Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Brookenstein on January 04, 2006, 11:15:33 am
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My water has been slightly cloudy since I returned from vacation. I have no foam, but there seems to be a small bit of something on the surface of the water (oils maybe). My PH and ALK were perfect the 2 times I've checked. I rinsed my filters last week and that didn't make difference. I actually thought the water looked worse after my weekly shock of MPS and adding spa defender (stain &scale remover).
The water doesn't look that bad, in fact my husband thinks it looks 'perfect'. It just doesn't look as clear as it did the first week we owned it.
BTW, I talked to my neighbor yesterday. They used the tub twice while we were gone and used Dichlor after use. He then continued to check on it daily and added 1tsp of dichlor. He said it was very cloudy while we were gone so a couple of times he added a couple tsp, but it didn't make a difference and he didn't want to over chlorinate so he went back to the 1tsp a day.
Should I let it be or should I try and do something about it?
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I find once in a while my water gets a haze to it. It looks good, but just not perfect. I use 2 oz of Leisure Time Bright and Clear and by the next day it sparkles. It is the only time I use a floculant/coagulant. I use the LT product, but there are other manufacturers that will do the same job.
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I find once in a while my water gets a haze to it. It looks good, but just not perfect. I use 2 oz of Leisure Time Bright and Clear and by the next day it sparkles. It is the only time I use a floculant/coagulant. I use the LT product, but there are manufacturers that will do the same job.
I'd first try to hit it hard with some chlorine (leave cover open with jets on for 10 minutes) but if you feel you've done that the Bright and Clear is a good next step. Keep in mind with that you are adding something that acts like a coagulant to latch on to the particulates and allow the filter to grab hold of them so it's always good to clean your filters good after using it (if you've cleaned them good just before adding it I'd at least rinse off the circ pump filter again).
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Couple of chemical questions and other things...
Is it okay to add everything at once (during weekly routine) or should you only add one at a time? If one at a time, how much time inbetween?
At the end of the night after use, do I need to leave the cover open for the 10 minutes after I put the dichlor in? I've been throwing it in when I get out then putting the cover on and going to bed.
Do I ever need to check my Chlorine level or just the PH/ALK? I know that the dichlor dissipates quickly, so when is the propper time to test it?
I don't think I have any Bright and Clear (or similiar) so I will have to pick some up if it doesnt get better on its own.
I just added a good amount of dichlor and will see what happens. I also put one of those scum sponges in.
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brook, I just went through this problem of cloudy water and did what spatech said to do, however I used a some kind of clarifier, not bright and clear, and it took 2+ days to get the cloudiness out.
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when I first filled my spa this last time, it tested perfectly but was also a little cloudy. I had trepidation about adding clarifier, but after doing so, never ever regretted it. It's amazing, the gunk that is pulled from the water with clarifier.
As Spatech said, definitely clean the filters after the clarifier has done it's job, as all of that stuff will be in the filter -- and it can mess up the filter if it stays too long.
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I don't think I have any Bright and Clear (or similiar) so I will have to pick some up if it doesnt get better on its own.
Maybe you have a clarifier by a different name? It's always good to have a bottle on hand (though you hope it collects dust) so whomever gave you your chemical tutorial probably should have included it. The chlorine just may do the trick after wating 24 hrs though so hold off going out to buy some clarifier.
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Couple of chemical questions and other things...
Is it okay to add everything at once (during weekly routine) or should you only add one at a time? If one at a time, how much time inbetween?
At the end of the night after use, do I need to leave the cover open for the 10 minutes after I put the dichlor in? I've been throwing it in when I get out then putting the cover on and going to bed.
Do I ever need to check my Chlorine level or just the PH/ALK? I know that the dichlor dissipates quickly, so when is the propper time to test it?
I don't think I have any Bright and Clear (or similiar) so I will have to pick some up if it doesnt get better on its own.
I just added a good amount of dichlor and will see what happens. I also put one of those scum sponges in.
Since nobody else has answered you yet, I'll give it a shot. Keeping in mind I don't use dichlor, but bromine.
