Hot Tub Lover

I have a really old spa I am thinking of getting upgraded. Previously, Nature2 wasn't an option since the hot tub was only filtered when I physically turned on the jets. With the upgrade, the water will be filtered whenever the heater is on and/or a certain number of hours per day. So Nature2 MAY be an option. My filters are large and have a lot of room in the "donut hole". But there a long rod that goes thru them, then it's sealed with a screw. Obviously the water filters thru, but now that Nature2 MAY be an option, do you think I can use them on these filters? Even with the rod, the donut hole is a few inches. I apologize for the duplicate pictures. Google Picaso and I just weren't getting along today. Paste link into a browser address bar. https://plus.google.com/photos/117935059108609701289/albums/6015675504341026673?gpinv=AMIXal9CuPveFb26dUeO3j7w0YBcDkChdkBryRmRMdLGiH5lvMT525SDNq_C0AnDkbBzsAjhWIWojBSPG-8FskPiqcsFuR2bjq7GMQu3dqAUX9mSNFLWYx4&cfem=1

Does anyone on this forum have an Aquaterra spa from Costco? If so, the good, the bad, the ugly? Thanks!

My wife and I are thinking of replacing our 30+ year old spa with a new one. I have a simple (I hope) question: Can any new spa be fitted with a salt water system, or the spa must be salt water compatible? Can a system without a salt water system be retrofitted for it, or it must have the salt water system from the beginning? Thanks!

I may need to get a new tub. Mine is 30 years old, and the heater doesn't appear to be working. My wife insists a new tub be installed in the ground, like a swimming pool. What are the issues with this? Must the hole be lined with cement? Plastic? Or what? Is electrical a major issue for in-ground tubs? What about getting to the equipment for repairs and maintenance? Are bugs an issue? If the spa leaks, the water will go into the ground. Is this an issue? And down the line, if we need to replace the tub again, I guess we’ll to get one a similar size to the existing one to fit in the same hole. Do tubs usually stay around the same exterior size? And lastly, what is the approximate cost to sink a tub? 4 person, about 300 gallons. And CAN a prefab fibegrass tub be installed in-ground? Or do I need to have a tub custom-built, like a swimming pool with tile, etc..., for that? Thanks!

I may need to get a new tub. Mine is 30 years old, and the heater doesn't appear to be working. Are most new tubs salt water compatible? Nature 2 compatible? Ozone, ion compatible? Are the spa brand and the sanitizer independent of each other? Or are you locked into a sanitizer method with a certain brand of spa? Bromine gives me eczema, and it's hard to keep the levels high enough to sanitize and low enough to not irritate my skin. Thanks!

Has anyone used Naturel Spa? http://www.carefreespa.com/naturelspa.html It claims a chemical-free spa, no balancing, and no changing water for a year. They are based out of the San Diego area. Is it too good to be true? Here is a testimonial not from the site: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/759759.html

Last year, I bought a house with a hot tub. The old owner had a bromine floater, so I just bought tablets and used it exclusively, plus a few tablespoons of baking soda once or twice a week to balance alkalinity. That was all I ever did. But my wife complained about the bromine smell and refused to go in. This year, I bought a Spa Frog floater to minimize the bromine. I'm limited to a floater since it's an old spa and doesn't have a strong pump. It does have a low pump when heating, but there is no option to have higher speed pumps run during the day. When the jets are on, water is sucked into the filter compartment, and water is filtered that way. The spa is from 1983, and is in remarkably good condition. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... MY QUESTION: On the Spa Frog instructions: "Balance the water's pH and total alkalinity and shock the spa to establish a chorine or bromine residual of 1.0 - 2.0 ppm." Question 1) I'm a newbie. Last year, I never "shocked". I used bromine tablets in the floater exclusively. Does this "shock" simply mean buying some bromine or chlorine shock, which is probably a power or liquid, and throwing it in the tub to get the level between 1 and 2? Like a few tablespoons? And that's it for the chlorine or bromine "shock"? To "balance the water's pH and total alkalinity", is that what I did last year, simply tossing in baking soda once or twice a week? That's what the old owner did, since he said our water is acidic. I used the test strips last year. A salesman at the pool store said to bring in a water sample and he would sell me the stuff to balance. He said once it was balanced, it would stay balanced until I drained. Is that necessary, or is he just trying to sell spa chemicals? I want as few chemicals in the water as possible. If I can get by with baking soda, it's cheaper and not as toxic, so I prefer that. Question 2) Do I do the chorine or bromine and alkalinity adjusting BEFORE or AFTER Spa Frog goes in?

My wife complains about the bromine smell. Previously I used a bromine floater only, with bromine tablets. My hot tub is old, from the 1980's. There is no regular circulation pump. When you turn on the jets, the door flap separating the main compartment from the filter compartment flaps open and water goes into the filter area. If the jets aren't on, the water doesn't circulate. I am thinking about using the Frog Spa Floater with bromine to cut down on the bromine, but I also heard about Nature2. Can Nature2 be used if the water doesn't circulate regularly? I wanted the Frog Spa since it has the floater option. I will have to check in Nature2 has a floater option. Any recommendations? I want to cut the bromine smell as much as possible so my wife will join me in the tub.

I have an old hot tub. It came with the house. It's in great shape, but it's almost 30 years old. The date on it says 1983. i don't know the maintenance history, but everything seems to work fine; heater, jets, lights, etc... It has been taken care of impeccably. There are no "pumps". The old owner said when I run the jets, it causes a vacuum that sucks water into the filter. That's how the water goes through the filter. There is a flap-type door between the main tub and the filter compartment. When the jets run, the water pressure causes this flap to open, allowing water in the filter compartment. My wife complains the tub smells like bromine and won't go in. I have been researching bromine alternatives and found "TechniChlor", a plug-and-play salt water chlorine maker. Can this be used with an older model hot tub that doesn't have pumps that circulate the water continuously? The water only circulates when the jets are on, which is when I use it, once per day in the summer, for about 45 minutes. Any feedback on this? The solution sounds great and it has great reviews. Plus, after initial setup, it looks more maintenance-free, since it determines how much chlorine to make and uses minimal salt. But can it be used if the water only circulates once per day? Thanks for any feedback you may have on this.