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G-Dub

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  1. I have a 350 gallon Marquis tub with ozonator, purchased 2012. Recently my tub was overheating and shutting down in an overheated state. Had tech out - diagnosed stuck relay, pump was running nonstop on low speed and in the summer/fall heat causing it to overheat. Replaced control board and all is good now. While the tech was here, we discussed hot tub chemistry. I have followed the directions on this forum and found it so helpful. After draining I fill my tub using a hose end filter. Then adjust chemistry, I have found my filtered tap water to have a hardness of about 20, pH of 8.0 and TA of about 120. I add calcium to a hardness of 150, then do serial dosing of dry acid to drop pH to 7.0, followed by aeration, until my TA is about 50. This is the sweet spot for me, keeping the pH about 7.6. I then add Gentle Spa at 50ppm, according to the bottle. I then add sodium bromide bank according to the bottle, and have then shocked with chlorine bleach. When the level drops below 10 I add the floater with bromine tablets, and shoot for a level of 3 to 4. I use chlorine beach to shock after we use the tub, using 8.5% bleach I have figured 1oz = about 2ppm, and usually add about 4ppm/person/hour after use. This means I often add 4-8 oz of bleach (we tend to do long soaks). I thought I had this all figured out, and was working well. But I have been having a few symptoms of late that we discussed, the tech blamed all of it on using the chlorine as a shock. He thought that was a terrible idea, and was causing damage to the tub. His recommendation was switching to MPS as a non-chlorine shock instead. Here are my symptoms: --occasionally white swirl on surface of water (not completely covering surface) - he said this was indicative of too much sanitzer --raised bumps on inner lining of cover - he said this again was too much sanitizer --coughing when breathing in vapor above water, especially just after opening cover --jets wearing out - and no longer staying in their place. Several jets I had to screw closed to keep them from shooting out when the jets were turned out. Examining these jets there is white gritty material around the surface of the jet - which the tech said was breakdown from the chlorine. I don't believe the pH or TA ever got too much out of whack, but suppose its possible. Also, I tend to put the bleach in the tub after we get out, and when its damn cold out I put the bleach in and then immediately close the cover and we go inside. Also was warned by the tech about the possible damage to seals and pumps from using chlorine. Thoughts? I thought I had this figured out. But, I must admit I am concerned about the symptoms listed above (particularly the coughing and jets wearing out). Other causes for those symptoms if its not from the chlorine bleach? By the way, I use a Taylor 2106 test kit, reasonably confident in accurate test results. Thanks!
  2. The jets are way under water on the low side, and barely under water on the high side. It is definitely overfilled to cover the jets on the high end. The filter skimmers are on the low end fortunately. Anybody have recommendations on the best way to level the spa? I think I've decided to definitely level the spa, just not sure how.
  3. Just had a new 350 gallon 84x84 spa delivered. I had a preexisting concrete pad directly off the back of the house that had evidence of a prior tub being there, as well as preinstalled electrical. I had realized that the pad slopes about 1/4" per foot and brought this up to the dealers. Their opinion was that the would only amount to <2" over the 7 foot spa and not to worry about it. Fast forward, the spa is delivered, filled and hooked up, working great. I, stupidly, failed to realize that my pad slopes not in one but in two directions, since it is in a corner with house on 2 sides. This compounds my slope, so with the tub filled I have about a 4 " difference between the hi corner and the low corner. Everything seems to work fine but it really bugs me. Water level is just below the pillow on the high side and nearly submerges the pillow on the low side. Thoughts? I've read a few previous solutions of building a 2x4 frame and filling with pea gravel, or building a floating wooden deck, or pouring a pad on top. Pouring would not be easy as the pad continues on away from the house. Worried about moisture, air flow and rodents with a floating deck, and worried about stability with a gravel solution. Also worried about having to drain and move ths brand new tub that just got installed...
  4. OK gotcha. Now I have the TA and PH in reasonable range and the water seems clear, I cleaned the water line and mostly removed the yellow color. Should the spa be safe? I take it the elemental bromine will convert back when in a reasonable ph range. Or do I need to drain and refill, this time balancing the water before adding bromine?
  5. Thanks for the advice. I am using the K-2006 kit although purchased the 0872 reagant when I switched from chlorine to bromine (on my last spa). So I tested my water out of the tap before adding any chemicals, using the drop kit I found CH 70, TA 180, pH 8.0. After filling the tub completely I tested again, before adding any chemicals, and got the same results. I then added calcium up, bromine reserve (per directions on bottle) and bleach shock (one cup) all at once. I knew I would need to lower my TA considerably (about 100) so I added 2oz of ph down and aerated, pH was 7.4, TA was 150, did it again, pH 7.8, TA 120, did it again, pH 7.4, TA 80. This morning TA was 80 but pH had crept to 8.0 so I added another 2oz of pH down (total of 8oz so far). Each time I added pH down I noticed immediate yellow cloud in the water upon adding.... Not well water, this is tap water and filled through a hose end filter. 350 gallon spa. I thought I would try the spa frog but definitely not convinced. i was happy using a bromine floater before and likely will go back to that, especially if you guys recommend it...
  6. Just installed a new marquis 350 gallon spa. Using a Taylor test kit, and the floating mineral + bromine spa frog, plus a bromine reserve added initially. On start up after first fill while balancing water I noticed yellow discoloration to the water and a yellow stain on the water line. I then noticed when I was adding dry acid to lower alkalinity the when the powder hit the water it immediately turned yellow. I tried putting some spa water into a bucket and adding the acid to that, same result. I'm reasonably sure this is where the yellow stain is coming from. Never seen this before, has anyone else experienced this? Is this something to worry about? My ph was 8., TA staring was 180, CH was 70, I had also added calcium up, the bromine reserve and bleach as the shock, along with the ph down. I'm now up to CH of 150, TA 80, pH still 8.0 so was adding a bit more ph down to bring the TA down to 60 or so. Bromine levels about 12, I haven't put the spa frog in yet. Thanks!
