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PastorJeff

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  1. There's lots of great information about spa covers here, but I need a bit of help knowing when it's time to break down and spend the money for a new one. I have a Hot Springs Jet-setter that is only two years old. I'm still using the cover that came with the spa. I've noticed: 1) The cover is getting pretty heavy - at least twice the weight when it was new. 2) In cold weather there is a slow drip of condensation down the side of the hot tub at the hinge. In fact, last winter there were 5 actually little icicles hanging down from the edge of the cover at the hinge. 3) Fit is a bit loose - which surprises me since it's made specifically for this tub. My hot tub is outdoors in New Jersey overlooking a lake that typically freezes 18 inches thick in the winter. Is it time? Also, is it worth the money to add a floating blanket? The tub has ozone, and I use a bromine floater, keeping the chemical level pretty low. Thanks!
  2. The spa shell is white/pearl. The water stayed clear - maybe slightly cloudy. I had already established a bromine bank using sodium bromide when filling the tub. I also have a floater with tablets. -Jeff
  3. I'm running a bromine system in my HotSpring Jetsetter tub. Only a few weeks ago I replaced all of the water, balanced pH and alkalinity, built up a good bromine reserve, shocked with non-chlorine (MPS)shock, and figured I'd be good for a few months. Our spa, by the way, is at a rental property and used by guests. We ask them to put in 1T of MPS after each time they use the spa. One other note is that while the spa has a built in ozonator, it is not working, so we're keeping the bromine level at about 4ppm. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the bromine level was a bit low, so I put in some bromine booster, which contains both bromine and dichlor. When the powder hit the water, the water turned urine yellow, but fairly quickly turned clear again, so I didn't think much of it. Yesterday when I went to service the spa, I noticed a slight green tinge to the water, and the bromine level was low even after adding MPS. So, I added some more bromine booster, and the green got even brighter. For whatever reason, I was convinced the green came from algae (we live by a lake, and people have a nasty habit of going straight from lake to spa), so I figured it was time to give a really good shock - so I added a dose of dichlor. Even after running the spa for an hour, it was still a kind of sick looking green. We finally had to leave, and told our incoming guest that I'd be up today to change the water. Well, upon arriving today, the water was clear - maybe slightly cloudy. There was no bad smell. The water tested ideal for bromine level, pH, and alkalinity. So, I decided to leave well enough alone. I instructed the guests once again to use MPS after every time they used the spa. Can anyone tell me what's going on here? Why did my water turn yellow/green? And how can I prevent this in the future. -Jeff
  4. I have a Hotsprings Jetsetter, using a bromine floater. The tub is at our vacation home so it's usually only used on weekends. I'm having a problem maintaining TA at high enough levels. This morning, for instance, the Ph was fine (7.5) but TA had dropped from about 100 a week ago to barely 80 today. When I add TA increased (sodium hydrogen carbonate) my Ph gets too high. I add pH decreaser (sodium bisulfate). It seems to need a lot, but I end up with pH of 7.5 and TA of 100 to 110. . Why does my TA keep dropping? Is this ok? I've been trying to minimize pH bounce by keeping TA near the high end of normal. Any help will be appreciated. Jeff
  5. I guess my question is mostly about what to do during the winter. Once it's below freezing, we shut off our outside hose. How do you clean the filters when you can't use a hose to blast them clean?
