Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: wade on February 19, 2005, 06:49:36 pm
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have owned tub for about 6months.now can nolonger use tub without getting rash after.nobody else has any problems. please help!!!!!!!!!! :'(
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I'll bet you a dollar you experiencing dry skin syndrome. Actually a form of excema. I recently went through this itchy rash too and immediately thought it was a bacteria infection but turns out it was just dry skin. Our climate is dry and I'm in the spa twice a day and don't always moisturize myself after getting out.
I've been more diligent about this lately and it seems to be helping. Also, I hear there is moisturizer you can add to your spa water too. Haven't tried that yet but plan to pick up something my next visit to the store.
Also, check ph, alkalinity, etc. and make sure water is right as bad water leads to bad times.
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have gone to the point of draining tub.then went in before adding chems.no problem then.added my chems ,used tub next day broke out arrrrggggg!!!!! can it maybe be allergy to chems
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:(
Wade,
Sorry to here about the problems, but it sounds like you have a bacteria in the spa and need to do a chemical clean and drain. You have to do a chemical clean just like mentioned in the topic about white flakes.
1. Bring your spa to 104
2. add 4 Oz of chlorine, run the jets for 2 hours with the cover open! Open all jets, turn all diverters while doing this.
3. Leave overnight then add a bottle (or 2) of over the counter peroxide (H2O2) running the jets for at least another hour.
4. Drain the spa, wipe down the bar top and cover with a solution of Clorox and water 3 to 1 (3 parts water) and clean filters.
5. Refill and go through normal startup procedure.
6. wait at least a week after rash goes away to get back in the spa as you can have the infection still in you.
When you drain the spa use your drain not a pump to get the whole spa clean.
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have gone to the point of draining tub.then went in before adding chems.no problem then.added my chems ,used tub next day broke out arrrrggggg!!!!! can it maybe be allergy to chems
Dichlor or Bromine? Try the other.
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This could be dry skin or excema as has been suggested.
Two other possibilities I can think of are:
1) A reaction to a spa chemical product. You can play the elimination trial/error game here. Refill the spa. Balance and oxidize the water but add no clarifiers, enzymes, stain & sclae or any thing else. Add one product per week until you identify the culprit and eliminate it from your routine.
2) Pseudomonas Folliculitis. I hope its not this. If it is consult a doctor. This is an infection of the hair follicle that seems to affect one of the adults in a family only. Type into yoyur search engine to learn more. If you have this you will need to spent 8-12 weeks out of the tub and may need a topical antibiotic.
First I would try what Stuart said, then my #1. If all that fails, investigat my #2.
HTM
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Since you have said that when you sat in the spa without chems and experienced no problems, then I would beleive (duh) the chems are the problem. Try the elimination that HTMan suggested or what WMC said...switch chems.
Good Luck
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just a little more info thanks to you who are trying to help I feel alittle ignorant in the chem department.Is Dichlor the same as chlorine.I am using afloater with chlorine tabs, have tryed the switch to Bromine,this did not help. As far as having cleaned tub.Idrained tub,cleaned with bleach and water,filled tub ran jets,drained tub a second time and refilled as well i changed the filter in the process.This is a lot of fun to do at this time of year up here in Saskatchewan Canada.Our average overnight temp at this time of year is-20cels .Do i need to go futher in cleaning. As far as folliculitis,have been to Doc says not.She thought it might be just dry skin.What troubles me is i can use tub at fill time before i ad chem and get no rash.Tub is at 104. yet after i add chems i break out. I sure hope ican get to bottem of this thanks to all.
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What you may need to to do as Stuart mentioned is super chlorinate the spa before draining to kill any bacteria that would be in the plumbing...filter etc....and than drain...
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If you're using "chlorine tablets" in a floater, your problem may very well be caused by low pH. As chlorine in tablet form is generally of the slow dissolve tri-chlor variety. Most manufacturers, and reputable dealers strogly recommend to NOT use chlorine tablets in a floater in a spa for sanitization. The aforementioned low pH caused by trichlor being a major cause for concern, along with the gas buildup inside of the floater.
I would consult your dealer and have them set you up with a maintenance program, albeit a simple one. Also it wouldn';t be a bad idea to have them test your spa water as well. I would also recommend bringing a box to your dealer with ALL of your spa care/maintenance items and have them go over each one (what it does, how you apply/how often you apply it, etc..) with you. Follow that and see if your problem still occurs.
