pdampier

I thought I'd provide a 5 year update on this hot tub! We've had no problems with it up until just before the 5 year mark (last month) where the pumps started being very loud in general filter cycles and in use. We had the Spatech come out as the Spa was still under warranty from the manufacturer. They agreed the pumps were failing and replaced them. Everything else has been perfect. We put a new spa cover on it too last week since the original had become heavy + the vinyl was starting to crack on the edges. All in all super happy with the purchase.

Just thought I'd update this post. We've owned this Spa for going on for 3 years now and not had a single new problem. The first couple of months we had a couple of the air valve switches replaced as if you turned on the air for the jets it would slowly turn off again. So three years of good low cost spa ownership so far for us on the OC Spa. Montly bills have been $15-$30 extra a month (I keep spa at 100 and on the F2 cycle). Anyway just thought I'd update folks.

Hmmm the CalSpa I bought from Costco claims a 5 year labor warranty: http://www.hottuboc.com/hot_tub_specifications.aspx

Another vote for bromine - I have been able to leave the tub for 3-4 weeks and still had sanitizer left + pH in the right range.

So far so good.... It was steady at 7.4 so I added 2oz of Baking Soda (TA is still only 40 or so) but its now only 7.6 and appears steady...

Tell me about it! I have no idea what is going on. Things are still stable at 7.4 now - pH does not appear to be rising... Now I need to see if i can increase the TA with baking soda, lower the pH back down a bit and stay stable....

I have the Costco CalSpa that they sold last year (bought April '08) (www.hottuboc.com - the 850 model) - It has a 5 year warranty on parts/labor and so far has been great - obvioulsy too early to tell on the pump life time etc but energy costs have been very low perhaps $20-$25 tops extra per month in electric during Seattle winters (and we had a crazy cold winter this last year versus normal - was in the teens for a fair amount of time in Dec etc).

Looks like the borates are helping. Two days in now and if anything the pH has droped very very slightly instead of rising..... Sitting at 7.4 right now.

With bromine this is pretty easy. I just load up the bromine float with new full tablets and since my pH tends to slow rise over time I adjust pH to the lower end (7.2)... All set.

I carried on with adding dry acid for a little longer but the same problem existed. TA basically at 10 or less and yet pH would rise over 2 days or so to 8.0 (from 7.4). So today I added 25oz of the Borax and then used up all the rest of the dry acid (is it sold as a regular product in local stores like Baking Soda is or do I need to order the 93% stuff from a Spa store?) - added the 1 cup 3oz of dry acid and it wasn't enough so added 5.5 oz more and now pH is 7.4 to 7.6 so I'll see if it rises again. TA also seems to have increased now to 40-50 (test strip mesaurement only)....

It would help if I reread posts to refresh my memory! You don't need to worry about CYA. You probably don't have any, unless you used Dichlor to shock/reactivate the bromine (usually you use MPS or bleach, but some people shock with Dichlor in which case you'd build up CYA). Yes, the borates could be added by a combination of 20 Mule Team Borax plus acid (the Borax by itself raises pH), BUT it's much easier just to get Gentle Spa since it's pH balanced (it's mostly boric acid). It's more expensive this way, but it's not a large quantity for a spa. In your 450 gallon spa, if you use Gentle Spa, then it's around 2 cups 3 ounces to get to 50 ppm. If you use Borax and acid, it's around 3 cups 1 ounce of 20 Mule Team Borax and 1 cup 3 ounces of dry acid (sodium bisulfate). However, I would add portions of each alternately so as not to make the pH swing too high (or you could mix these in a bucket of spa water before adding it back in). You can also use The Pool Calculator to figure dosing. Hmmm not sure I have that much dry acid left now - Need to go order some 'Gentle Spa' I guess!! Checked tonight and pH is now 7.8 again so on the way back up.... What is also strange is I checked with test strips and these (aqucheck bromine strips) seem to indicate the pH is low 6.8 or so) - The Taylor test kit (new reagent) shows 7.8.... So now I'm not even sure I trust the results I'm seeing!

Thanks for all the help with this! I've never tested for CYA since I use Bromine? Should I? I'll try adding borates - Is that the 20 Mule Borax laundry booster? If so how much would I add for a 450 gallon spa? Thanks again... I didn't get a chance to test pH this morning but will check again tonight.

If the TA gets down to 20 or 30 and things stabilize is that a problem? It feels like the pH rise each day is slowing....

Even stranger - Still have the problem. Tonight pH was back up to 8.0 and TA is now only 40. I added yet another 0.3oz of dry acid. No idea what is going on here.

Well on Friday evening pH was 7.6.... Saturday AM it was 7.8 so I added another 0.3oz's of dry acid. Saturday PM it was 7.4 Sunday AM it was 7.6 Feels like things maybe stabilizing but I bet its at 7.8 or more on Monday AM!