Al T

Waterbear, it's a long story and it goes something like this: We first bought the tub in 2003. We started using Bromine tabs with a Spa-Boss shock. We never had any problems, although we didn't use the tub very much. We drained the tub in 2007 because we were spending a lot of time away from home. In 2008 we moved and brought the tub with us. When we started using the tub again we went to a different spa store for our supplies. They did not carry the Spa-Boss shock so we bought one called Refresh. Shortly after converting to this product my wife developed a slightly itchy rash. We had experienced a tub rash because our Bromine level had dropped during one soak, so we thought it might be another tub rash, except that no one else in the family got it. As we continued to use the tub her rashes got worse so we stopped using the tub. I started reading up on people using H2O2 for tub sanitation. There were a few people (though not many) that discussed this on various forums. I got some 35% H2O2 and we started using that. At first we kept the level at about 10 ppm. After some more reading we started keeping the level at about 100 ppm. We never experienced ANY skin irritation during this period. Unfortunately we started getting foaming in the tub. The water was still nice and clear, but when we'd begin to aerate the tub we would develop a foam that left a white to pale yellow scum above the water line. As I said before, it looked very much like growing yeast looks when you are making bread. We never experienced any skin irritations, but I was convinced that something wasn't right. I tried a disinfection routine that I found on this site and re-filled the tub, but the foaming started a few weeks later. I tried the disinfection routine and water change again, but the foaming started right away. I decided to switch to Bromine last year so that the rest of the family could enjoy the tub. It became difficult to enjoy the tub because my wife couldn't join us. During this period I may have shocked the spa once with MPS, it's difficult to remember because we were doing so many water changes. After a couple months, my wife tried dipping a foot in the spa water and developed a rash again immediately. This is why she thinks she may be sensitive to Bromine. Since I think that I may have used an MPS shock earlier on in the life of the spa water, I'm willing to give Bromine another chance to see if she can tolerate it. In any event, the rash is definitely not related to soaking in hot water or H2O2 and I doubt it's related to a bacterial or viral outbreak since our Bromine levels were fine with the exception of the one bout of tub rash. This is further supported by the fact that no one else developed a rash. I suspect it is the MPS. We thought that it was due to changing the spa shock from Spa-Boss to the Refresh product sold by Arctic Spa. If the Spa-Boss product contained MPS all along, then it could just be that she has gradually developed a sesitivity and that it has become much worse.

As a followup to my last question, is one method "better" than another, or is that a Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge question? When my wife had problems with Bromine I may have used MPS during that fill. If Bromine is a more forgiving method and is as effective as Chlorine, I may want to try it again along with bleach as an oxidizer. Thanks again for the help! Al

Chem Geek & Water Bear: Thanks for the information. I'd prefer to stay with a Chlorine method as my wife is concerened that she may have had sensitivity to Bromine as well. Can I use the DiChlor/Bleach system without having to use MPS to shock the spa? I see in Nitro's sticky that he says it is optional, but recommended. Thanks, Al

I have almost given up on hot tubbing and I need some help. We used to use a Bromine system with a shock marketted by Spa-Boss (I can't remember the name). Anyway, it worked well and we enjoyed the tub, although my wife was not really happy with the "chemical" smell after we got out of the tub. We moved and brought our tub along, so we switched spa stores, although it was the same franchise. When we went to buy the shock, we couldn't get the old product and were told to use a product that they were selling under their own name (they called it refresh, I think). The first time we got in the tub, my wife had a mild reaction. The next time, it was severe, large bumps, and very itchy skin. We did some research and realized that the spa shock used mono persulfate. This made us think that the problem was likely the sulphur in the molecules, because my wife has a severe alergy to Sulpha drugs. We started looking at using Hydrogen Peroxide and bought some 35% directly from a chemical supply company and started using it. At first we were very pleased with the H2O2 sanitizer. Our skin felt softewr and we had less chemical smell than before. Unfortunately, before long our water started foaming quite a bit when the jets were on and we'd develop a scum above the water line (it reminded me of yeast when you are getting it to grow while making bread). I tried and tried to get rid of it, tried the tub sterilization that is on one of the stickies on the site a couple of times. Unfortunately, after a week or so we'd wind up with the foam and the scum. During a warm spell last winter I finally gave up and drained the tub. I put in a bunch of plumbing antifreeze and have left it until now. With the advent of cooler weather, I'd like to give the tub one last try. Does anyone know of a system that I can use which does not rely on shocking with MPS? I really don't want to spend a bunch of money on expensive water treatment equipment to retrofit my tub. Any help would be appreciated. Al