  7. I have a 175 gallon tub, and have been doing the 3 step bromine system with great success. I have one consistent problem with my water balance, however.... Out of the tap my water has a pH of about 7.8 and a TA which is low at 40. I'm not sure how to reconcile these two? TA of 40 seems too low, and I have had problems in the past with my water swinging rapidly low on pH (even with 50ppm of borates). But if I try to raise the TA to 50 or 60 the pH goes to >8.0. I just did a full decontamination and fresh fill. After filling and adding calcium (my tap water has a very low calcium hardness) here are my numbers: pH 8.0 TA 40 CH 130 The CSI is actually right around 0, but... Should I leave things alone here and add borates? I feel like with the TA of 40 before I know it the pH will be swinging low, but if I try to raise the TA the pH gets even higher... Thanks for your help! P.S. I am using a Taylor drop test kit
  8. I have a Blue Pacific 175 gallon 3 person tub, had it for about 4 years. For the last 6 months or so I've been baffled by an intermittent water leakage problem. Some days, the tub will drop 2 or 3 inches in a day, then it would go weeks without dropping at all. Despite removing all the side panels and inspecting underneath with the tub circulating or not, I couldn't spot a leak! Thought we had a water goblin... Then a few days ago noticed water dripping from a small insulated hose with a bib-type fitting on the end, next to the control pack. I believe this to be the air intake hose for the blower pump, as I can feel suction on the tube when the blower is running. I think this is the source of my intermittent leak! Anyone know how to fix this? I can just plug the tube but then will not have a blower, I suspect. Is there a one way valve or seal somewhere in the blower pump that has failed?
  9. I have a 175 gallon hot tub, and I'm using the 3 step bromine method with a bromine floater. I always seem to struggle with climbing pH. Keeping my TA near 50 or so leads to my pH climbing to 8.0. I have added 50ppm borates as well when the pH was 7.6 Today my settings are pH 7.8 TA 30 CH 120 FC 4.0 (by Taylor drop test, converting to bromine actually about 9) My water is crystal clear, last water change about one month ago, filter changed today. My bromine was a bit high, because I had just shocked with bleach. Can I leave this TA where it is? My plan was to add some calcium to get the hardness up to 180 or so to get the saturation index closer to 0 (still will be slightly negative)
  10. I've been following nitro's approach for the past two weeks and my water has never been better...I've been struggling with chlorine demand being between 50 and 75% however, despite frequent shocking to 10-12ppm FC. I also can't seem to get my CC down below 0.5. As I thought about this system, something about the concept of chlorine demand confuses me... Chlorine demand is expressed as a percentage of chlorine remaining after 24 hours of non-use of the tub... Example 1: Day 1, FC 12, Day 2, FC 6. CD = 50%. Amount of chlorine used = 6ppm. Example 2: Day 1, FC 4, Day 2, FC 2. CD = 50%. Amount of chlorine used = 2ppm. In both examples the CD is exactly the same, but in example #1 3 times as much chlorine is consumed, in the same tub, in the same time frame. How do you guys reconcile this? If we just follow chlorine demand, it seems as if it completely depends on what the initital concentration was. Seems to me like Spa #1 is considerably less "healthy" than Spa #2....
  11. Gotcha thanks. Then just adjust the CH to keep the saturation index slightly negative?
  12. My Taylor 2106 kit arrived today and I love it! SO much easier than test strips.. Question though... On my first test my pH was 7.6, TA 70, CH 80. Using the pool calculator and shooting for a slightly negative saturation index (175 gallon tub), I added hardness increaser to a goal of 150, alkalinity increaser to a goal of 80. On recheck, my hardness was about 120, my TA was 80, but my pH was 8.0... What to do now? Should I lower my pH back to 7.6 using dry acid? Won't that drop my TA back below where I want it?
  13. Hopefully somebody here has dealt with this before... I've noticed my water levels dropping the past few weeks, so I finally pulled off the side access panel only to find a steady drip from one the water pipes underneath the tub. Unfortunately it's in a spot I can't reach from the side of the tub, I'm afraid I will likely have to drain the tub and tip it on its side to fix the leak... Any recommendations on the best way to do this? I have some marine sealant, would that work? Any general techniques? I can't see the pipe because it's covered in insulation, figure it might be tough to locate the leak. Any tips would be much appreciated...
  14. Allright guys, so here's another question... I drained and refilled my tub using cleanwater blue, my pH, TA and copper levels are all in the ideal range. After reading the helpful threads here, I'm considering adding a chlorine component, using dichlor and bleach. What would you guys recommend as target ranges for CYA and FC? I'm presuming I can use considerably lower levels given tha the cleanwater blue system is in effect as well.
  15. Thanks for your post, that makes a lot of sense. My wife and I use the tub about twice per week, for about an hour, and its a 175 gallon tub. I use about 2 tablespoons of MPS after each use, and then shock with dichlor every two weeks when I use the copper solution and metal remover. I usually clean the filter about once per month and replace the water every 3 months or so. I think I will drain the tub tomorrow, replace with fresh water and cleanwater blue start up, then just ensure I check the pH and TA before use every time until things look more stable, or unless more problems develop. As far as keeping the TA high to keep the CH lower, the cleanwater blue system requires a low CH to be effective, and in fact the first step on new start up is adding a calcium sequestrant and then rinsing the filter to ensure the CH is as low as possible.
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