I've heard that you should leave the cover open and pumps running after you dose your spa with dichlor, to minimize damage to your cover and pillows.
I'd think you want to monitor your chlorine, just to be sure you have an adequate amount to sanitize, and not too much to enter the spa. I'd think that after you establish a regular pattern, you could keep the testing to a minimum. But keeping PH and alk in range is a good idea regardless of the sanitation method, IMHO.
Have you read the essay on Doc's website by Vermonter? If I ever switch over to dichlor, which I'm seriously considering right now, I think I'd follow his method. It's a very interesting read- so if you haven't read it yet- I'd recommend you do.
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Brook,
Have you changed out your water yet? Chas and some others recommend changing out the water in a new (to you) spa after a month or so. I let mine go about three weeks because my water got cloudy also.
Also, once you get your ozone installed it will be much better. I added the Freshwater ozone and a N2 cartridge and my water is crystal clear every day. No more scum to clean off. It made a huge difference for me.
I would personally dump the water and start over. Water's the cheapest thing you can buy for your spa.....
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I really don't see any reason to dump and refill as the water looks fine, just not perfect if that makes sense. I wasn't micromanaging the chemicals, so I'm not real concerned that I overloaded it or anything. Besides the 3 weeks I was gone, I wouldn't have done anything differently, so unless it gets worse, I'll just leave it for now.
I put some clarifier in it today, so we'll see how it looks tomorrow.
I've had the ozone installed and started using the N2, since about a week of ownership. When I cleaned my filters again today, I pulled out the N2 cartridge.... it looks like crap. The top part (if holding it just like it comes out of the tub) with the balls looks all coroded and nasty. The bottom part looks fine, but the silver is already gone. I tried rinsing it (the coroded looking section) with my spray nosel hose and it didn't make a difference.
BTW Gombo, did you survive the nasty weather okay? We woke up Monday to our back fence being gone and now those neighbors have a lovely view of our house/tub (they are on a slope above us). So this weekend I get to finish the side fence, then go talk to the back neighbors about building another. Fun, fun. So glad it was 85+ today, a nice change. :)
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I've had the ozone installed and started using the N2, since about a week of ownership. When I cleaned my filters again today, I pulled out the N2 cartridge.... it looks like crap. The top part (if holding it just like it comes out of the tub) with the balls looks all coroded and nasty. The bottom part looks fine, but the silver is already gone. I tried rinsing it (the coroded looking section) with my spray nosel hose and it didn't make a difference.
LOL, I know what you mean but you don't want to actually rinse off the N2 cartrdige while rinsing filters. When the 4 months comes around and it's time to put a new one in you'll find all that "corroded" looking stuff is gone from teh old one naturally.
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OK, I take that back then. I was thinking you didn't have ozone yet for some reason. My water used to get ugly without it. My bad. What ozone system did you install?
It was a little windy but nothing too bad here. Have fun building the fence. Do you have a sister? ;D
I really don't see any reason to dump and refill as the water looks fine, just not perfect if that makes sense. Â I wasn't micromanaging the chemicals, so I'm not real concerned that I overloaded it or anything. Â Besides the 3 weeks I was gone, I wouldn't have done anything differently, so unless it gets worse, I'll just leave it for now.
I put some clarifier in it today, so we'll see how it looks tomorrow.
I've had the ozone installed and started using the N2, since about a week of ownership. Â When I cleaned my filters again today, I pulled out the N2 cartridge.... it looks like crap. Â The top part (if holding it just like it comes out of the tub) with the balls looks all coroded and nasty. Â The bottom part looks fine, but the silver is already gone. Â I tried rinsing it (the coroded looking section) with my spray nosel hose and it didn't make a difference.