Jason,
Store Manager for a D-1 and Caldera Dealer
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You might also try to go to a biguanide system like baquasil or softsoak....Neither of which use chlorine or bromine of any kind. Many people that have skin reactions to Chlorine switch to this. Ask your dealer about it...
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I also had " Tub Rash" went to the Doc. and she thought it was a reaction to chems and/or dry skin. I wanted to switch from Bromate to Chlorine so I drainned the tub and now use Chlorine. I add chems after I'm done and I try to maintain a 1 to 3 level of free Chlorine while I'm tubbin. I do shock with non Chlorine once or twice a week depending on load. I slather up with lotion when I'm done but if I get lazy and go to bed without taking care of my skin, then I'll feel itchy and can see dry patches on my skin. I also use an Excema cream on bad spots. I believe that mine was all dry skin. Stay out for a few days and slather up. Maybe try to keep chems as low as possible and this is a balancing act sometimes, don't get bummed out I know how you feel. :)
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Here is what I wrote to Rich when he had that problem. I have been rash free since then. ;D
Hey Rick I had the same problem too. I went to my doctor and he said what I had was caused by very dry skin. This was because of the winter months and being in the hot water it will bring that out. He gave me something to put on it and told me what kind of soap to shower with and since then it has gone and I can still enjoy my tub. I take a shower when I get out put the cream on any spot I see and so far so good. I also changed the time I put the dichor in so it was a few hours before I went in.
I would'nt fool around with it though. Ask your Doctor to check it out first. I read a few things here and it gives you an idea of what it could be but everyone is differant. Its better to be safe than sorry. Hope this helps
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Good advice.
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and told me what kind of soap to shower with
Could you elaborate on this point?
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The Doctor told me to use Dove Body wash for sensitive skin when I shower and use All detergent to wash my cloths. It worked great.
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I had the same problem....nobody else had the problems but me...I could get in right after a fill without adding chemicals and no problem. Once I added the chemicals I had the problem..Problem was my skin became very sensitive to Chlorine....All it took was for me was to change to bromine and it went away. If you are having the same problems with bromine as chlorine try....Rain Forest Blue...I hear it works great and was my next plan ..link below
http://www.spadepot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SD2000&Product_Code=CA1065
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:-/ have had some good response to my little problem ;) thank-you for all the help,what a great forum .Ihave decided to try the cleaning that STUART replied with,also will switch to granular chlorine from floater we will see what happens. oh ya! thanks to poolboy34 for that hint wade
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yeah, I've heard that trichlor is very very bad for spas. Will eat out your heater element.
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We had a horrible rash problem, and it was resolved once we found out our pH was low. Once we fixed that, we solved the problem. Oddly enough, it was our ankles that itched the most.
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Wow, this is a great board! My situation is so similar that I could have started this thread. I saw a dermatologist and he said it was dry skin and some eczema. (feels like poison ivy) He gave me an Rx, told me to stay moisturized and use a mild soap (got some Dove Bodywash). I've been meticulous with my water maintenance, but if I stay out of the tub for a week the rash goes away and then comes right back after tubbin'. My wife's skin is usually much more sensitive than mine, but she hasn't been affected. I'll have to try some of the suggestions that have been offered here and see what happens. I can definitely sympathize Wade, It's the best time of year to be enjoying the tub and getting a nasty rash isn't very enjoyable.
Thanks!
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Poision ivy is exactly what it felt like for me. We knew something was up when we were out of the tub for a few days (during an ice storm) and the itching went away (being winter, we still had the normal scratchy stuff going on).
A quick trip to the HS dealer solved it all for us. Hubby was at the doc's office for something else, and asked him about the rash. Our Doc has a tub and said to go to the dealer and have the water checked. He's had the same problem.
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A quick trip to the HS dealer solved it all for us. Hubby was at the doc's office for something else, and asked him about the rash. Our Doc has a tub and said to go to the dealer and have the water checked. He's had the same problem.
What was the problem, how did the dealer help?
Jonathan
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Most of the time when people have these symptoms it is very low PH. Funny how sitting in an acid bath will make your skin feel bad. Most reputable spa dealers will offer free water testing, so grab about a liter of water and see what they say before draining and refilling. Biguanide systems like BaquaSpa help most people that still have problems dealing with chlorine or bromine.
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What was the problem, how did the dealer help?
