how long does a 5 lb jug last? 5 lbs of chlorine lasts about a year for me in a 400 gallon tub.
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I found that brilliance doesn't require the shocking before or after use as the pucks do ... how long does a 5 lb jug last? 5 lbs of chlorine lasts about a year for me in a 400 gallon tub.
1.5 lb of brillance last between 3-5 month. 5lb should last about a year. Most people on brillance shock every 7-10 days when they refill the bromine dispenser
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Can the mermaid dispenser be refilled?
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Can the mermaid dispenser be refilled?
I have seen people refill them, but I do not belive that is the way they were designed to use.
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Spantini,
To your original question/post. Here are some of the very basic things I have learned (hopefully correctly) picking people's brains on water care. So basic in fact that it could be in a book called "Basic Water Care for Dummies".
Use dichlor not trichlor.
Chlorine Dichlor = sanitizer. Non-chlorine Shock = MPS.
I was set up with Nature2 cartrigde which is referred to as N2 which is a mineral sanitizer. With N2 some use the sanitizer (dichlor) after each soak and shock with MPS weekly while some use MPS after each use and shook with sanitizer (dichlor) weekly. Some start with dichlor as their daily routine and then switch after a month. The instructions that come with the N2 call for a daily dose of MPS and adding dichlor as needed. I'm going to try the dichlor after each use and then MPS weekly.
From what I've learned it is most important to get the PH right before trying to work with the other chemicals because if the PH is out of range the other chemicals won't react correctly. PH should be between 7.4 - 7.6 (I've also seen 7.2-7.6).
We purchased a Watkins pre-filter because we have iron in our well water. We have 3.2 PPM total iron. 2.6 PPM dissolved iron and .6 PPM organic bleed - "bonded iron". This bonded iron is called tannins. By using the filter I am keeping as much of that orange junk out of our tub as I can. I figure for $50 and 10,000 gallons of usage it is worth the cost.
Lastly, something I've heard over and over again on this forum which I plan on following as much as my detail orientated mind will allow. That is to NOT micro-manage our water. I'll do my best at that.
Please, if anyone has read anything on here that is incorrect let me know....I'm still learning.
Hope this helps if only a little.
In His Peace,
Fred
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Basic Water Care for Dummies is just the perfect book for me. Thanks for the recommendation....
Scott ;)
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From what I've learned it is most important to get the PH right before trying to work with the other chemicals because if the PH is out of range the other chemicals won't react correctly. PH should be between 7.4 - 7.6 (I've also seen 7.2-7.6).
Great post Fred. The only correction I would make is in your statement above.
Alk should always be adjusted first (80-120ppm) prior to a pH adjustment. If your alk is low, it will always tend to draw down your pH and vise versa.
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Can someone educate me more on the nature 2? Do most people use this?? I read someplace that if you use this and an ozonator you need very very little dichlor and / or shock?
I read that you alternate one week a few tablespoons of shock and one week a few tablespoons of dichlor then before you get in you also throw some shock in to sanatize the water?
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Well I have had my tub a week and I don't know if I'm doing justice to the whole chemical thing or not. I have the silver cartridge in my filter and the ozone thing running all the time. My dealer who is a pool guy by trade left me with a small packet of clorine and told me to throw in a tablespoon each week.
I went to the store and bought some test strips and it shows my ph is on the highest mark 7.8. So I threw in some more and nothing changed. Yesterday my water was a little cloudy so I bought some clarifier and threw that it and it appeared to work. Water seems fine it doesn't itch or smell so I hope I'm on the right track. I can still try to shock it with the toaster I suspect (I kid, I kid).
I don't want to mess with the water to much but I also want the water to be safe. It already looks like a bubble bath because so many family members have tried it and I suspect their suits were full of detergent.
Scott ;)
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A tablespoon of chlorine 1x per week seems way to little unless you are doing MPS at each use.
