mck75

Thanks

So glad to see you are back. There has been a dearth of good information in the chemistry section, except for some posts by Water Bear. I have had my 150 gallon tub for almost 2 months now. I am using clorox twice a day, more if needed, and adding acid every other day or so. I am really impressed how the water stays so clear in spite of us using it about 2 to 2.5 bather hours a day. I gave up on testing for combined chloramines and just go by sense of smell. So my question is, if I keep my FC between 4 and 10 and everything smells okay, do I still need to shock? I have used MPS on occasion, but it seems to make me itch, so I would rather avoid it if possible. I usually add a quarter to half a cup of clorox, depending on how soon we are planning to tub, and it gets the FC above 10 easily. I've already had to buy a third bottle of 871 testing solution so I don't usually keep testing once I see that the FC is over 10. If I should shock, how much clorox should I add? Would too high a level cause problems with the plumbing or the pump? Anyway, so glad you are back. Don't let yourself be discouraged by argumentative people. Thanks, Rebecca

I have only been a member for a couple of months and have really benefited from this forum. Especially the posts by Richard, Chem Geek. So, it was with great dismay that I saw how a recent parvenu claiming superior knowledge attacked Chem Geek in a very personal way and then disappeared. I am glad that person is gone, but I wish that Chem Geek had not left the forum. I tried the other forums, but there doesn't seem to be one that has a special section for water chemistry. There may be good information mixed in, but you have to wade through "how much did your hot tub cost?" and "who is the best dealer?" Maybe Chem Geek got tired of answering the same questions over and over again from people who are using homeopathic sized doses of sanitizer, in which case, God bless him, I hope he is doing something more fun. But if not, I really hope he will come back, especially since the Water Senile seems to be gone now. I am still getting a lot out of his posts from the past and on the other site. It seems like a lot of the same material comes up again and again. However, I was really interested in the information coming out on using bleach, CYA levels, MPS use, etc that was developing here and would have liked to see where it led. Thanks, Chem Geek, for sharing your fine brain with newbies like me. Rebecca

I agree. I feel bad that someone as helpful and polite as Chem Geek would be attacked like that. But as they say, "no good deed goes unpunished". My favorite part of the forum is the Hot Tub Water Chemistry and all of Chem Geek's posts are interesting and thought-provoking. The information I gathered here gave me the confidence to get a good hot tub and learn how to test water and sanitize it. I hope he will reconsider and return to the forum. I am very grateful for everything I have learned from him and would like to thank him for giving so freely of his time and knowledge. Rebecca

I tried the Grit Getter, but like Dave NH I found it came apart, the little screen detaches too easily and it is hard to get the two parts aligned when putting it back together. I got a real turkey baster and it is easier for me to use. The only downside is you have to squirt the water and grit outside the tub after you vacuum it up. The foot bath idea is good. I put a plastic tray with a big sponge saturated with chlorinated water next to the tub so we can wipe our feet before getting in.

"Try some MPS to see if gets rid of it, but then that will interfere with future CC tests (a catch-22 unless you get the MPS test kit interference remover). " Excuse me for jumping in here, but I am interested in the persistent CC issue and was thinking of ordering the MPS test kit. How does it work, you do a titration, come up with a ppm number and then subtract that from the CC measurement to get a corrected CC? Thanks, Rebecca

Thanks for your quick reply, Richard, I appreciate you sharing your expertise. I've observed that you act as a full time consultant working for free on this and other forums. I am using the FAS-DPD test. An average reading (for me) would be FC 4.0 and CC 2.0 in the morning before tubbing or adding anything. (But could there be some MPS residual from yesterday?) First I will try using more chlorine and hopefully that will do it. I was hoping not to have to use MPS regularly because it seems really harsh on my skin. Thanks again for being so generous with your knowledge and taking the time to type long answers. Rebecca

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, I have been admiring your posts and was hoping you would reply. As far as tub use, an average of 2 to 3 uses per day. I have been adding a teaspoon of DiChlor or a tablespoon of Lithium after tubbing and an equal dose in the morning or evening if the FC is less than 2 or 3. It seems counterintuitive to add more chlorine when it already smells like chlorine, but I guess that is what I need to do. Last night I added 3 tablespoons of Lithium and couldn't check PH or chlorine a few hours later because everything just turned dark magenta. But by morning the FC was 7.5 and the CC was 2.0. But as I mentioned before, I added MPS a few days ago so I am not sure about the CC level. It did smell a little chloriney. So I will try adding twice as much after tubbing and see if that helps. If I use MPS is there any way to test for CCs.? Thanks, Rebecca

I’m a newbie to spas, but have been studying spaology on this forum. The information here is incredible. Just got our hot tub, a Marquis Rendezvous, a couple of weeks ago. It is a small tub and only holds about 150 gallons, but it is perfect. I have been using chlorine in various forms and don’t seem to be able to get a handle on the combined chloramines thing. I can see the FC go up after dosing with chlorine and then go down after tubbing, but the CCs seem to be hanging out at around 2.0 no matter what I do. I read in another post about MPS causing a false reading and I have used MPS a couple of times, so I am not sure what my real CC level is, just kind of go by smell that combined chloramines are present. If I got the test kit for MPS, would I subtract that reading from the CC reading to get my true CC? I used Dichlor initially and when the CYA level was 100, I tried Clorox, but it just didn’t keep the FC up more than a few hours. So I tried Lithium which seems to work okay, but does move the pH up a little. The tub has an ozonator and I added a mineral frog to provide some extra sanitation when the FC gets low. Anyway I tried shocking and another time I tried adding MPS, but now I am not sure what my real CC is and what to do about it. Yesterday I added some DiChlor and ran the jets a lot while there was a little sunlight available and that made it smell good, but the next time I added chlorine to leave a residual FC, then I got the smell and a CC of 2.0 after 12 hours. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Rebecca

When I opened the mineral cartridge package there were little bits of grit falling out of it, so I put it in the cage on top of the filter instead of inside the filter where it could be mainlined right into the pump.

BTW, I happen to maintain my own spa at about 4 ppm FC and sometimes up to 6 ppm. I was thinking about getting a mineral tube like N2 or frog to put inside the filter cartridge, but I wondered if it would impede the filtration process since the water is being sucked down the hole in the middle of the filter. Rebecca I just called Marquis and they said not to worry about putting something in the filter cartridge, so never mind. Rebecca

I was thinking about getting a mineral tube like N2 or frog to put inside the filter cartridge, but I wondered if it would impede the filtration process since the water is being sucked down the hole in the middle of the filter. Rebecca

We are getting a Marquis Rendezvous. I think the durawood will be easier upkeep. Thanks for your viewpoint, Rebecca

I tried to research if this topic has already been discussed, but was unable to find anything. We are getting a new spa and have the choice of a wood cabinet or "durawood" which is like plastic. I have heard that wood is a better insulator, but the fake wood will last longer. I know that wooden trellises we have outside need to have weatherproofing painted on regularly and take some upkeep to keep looking good. The durawood costs more, does that mean it's better? Thanks, Rebecca

] Buy an Arctic Spa the floor is gelcote fiberglass pedistal base insulated r27 per sqin Unfortunately there are no Arctic Spa dealers in this part of California. (Anyway, we're already committed to getting a Marquis spa.) But thanks for your information.