Jonathan
Low pH. The dealer tested the water for us, and told us how to fix it. We followed the instructions, and our itching stopped.
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yeah, I've heard that trichlor is very very bad for spas. Will eat out your heater element.
Yes and No. Trichlor (pH 3.0, most Bromine Tabs 4.0) will errode your TA and pH. If you do not adjust it with enough regularity, the water will destroy the heater.
I'm sure all the dealers will cringe at this because they have heard it thousands of times:
"My neighbor says all he ever puts in is pucks and his water is always clear....."
Sound familiar anyone?
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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes me cringe every time too...........as myself or one of my employees is testing the water and the pH looks more yellow then a baseball players urine sample and TA turns red as the indicator is added.........and the CYA is whiter then a winter day in the Tug Hill plateau.........and then copper test turns the sample almost a shade of black as the customer says my other favorite line..."my water is perfect, crystal clear, all i EVER do is put those pucks in it"
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just a little note to those others who have been so helpfull.went in tub for first time last night .some itching but no rash. :)hope i am on to the right path to tubb nervona.another ?if i might. wil having an ozonator help me.and if yes should i go for the more $$$one?is it impotant to have an ozantor that is running all the time.instead of one that just turns on when pumps are running :-/
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. wil having an ozonator help me.
If the cause of the rash was due to inadequate sanitization/oxidization, then yes. That said you still could simply improve your water chemistry abilities over time and not really need it.
and if yes should i go for the more $$$one?is it impotant to have an ozantor that is running all the time.instead of one that just turns on when pumps are running :-/
The 24 ozonation is better.
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going to tubb for the second timesince switch to granular chlorine.if itching does'nt get any worse i can live with how my skin reacted to my first soak.as far as my chem readings,every thing seem to look good.does anybody feel that test strips are or are not acurate enough. wade
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...they are fine..just be sure you hold them level so that they do not bleed into each other...
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Wow! This forum is filled with information.
I too, am experiencing tubber rash. I've only been in my tub three times, and my body is covered with small red blotches. :'(
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wade here, just wanted to say thanks again to all who heped me in this thread.it seems that the advice i received is working. first rule out chem problems 'ie'low ph .2nd rule out dry skin or worse with doctor..3rd.it seems dichlor works better than trichlorine tabs in floater ,for me any ways.i have now been back in tub 4 times with only slight itching and few bumps from rash ,this seems to be easly handled with a good moisturiser. yeee-ha back in the saddle again after what seemed like an eternity.i'm sure glad my dealers employee turned me on to this site . tubbing happy with no rash. wade
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That is so great wade!!
Glad to hear all is right in Spatopia at your house!!!
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lori on another thread you mentioned something about using your cost of ahottubb as aincometax deduction.is this really possible iwork in the constuction industry and i am alway dealing with pain from alower back injury.it never occured to me that this might be possible.wow that would be a nice deduction. thanks for your well wishes on my tubbing wade
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Wade,
I think you have me confused with someone else. I didn't use mine as an income tax deduction. I know it has been mentioned before, but I haven't heard of anyone who has been successful. I bought during a "tax free" weekend, so I didn't have to pay sales tax (actually, the dealer just backed the taxes out of my final price). You are in Canada, right? Well, in Texas they have a "tax free" weekend, just before school starts in the fall, for any school supplies or clothes. Oklahoma doesn't have one which means that people head south to stock up on that weekend. The city I bought in decided to try and stem the flood of people heading to Texas by sponsoring their own "tax free" weekend, but they included everything, not just school supplies and clothes! Boy, did I get lucky! ;D
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:-[i'm sorry ,lori.ican't seem to find where isaw this info.if i remember correctly,what the person had said was.if you can get a doc to prescribe hydro therepy for abad back or what ever .you could possibly find a tax break.that would be great!!
:-[wade
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You are right, Wade, it would be great! Unfortunately, they make it so hard to qualify (at least here in the lower 48) that few people are eligible!
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:-[i'm sorry ,lori.ican't seem to find where isaw this info.if i remember correctly,what the person had said was.if you can get a doc to prescribe hydro therepy for abad back or what ever .you could possibly find a tax break.that would be great!!
:-[wade
Wade;
My folks live in Ontario. They were able to claim their PST & GST from the hot tub purchase against their '03 income tax.
That is really about all I can tell ya. Talk to an accountant.
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thanks htm i'll have to check into that.
wade