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Spantini,
With N2 some use the sanitizer (dichlor) after each soak and shock with MPS weekly while some use MPS after each use and shook with sanitizer (dichlor) weekly. Some start with dichlor as their daily routine and then switch after a month. The instructions that come with the N2 call for a daily dose of MPS and adding dichlor as needed. I'm going to try the dichlor after each use and then MPS weekly.
In His Peace,
Fred
Fred,
I think you're taking the wise route by using the dichlor after each use. The N2 manufacturer does give instructions to use MPS per use and dichlor weekly but that’s simply because they're trying to sell more units and know that people have this desire (usually ill founded IMO) to use less chlorine. The reality is that method is just ineffective IMO while the dichlor per use and MPS weekly method works much better. The reality is the dichlor you add after each use dissipates quickly anyway so there is very little residual the next day which counters those who have some reluctance to use dichlor.
Some will argue by using dichlor per use you're defeating the purpose of using N2 in the first place but since the reason for its use is to improve ease of water management and eliminate (or reduce) common occurrences of cloudy or ill sanitized water its does great IMO. For those who prefer to skip the extra cost and just use dichlor that's fine too. I'm just not a fan of the at best marginally effective MPS per use method.
Can someone educate me more on the nature 2? Do most people use this?? I read someplace that if you use this and an ozonator you need very very little dichlor and / or shock?
I read that you alternate one week a few tablespoons of shock and one week a few tablespoons of dichlor then before you get in you also throw some shock in to sanatize the water?
Use N2 to help you successfully care for your water. Don't use it with the promise that you'll use less dichlor (aka chlorine) or shock. Those are promises made to sell more N2. Water care can be frustrating to some. Adding N2 to ozone and using chlorine per use will make water management easier IMO, that is the reason you would use it and not because of the thought that you'll use less chems.
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So what is a good weekly rountine for me?
I have the ozonator, and the N2 silver thing in my filter. What should I do after each soak or on a weekly, monthly schedule. I know I need to drain the tub every 3 months.
The Walmart by my house has a lot of pool and spa chemiclas because of how many people in my area have both. I was going to go buy some PH decreaser because the number is so high. Sounds like I need to buy some MPS shock as well.
Thanks,
Scott
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So what is a good weekly rountine for me?
I have the ozonator, and the N2 silver thing in my filter. What should I do after each soak or on a weekly, monthly schedule. I know I need to drain the tub every 3 months.
The Walmart by my house has a lot of pool and spa chemiclas because of how many people in my area have both. I was going to go buy some PH decreaser because the number is so high. Sounds like I need to buy some MPS shock as well.
Thanks,
Scott
The routine I use and pass on to others is to add 1 generous teaspoon of chichlor per person after each use and shock weekly with MPS. You can shock with dichlor instead but unless the water is specifically cloudy use MPS for your weekly shock, it keeps the TDS (total dissolved solids) down.
Also, if you go 3 or 4 days without using the spa its wise to give it a hit of dichlor.
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Is dichlor and chlorine the same thing?
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Is dichlor and chlorine the same thing?
Use N2 to help you successfully care for your water. Don't use it with the promise that you'll use less [glow]dichlor (aka chlorine)[/glow] or shock.
Now I know you don't read what I post!! ;)
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Are they the same? (I don't read your posts eith.....doh!)
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Is dichlor and chlorine the same thing?
The stuff you get at walmart is NOT DICHLOR....It is calcium hypochlor. They do not carry dichlor. you will need to get that from a pool/spa store or internet.
Not all chlorines are the same and you do not want to use the walmart stuff.
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Now I know you don't read what I post!! ;)
The stuff you get at walmart is NOT DICHLOR....It is calcium hypochlor. They do not carry dichlor. you will need to get that from a pool/spa store or internet.
Not all chlorines are the same and you do not want to use the walmart stuff.
Man I'm too old to keep all this straight. Maybe I should just drain and refill my tub each week (I kid, I kid).
Thanks,
Scott
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It actually gets easy, the problem with Walmart is their "spa chlorine" is not real spa chlorine.
Cal Hypo is pool chlorine but it adds calcium (the cal in cal hypo).If calcium levels get too high then water may cloud up but the calcium may form scale in the tub.