BTW Gombo, did you survive the nasty weather okay? Â We woke up Monday to our back fence being gone and now those neighbors have a lovely view of our house/tub (they are on a slope above us). Â So this weekend I get to finish the side fence, then go talk to the back neighbors about building another. Â Fun, fun. Â So glad it was 85+ today, a nice change. Â :)
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I added some clarifier mid afternoon yesterday. When I soaked last night... FOAM. Ugh! I just checked the water and it looks the same as it did yesterday. So the clarifier did nothing but give me foam, fun fun. I'm running the clean cycle right now, then will do my weekly chemicals in a few. Later today or tomorrow I will reclean the filters. I think I will actually use filter cleaner this time, then the hose, then a quick rinse in the dishwasher.
I'm beginning to think my expectations of crystal clear water were too much and I shoulda left well enough alone.
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Drain it. Don't fall into the trap of adding chemical after chemical to do what? Make the water more natural? Water is cheap and it sounds like ya'll have been getting plenty in California. Drain it, refill it, enjoy it! :)
Terminator
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At the end of the night after use, do I need to leave the cover open for the 10 minutes after I put the dichlor in? I've been throwing it in when I get out then putting the cover on and going to bed.
Do I ever need to check my Chlorine level or just the PH/ALK? I know that the dichlor dissipates quickly, so when is the propper time to test it?
When you bought your spa, did your dealer ever go over any of the chemicals with you? (forgive me if you bought your spa used or had issues with your dealer, I don't usually keep up with that stuff)
You DEFINITELY need to check your chlorine. Your chlorine is the only thing you can count on to keep your spa sanitary. After adding the chlorine, check it 5-10 minutes later to see if you get a 3-5ppm reading. If you don't keep adding until you get to that reading. If you do not get it up to that level, you are doing yourself a disservice by just tossing in small amounts of chlorine.
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Brook,
Leave your cover open when adding di-chlor because it is a oxidizer and will off-gas. I agree with Brewman that you want to test for chlorine to maintain the proper PPM
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Serjical,
I did buy my tub used (barely) and do not have dealer support at this time. I had been doing the Tsp of dichlor per user method. Most nights that ended up being 1 TBS. I only had the tub for about 10 days before I went on vacation for 3 weeks. The water was fine when I left and my neighbor who watched the spa, said it went cloudy pretty quickly. He only used it twice and I had asked that they rinse their suits. I know he put 1 tsp of dichlor in daily.
I got it pretty clear last week, but not crystal and that is why I tried the clarifier yesterday.
I had read about testing it 10 minutes later the other day, but since I had superchlorniated it the day before I still had a bit showing when I entered the tub, so I thought it might not be a good day to check. I was going to add my weekly MPS today so I wasn't sure if I should wait a couple days before I tested either.
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Is there any reason why you wouldn't drain it? Is water expensive out yonder? Man, I'd drain it in a heartbeat, especially if the neighbors had used it, unsupervised.
Terminator
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Water isn't real cheap, but the main reason I don't want to drain it is laziness. I've only been back a week and I'm completely overwhelmed. Oldest is back in school on Monday hasn't done any of his off track homework. I still haven't unpacked the 7 suitcases of crap I returned home with. I now have not one, but 2 fences to build. I feel like I have so much to do I don't know where to start and I don't want to add to it. Plus the water doesn't look bad, just not perfect. I'm guessing it looks better than a lot of peoples I just have very high expectations. :)
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Got ya! Believe me, you are speaking to the High Priest of the Church of the Lazy Behind!
Terminator
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Brook, you sound busy alright. When you do get ready to re-fill your spa it will be much cheaper than you think.
We live in the same area so I'm sure our water costs are about the same. I pay $1.02 for a HCF (100 Cubic Feet) of water. One HCF equals 748 gallons. It will cost you $.62 to fill your 450 gallon spa. Our house averages about 600 gallons per day. Add another $3-4 to heat the water and you will be ready to go. It's much cheaper than buying clarifier or other chemicals to make it clear. Water is very cheap. Less than a buck to re-fill. Just my two cents. Take care and be careful with the fence.
Water isn't real cheap, but the main reason I don't want to drain it is laziness. Â I've only been back a week and I'm completely overwhelmed. Â Oldest is back in school on Monday hasn't done any of his off track homework. Â I still haven't unpacked the 7 suitcases of crap I returned home with. Â I now have not one, but 2 fences to build. Â I feel like I have so much to do I don't know where to start and I don't want to add to it. Â Plus the water doesn't look bad, just not perfect. Â I'm guessing it looks better than a lot of peoples I just have very high expectations. Â :)
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your house average is 600 gallons a day???