  6. I read somewhere of a person who washes their spa filters (regular paper filters, not Tri-X) in the dishwasher. He even suggested putting filter cleaner in the dishwasher detergent dispenser. Anyone tried this? Is this a good way to wash filters in the winter? -Jeff
  7. I'm thinking of buying some spare filters for my Hot Spring Jetsetter so that I can swap them out more easily for cleaning come winter. A local dealer has recommended that I try the Tri-X Ceramic filters, which can be cleaned in the dishwasher. They also claim to filter twice the volume of water, which sounds hard to believe. These filters cost about $50 each, and I need three. Has anyone here tried them? Do you think they are worth the cost? Thanks, in advance, for your advice. -Jeff
  8. I've recently purchased a HotSpring "Jetsetter" tub. We have it at our vacation home, which we also rent out when we're not using it. This means that a lot of guests are regularly using the tub. Thanks to great advice on this board, I'm having no trouble keeping the chemical balance. The water is clear and pure. There are three filters in the tub. Each week I've been taking them out and hosing them down as recommended on several threads, and I'm amazed at both how yucky they look before spraying, and how clean they become using nothing more than water. My question is about the use of filter cleaning solution. How often do I need to take the extra step of spraying them with filter cleaner as part of the cleaning process? Or, do I really need to soak them, and again, how often? I'd also be interested to an alternative to commercial filter cleansers. With three filters, they can get pretty expensive. Is there an equally effective but less expensive way of doing the deep cleaning? Thanks, -Jeff
  9. Hey all. I admit I'm a bit of a techie. And, I have a terrible time trying to figure out exactly which color my test strip or vial is compared to the charts. I wonder if anyone has feedback on this: ColorQ PRO 7 Digital, Photometer Water Analyzer, Complete Kit The ColorQ PRO 7 is a fully-portable, pool or spa water analyzer that is perfect for pool and spa professionals and pool and spa owners alike. The unique, multi-test ColorQ PRO 7, hand-held, digital, photometer reads Seven (7) Pool & Spa Test Factors: Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Cyanuric Acid. Includes enough reagents to perform 50 cyanuric acid tests and 144 of each of the other tests. Features an innovative, technically advanced, dual-optic design, that enables the ColorQ PRO 7 to provide more accuracy and more test factors. The ColorQ PRO 7 reads directly on a digital display and eliminates the need to visually determine slight color variations or use look-up tables. Takes the guesswork out of pool or spa side water analysis. A must for those with color vision impairment. A 5 minute auto-off function protects the battery life (2 AA batteries included). Everything fits conveniently inside a compact storage case, which is included. There is nothing else to buy, as all of the required supplies are furnished. Be better informed and save time, money and avoid costly mistakes! Supplied with photo-diagrammatic instructions in English, Spanish and French. Includes a 6-month warranty on parts and workmanship. Feedback has been great! Awarded one of "The Most Valuable Products for 2008" by Aquatics International Magazine and one of "Top 50 Products for 2008" by Pool & Spa News. Item No 2056 Was: $135.00 Now: $125.00 Save $10.00 Jeff
  10. My wife and I are buying a new hot tub for our weekend house. During the summer the hot tub will be in use several times a week, either by us or by rental guests. During the winter we may go as long as six weeks between visits to the property. I'm looking for a sanitizing system that will be: a) able to maintain itself for six weeks while we're gone in the winter, with the tub turned down to 80 degrees. require little or no maintenance by our guests. Most guests are there for a weekend, then we come up and service the property and the tub. Some guests stay for seven nights. Our dealer has offered a few options: 1) Salt system with Ozone. But, as I understand it, this may require frequent Ph adjustments. 2) Frog Floater with Ozone. It's a small hot tub (Hot Springs Jetsetter, 250 Gallons). Seems like an expensive way to get chemicals, but it also seems relatively easy. 3) Bromine floater with Ozone. Cheap. I'm used to using bromine without Ozone (although I've been learning from this forum that I've probably been making a lot of mistakes). In our VERY old hot tub, I've been using a bromine floater, occasional powdered bromine to bring up the level (especially when filling), and "Spa Sentry," which is a liquid that I pour in every three months to balance and maintain Ph. I'm be really interested in your opinions on the pluses and minuses of these choices. And, of Spa Sentry as opposed to using plus and minus chemicals to raise and lower ph and alkalinity. I know it's more expensive, but it's very convenient, and seems to work well without frequent attention, which is a big plus on a rental property. Thanks, Jeff
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