New Spa, Chemical Routine

[eagle12]

We have a new 450gal Hotspring Envoy spa.

We've been using and trying to learn the chemicals for a couple of months now...

INFO

- The spa is outfitted with a "FreshWater III" ozone system

- We are using the "FreshWater- Nature2, Continuous Silver Ion Sanitizer"

- All Spa Chemicals are "Caribbean Spa" brand, packaged by Haviland Consumer Products, Inc.

Here are details of what info our local dealer has provided us and what they have told us to do to manage our water.

After initial water filling we took a sample to the dealer, they told (sold) us what and how much to add.

After 24hrs, we took another sample in for testing, and were told what and how much to add for some minor adjustments.

We were told to bring in a sample weekly so that we could be sure the water is properly maintained.

They gave us a bottle of test strips that test for MPS, PH, and Alkalinity, for home testing between store visits.

Each trip to out dealer is an out of the way 50 mile round trip...so we bought a Taylor K-2006 kit.

We were instructed to do the following chemical schedule:

- 2Tbs of "Caribbean Spa, Chlorine Free Shock" daily, label only mentions that it contains MPS, AND only to add 3Tbs per week?!

- 2Tbs of "Caribbean Spa, Shock Plus" once per week, label says: Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione...45%

Other ingredients..................55%

Available chlorine.................28%

Label instructs to add 1/2 ounce per 300gal after each spa use and once a week at 1 ounce per 300gal

Along with the above, there are a whole family of Caribbean branded products named and used to:

SpaPrep10 - Raise alkalinity and stabilize ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep20 - Increase ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep25 - Decrease ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep30 - Raises total hardness, calcium chloride dihydrate

My FC has been reading between 7 and 8ppm, with CC at around .6ppm...this concerns me because we're only adding chlorine once a week?

I seem to be able to maintain (or at least favorably effect) the other levels as detailed in the manual that came with the Taylor K-2006

Water is clear, with a slight smell of chlorine...or chloramines...this hasn't been to bad, but at some point I'll have to take a stab at "super chlorinating"

By the way, I have tested my water and immediately taken a sample to the dealer (1/2 hr later)...not even close to the same readings...glad I got the test kit.

I guess what I'm looking for is a nod that this seems like an acceptable approach to spa water maintenance?

Comments welcome.

Comments on this line of chemicals?

What are the most likely ingredients in their line of bottled chemicals that have no ingredient notes?

Thanks for reading

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

We have a new 450gal Hotspring Envoy spa.

We've been using and trying to learn the chemicals for a couple of months now...

INFO

- The spa is outfitted with a "FreshWater III" ozone system

- We are using the "FreshWater- Nature2, Continuous Silver Ion Sanitizer"

- All Spa Chemicals are "Caribbean Spa" brand, packaged by Haviland Consumer Products, Inc.

Here are details of what info our local dealer has provided us and what they have told us to do to manage our water.

After initial water filling we took a sample to the dealer, they told (sold) us what and how much to add.

After 24hrs, we took another sample in for testing, and were told what and how much to add for some minor adjustments.

We were told to bring in a sample weekly so that we could be sure the water is properly maintained.

They gave us a bottle of test strips that test for MPS, PH, and Alkalinity, for home testing between store visits.

Each trip to out dealer is an out of the way 50 mile round trip...so we bought a Taylor K-2006 kit.

We were instructed to do the following chemical schedule:

- 2Tbs of "Caribbean Spa, Chlorine Free Shock" daily, label only mentions that it contains MPS, AND only to add 3Tbs per week?!

- 2Tbs of "Caribbean Spa, Shock Plus" once per week, label says: Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione...45%

Other ingredients..................55%

Available chlorine.................28%

Label instructs to add 1/2 ounce per 300gal after each spa use and once a week at 1 ounce per 300gal

Along with the above, there are a whole family of Caribbean branded products named and used to:

SpaPrep10 - Raise alkalinity and stabilize ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep20 - Increase ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep25 - Decrease ph, ingredients not listed on package

SpaPrep30 - Raises total hardness, calcium chloride dihydrate

My FC has been reading between 7 and 8ppm, with CC at around .6ppm...this concerns me because we're only adding chlorine once a week?

I seem to be able to maintain (or at least favorably effect) the other levels as detailed in the manual that came with the Taylor K-2006

Water is clear, with a slight smell of chlorine...or chloramines...this hasn't been to bad, but at some point I'll have to take a stab at "super chlorinating"

By the way, I have tested my water and immediately taken a sample to the dealer (1/2 hr later)...not even close to the same readings...glad I got the test kit.

I guess what I'm looking for is a nod that this seems like an acceptable approach to spa water maintenance?

Comments welcome.

Comments on this line of chemicals?

What are the most likely ingredients in their line of bottled chemicals that have no ingredient notes?

Thanks for reading

You are not going to get accurate sanitizer readings with that Taylor kit if you are doing the MPS daily and chlorine weekly. MPS will give a false reading on the Taylor 2006 test kit. thus why the dealers is different. They gave you what is called the low chlorine recipe. it works very well with the mineral stick if you use MPS at each use and shock weekly with dichlor. The reason the bottles read different is because they are labled for people using chlorine and shocking with MPS, and are not (usually) using the mineral stick. The idea of nature 2 is to reduce the amount of chlorine, so if you want a chlorine system, dont waste the money on the nature 2 (IMO)

[waterbear]

dont waste the money on the nature 2 (IMO)

+1

[eagle12]

Ahhh...what tests can I trust from the K-2006, since we are using this "low chlorine recipe"?

Is it just the CC reading that will be effected?

Are the FC, PH, Alk, and hardness tests uneffected?

We're not wanting to jump ship with the process we are currently using, we're just trying to wrap our heads around taking care of the water with this system.

And about the money...where are we on the expense chart??...is this the most expensive water care method?

Thanks for your help

[waterbear]

Ahhh...what tests can I trust from the K-2006, since we are using this "low chlorine recipe"?

Is it just the CC reading that will be effected?

Are the FC, PH, Alk, and hardness tests uneffected?

We're not wanting to jump ship with the process we are currently using, we're just trying to wrap our heads around taking care of the water with this system.

And about the money...where are we on the expense chart??...is this the most expensive water care method?

Thanks for your help

MPS (non chlorine shock) interferes with all total chlorine and combined chlorine tests and will register as combined chlorine unless a special interference removing reagent (Taylor K-2041) and testing procedure is used. No other tests are affected by MPS. However, be aware that there are other test interferences that can happen such as high sanitizer levels giving false high pH readings and difficulties with the TA test, metals in the water affecting the CH test, and very high or low temperatures affecting the CYA test.

Using Nature2 (or one of the rebranded versions), MPS, and chlorine is by no means the most expensive way to sanitize a spa (biguanide systems like soft soak and baqauspa probably are along with some "proprietary" additives like Aqaufinesse, Pristine Blue, and Silkbalance (silver and copper additives) but it is certainly more expensive than just using chlorine or bromine.

[quantumchromodynamics]

Note: The K-2042 costs only slightly more than the K-2041 for 2.67 times as much reagent, so it is a better deal on a per-test basis.

You should read Nitro's Approach to Water Maintenance