ncspa

That's what I was looking for....thanks! Everything looks good other than a bit cloudy. Might try a clarifier, but it probably doesn't matter much. cheers....

Looks like this thread got turned in a different direction - I'd still like to know about the sanitizer dropping to zero issue......thanks.

Hi all, Things have been going great with the new Marquis installed in February - usally too busy tubbing to post! Just back from an extended trip - 2 weeks of no tub use. Noticed upon return that my sanitizer levels had dropped to zero and that the water was just a little cloudy. I'm on a relatively recent water change (just 4 weeks ago, only about 3 soaks on this batch of water), so I'd like to avoid a water change if possible. So, I'm wondering if it's okay to simply shock it to get the sanitizer levels back up (which, fyi, I've done already, and the bromine levels bounced up to about 5 right away). Or, does that drop in sanitizer indicate bacteria have colonized passed the point that I can handle. By way of background - I have a ~350gal tub, use the floating frog system (bromine and minerals), and have an inline ozonator. Thanks for the advice...

Much less work than you might gather. I've had mine for ~3months...learning curve resulted in extra effort at first, but very easy now. I use the frog floater (bromine). I felt compelled to check a lot at first. Now, I add some shock 2X per week and check my water chemistry weekly. That's it. In fact, there's a tendency to overdo at first if you're not careful. Good water balanced the right way initially will stay that way with fairly little work. Good luck...

I had to purchase my own for my Marquis Reward. Best wishes! P.S. Still love it as much as the day I bought it!

Actually, you might reasonably point out that rainwater carries more potentially damaging toxins (including low pH) than anything that will come from your tub. Worth remembering.

Hope it works for you. I just about did the same (had my money ready for a Down East Exeter), but was rescued by this site just in time! I ended up going with a Marquis and we love it (was about 1.5K more). I think you'll find the following, but see what others say: 1. Many of the complaints with Master have to do with sales tactics rather than quality (of course you've figured that Down East is a Master brand). 2. That said, I don't find that many put Master in the same category with 'top tier' brands such as HS, Marquis, Sundance, Jacuzzi, D1, etc. 3. One of the big issues with these tubs is insulation, and that seems to be the most common complaint. In fact, you'll find others that write in reporting that they're happy with their tubs (check out BODark for one). But, Master doesn't seem to have 'mastered' (sorry!) the isonine insulation business. You'll get some debate about this, but most folks agree that full foam is the way to go, and no one (except, from what I've read, Arctic - maybe a few others?) does the partial foam well. So, if it turns out that insulation is your major issue (causing high electric bills, which is what you'll find here), you may be able to do some supplemental insulating. See other posts in the forum for ideas on how to do this. Good luck - hope that it all turns out great for you. thanks for the reply ... what marquis did you end up with? Marquis Reward. It's been fantastic so far.....

Hope it works for you. I just about did the same (had my money ready for a Down East Exeter), but was rescued by this site just in time! I ended up going with a Marquis and we love it (was about 1.5K more). I think you'll find the following, but see what others say: 1. Many of the complaints with Master have to do with sales tactics rather than quality (of course you've figured that Down East is a Master brand). 2. That said, I don't find that many put Master in the same category with 'top tier' brands such as HS, Marquis, Sundance, Jacuzzi, D1, etc. 3. One of the big issues with these tubs is insulation, and that seems to be the most common complaint. In fact, you'll find others that write in reporting that they're happy with their tubs (check out BODark for one). But, Master doesn't seem to have 'mastered' (sorry!) the isonine insulation business. You'll get some debate about this, but most folks agree that full foam is the way to go, and no one (except, from what I've read, Arctic - maybe a few others?) does the partial foam well. So, if it turns out that insulation is your major issue (causing high electric bills, which is what you'll find here), you may be able to do some supplemental insulating. See other posts in the forum for ideas on how to do this. Good luck - hope that it all turns out great for you.

At this point in my hot tub endeavor (only 6 months in), I don't have plans to remedy what I am doing (I want to use as few chemicals as possible). I realize things are not in the ideal range, but I have come to trust Chem Geek's advice. If I am interpreting his posts correctly, what I am doing is not really that big of a problem...it is not perfect, but also not so far out of whack that I have to worry about developing problems. I test the water about once a week, and since we don’t use the spa that much it seems to stay fairly steady. If our usage ever increases, I will then have to be more diligent with my testing and treating. So, right now, I’m not overly concerned. In fact, I just tested my water today: TA = 40 pH = 7.6 Br = 4.0 I did nothing...when the TA hits 30; I'll add baking soda to get it up to 60. Usually, baking soda is the only chemical I add, after my initial balancing of my fill water, for the life of that fill (with the exception of the bromine floater). So, only adding baking soda about once a month for the 3 - 4 month fill seems fairly safe to me. Good luck with your situation. If you get it where you want it, it will be nice to hear how you made that happen. Interesting - I'll keep you posted. Surely you also shock? I have an ozonator, so I keep my bromine much lower (1-2ppm). I try to shock twice per week with about 2oz of MPS. That temporarily raises the bromine, but is necessary to rid the water of the debris from bacteria that the sanitizer has killed.

Thanks for the link - I'd been following that thread but hadn't gotten back to it. One thing I'll add (for anyone that's in a similar situation) - using unfiltered light when interpreting the Taylor kits is really important. I'd been doing my testing mostly at night after work, and apparently the artificial indoor lighting in my kitchen has been making the readings appear slightly higher than they are, even with a white background. I tried testing in natural light this weekend and found my readings slightly lower. Same problem remains (TA at ~40-50) with high pH, but it's more like 7.8-7.9 than 8.0+ (which I thought was where I was). Keep me posted on your issues. Sounds like we use the tub quite a bit more (usually everyday) than you, so outgassing is a big problem for us - definitely raises the pH, but doesn't seem to take the alkalinity with it. Anyway, here's hoping we both get it solved!

Look again my friend. pH up is indeed sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate = same thing). Anyway, that's what I use. Thanks for taking a closer look, but the problem remains! Actually, found today that the pH had dropped to 7.6 using the acid (hurrah!) but my TA was down to 40 (bummer). May just leave it that way awhile and see what happens. Oops - my apologies! I was checking my bottle of "pH / Alkalinity Up". In any event, it has been the baking soda that I've been using again. Thanks again for the input

Look again my friend. pH up is indeed sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate = same thing). Anyway, that's what I use. Thanks for taking a closer look, but the problem remains! Actually, found today that the pH had dropped to 7.6 using the acid (hurrah!) but my TA was down to 40 (bummer). May just leave it that way awhile and see what happens.

I'm a newbie and have really benefited from this forum. In particular, I really appreciate the time that Richard (Chem Geek) has taken to answer questions and provide solutions. Clearly, the guy knows his stuff, and his responses are detailed and thoughtful. Further, I know that I'm not the only one that's benefited. So, I hope you'll all join me in thanking Richard for his time and knowledge. Maybe he'll reconsider and come back. Cheers.

The person you want to respond is chem geek - hopefully he'll come back. You'll also get good advice from waterbear and others. I'd be weary of water sentinel. I, for one, don't buy the "people were emailing me" nonsense. Look back at Richard's (aka Chem Geek) posts and you'll find a knowledgeable guy that's helped a bunch of folks without trying to sell product or push an agenda. Let the forum know what your problems are - you'll likely get good advice.