Lord Bodak

I have admittedly been neglecting the water in the hot tub a little bit recently, as it's due to be changed and we haven't used it much this spring. I went to check on it and the display read "---" which according to the manual is the "error condition" used when something is wrong and the tub shuts down to prevent damage. So to try and figure out what was going on, I went ahead and cycled the circuit breaker to reset the tub. The water is room temperature, but reported 112 and an overheat condition-- I'm guessing the prolonged "overheat" is what triggers the error condition, because eventually it switched back to that. Obviously the tub is not overheated since the water isn't even warm. The logical conclusion here is that the temperature sensor has failed. I just wanted to ask what else I should be looking at and is there anything I need to do _before_ I empty the tub, since I know I need to empty it to switch out the temp sensor. Thanks in advance!

I took my new Taylor 2006 for a spin with the water from the hose we'll be filling the tub with, and here's what I got... pH - 8.0 Acid Demand - 1 drop lowered pH to 7.4 TA - 70 CH - 20 And just out of curiosity... FC of 0.6 and CC of 2.0 So it looks like I need to bring the calcium up a bit and the pH down a bit. Anything else that I'm missing? I'm thinking 120 for CH and 7.6 for pH, which with my other readings, plus a goal of 30 CYA and 50 Borates, gives me a CSI of -0.24 at 100 degrees. How does that look?

Thanks chem geek. Does it matter if it's a phosphate-free dish detergent? One of the things specifically mentioned in the new law here was dish detergent, and it seems like phosphate is the magic ingredient in filter cleaning.

After searching a few local stores for TSP and only finding the phosphate-free substitutes, I did a bit of Googling and found that Virginia banned phosphates in household cleaners on July 1. Wish I had known this was coming, I could've stocked up three weeks ago! So what is the prevailing opinion on the phosphate-free TSP substitutes for cleaning filters? If they don't get the job done, what other alternatives are there?

Thanks for the answers! This forum looks like an incredible resource and I think I'll be spending a lot of time here!

I'm putting together my first big order for supplies for my tub. I have to order filters anyway (the tub has been dormant for a while since the old owner moved out of the home), so I'm going to order chemicals online too to save money. I'm leaning towards trying Nitro's method first, although I suspect I will also try bromine down the road. I'm trying to get a feel for what quantities I should be ordering at this point. Spa Depot sells dichlor in 1, 2, and 5 pound containers. Nitro also mentioned using MPS occasionally so I want to order some of that as well; would a 2 pound container be enough to start with? For bromine I have the same questions: how many pounds of sodium bromide and bromine tablets would I want to have on hand when it comes time to try that? EDIT: The tub is approximately 300 gallons.

I recently moved into a house with a hot tub and I'm trying to get it up and running. It's been sitting dormant for awhile so I need to replace the filters. It's a 2002 Jacuzzi J-320, so the part number appears to be 6540-476. The current filters are Pleatco PJW60TL-2A. My concern is, the filters have slotted bottoms and everything I find for that part number online has threaded bottoms. Perhaps the fitting inside the spa is threaded, I haven't climbed in the tub to try and remove it. I don't want to order the wrong filters. Any insights would be appreciated! EDIT: Apparently there's no way to delete a thread. Looks like there is an adapter in the base of the tub so the filter is right. If a moderator wants to delete this, they can feel free!

Thanks. I ordered the K-2006 and R-0872-C from Amato this evening. I really do suspect I'll end up trying both bromine and Nitro's method over my first few fills. Startup costs do look lower for Nitro's... dichlor and bleach, which makes it tempting to try it first.

I'm going to take my own stab at answering the test kit question and ask for input on my solution. I think the right answer is the Taylor K-2006 or K-2106. Since I'm going with bromine, the 2106 seems like the better choice. However, since I am open (maybe even likely) to trying Nitro's method down the road, and the 2006 has a lot more tests, I am thinking that the right answer is to get the K-2006 and buy a bottle of the bromine reagent that the 2106 includes (R-0872-A). Would that give me everything I need?

I recently bought a house that has a hot tub. It's been sitting empty for quite a while (the house was vacant when we bought it). I've done a lot of reading and decided to go with bromine to start with, although I might try Nitro's system in the future. So here are my questions... 1) What test kit should I get, and where can I get the best deal on it? 2) What chemicals should I buy to get started? Should I just make a list and buy things locally, or should I go with something like SpaDepot's bromine kit? Thanks in advance for your help, I'm glad I stumbled across this great resource!