How's that?
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Yes sir. It will be a little less in the winter since I just cut back on my sprinklers to water every other day. In the summer I average about 750 gallons. Ten sprinkler stations and a full house of women = lots of water....
your house average is 600 gallons a day???
How's that?
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Wow, your water is much cheaper than mine Gombo. Our water is on a tiered system just like the electric. 1-5 is $1.32 6-10 $1.75 and so on. If you use more than a certain amount it is more than $7/ccf.
The last 2 months I haven't had my sprinklers on at all and our usage was only 6. My grass looks like crap though. In winter our usage is usually justs under 10 and in summer it is about 20 (500 gal/day). In winter I water 3 times a week for 3 minutes, in summer I do 5 minutes daily on 6 stations.
Oh, and my spa water looks perfect now... so I'm not touching it. I bought a jackhammer yesterday to help with the rest of the fence project. We've almost got the first fence done... it should be done sometime this week (can't work on it today). Not real excited about doing the other as that neighbor isn't really helping much.
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Wow, I wonder why your water is 7 times more than mine and wer're both in Socal? I guess I'm lucky.
You bought a jackhammer? Oh, what about your sister again? ;D
Wow, your water is much cheaper than mine Gombo. Â Our water is on a tiered system just like the electric. 1-5 is $1.32 6-10 $1.75 and so on. Â If you use more than a certain amount it is more than $7/ccf.
The last 2 months I haven't had my sprinklers on at all and our usage was only 6. Â My grass looks like crap though. Â In winter our usage is usually justs under 10 and in summer it is about 20 (500 gal/day). Â In winter I water 3 times a week for 3 minutes, in summer I do 5 minutes daily on 6 stations.
Oh, and my spa water looks perfect now... so I'm not touching it. Â I bought a jackhammer yesterday to help with the rest of the fence project. Â We've almost got the first fence done... it should be done sometime this week (can't work on it today). Â Not real excited about doing the other as that neighbor isn't really helping much.
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imagine a neighbor - no not that fence neighbor.
"Hi, I was wondering if I could get cup of sugar, and maybe borrow --- your jackhammer. " That's cool.
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My neighbor and I went in on the jack hammer together. Too expensive to buy on my own. I'm excited to test it out. :)
Sorry, no sister. The world couldn't handle 2 of me. My husband has trouble with one. ;D
I can't remember how much water you had to use before it hit $7/cff it was a lot though. I think with each 5 in a tier it goes up .75 or so, then it was a huge penalty. Its set up to get people to conserve. The highest my bill has ever been was $60 (but we don't pay for sewer). That was before this new tier system went into effect. My bill with the 6 this month was $23.35.
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Brook, how about posting a couple of pics of you running the jackhammer? You don't have to wear a bikini or anything. Did you say you are about 5'0"? I would enjoy that. Just kidding. Let us know how it turns out.
My neighbor and I went in on the jack hammer together. Â Too expensive to buy on my own. Â I'm excited to test it out. Â :)
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No bikinis, I've had 2 kids... and I'm not 21 anymore. :) Usual fence building attire is blue jeans, tank top, and flip flops.
We bought the jackhammer off ebay, so I'm not sure how it will take to get. If I ever find my camera, I may take pics.
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Two things:
One - change your water.
Two - don't operate your new jackhammer with flip-flops on. Unless they happen to be steel-toe flip-flops.
;)
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Two things:
One - change your water.
Two - don't operate your new jackhammer with flip-flops on. Unless they happen to be steel-toe flip-flops.
;)
One - Why? The water is 6 weeks old and looks crystal clear. Granted it took one dose of clarifier, but it looks and tests fine now.
Two - I've survived mowing the lawn, weedwacking, and cutting down trees with a chainsaw all in my flip flops, whats a jack hammer gonna do? ;)