tony

I agree. I never get any chlorine odor and I soak in zero ppm. I shock only when needed. I can go a few days without adding dichlor if I don't use the spa (I also use N2).

Enzymes and a scum bug will work better on oils than a clarifier. Most spa chemical manufacturers have an enzyme product. Be sure to shock regularly.

I, like Roger, am a dichlor user. But I am in NE and know many who use Baqua and love it.

This is a common problem. Filters soaked in filter cleaner need to be rinsed extremely well. A kitchen spray is tough to work with. Run all your jets and blowers on high with your air venturis open for about ten minutes. This will create a large amount of suds. Turn off jets. Take a pool net, a clean dustpan, anything (even your hands cupped) and scoop out any suds on top of the water. Repeat until sudsing stops. Then shock and filter. It will eventually clear up.

Just as I said. These are bacteriacides and algecides, not sanitizers. Although most of what we battle in water is bacteria, there are other non bacterial bugs that can be present. A lot of money spent to avoid a chemical (chlorine) that you don't have to soak in at all if used a certain way and will keep your water safer.

Another thing to consider. Bacteria are not the only bugs lurking in spa water. True sanitizers kill a wide range of water ailments, not just bacteria.

I don't quite understand. Is this spa from a dealer? If so, why the year deduction from the factory warranty? If not, is the Arctic warranty transferrable? Usually when you purchase a floor model, which this sounds like, you become the original owner and get the full warranty. Otherwise, consider the warranty on a new spa is five years. Take twenty percent off the new price and I would be comfortable. That would bring it closer to $8000. Then I would at least feel like I was getting compensated for the year less warranty. $8750 sounds like a good price with the full warranty for a floor model. You can buy a nice spa new for $8750.

You can use it, but you still need dichlor.

Exactly right. I have used a Spa Frog, regular N2 cartridge and the SunPurity (made by N2) cartridge in my SD spa. All with the same results.

I surrender!

E1 and Clearwater Blue are enzymes and copper...still need a little dichlor.

I will guarantee you that the markup on Cleanwater Blue, Clearwater Blue, Eco One, N2, Frog, etc, etc are much higher than dichlor or bromine.

You could add as small amount after use...tsp or half tsp. Or you could add a tblspn once or twice a week as needed.

Still. None of these are sanitizers and don't claim to be. Or should I say can't claim to be. As bacteriacides they certainly help to keep spa water clean, but bacteria isn't the only bug lurking there. Copper, silver, enzymes all can reduce the amount of sanitizer needed, but not eliminate it...not if you want truely sanitized water.

Sundance spas also come "ozone ready". You only have to add the unit itself. The Sunzone CD chipless ozonator looks very similar to the picture on the left with the cylinder style chamber.

It is quite amusing to see the Jacuzzi and Sundance dealers both claiming that they bought out the other. In a way, they are both correct. Jacuzzi, the parent bought Sundance but Sundance, the company builds all the spas. Somewhere floating around in my office I have a copy of the original press release regarding the purchase and the arrangement.

Sundance was purchased in 1998 by Jacuzzi and as a wholly owned company took over the manufacturing of spas for Jacuzzi. In 2002, Jacuzzi Premium was created by the Sundance team, Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath spas were phased out and Jacuzzi Premium manufacturing took place at the Sundance factory. The purchase of Sundance brought Sundance/JacuzziPremium to number two in sales behind the Watkins group. Although Sundance was purchased, it has remained its own company with its own management team. The quality of Sundance/JacuzziPremium would be equal to any of the top manufacturers. I would feel comfortable buying either spa and would let the therapy decide for me rather than a sales person degrading a competitor to try to gain a sale.

I completely agree with Roger. Eco One and Rainforest Blue may be fine products, but neither is a sanitizer. They are enzymes and copper and are listed as bacteriacides. Add some dichlor once or twice a week along with these products to keep your water safe. Clear water does not necessarily mean sanitized water.

I had the same problem with test strips when I used them. I could never accurately tell what my pH or TA levels were and one brand strip seemed to give different results than another. I use strips for quick chloine checks only now. I suggest purchasing a good reagant test kit. I have the Taylor 2005, but there are others that work well. The results are much easier to read.

Spa Defender is a great maintenance product, but it won't fix your problem. High pH has precipitated calcium out of your water and onto the surface of your spa shell, plumbing, etc. All the scrubbing in the world is not going to get this off the inside of your pipes. You need to change the chemistry of your water to get the calcium back in. Your dealer is obviously not experienced in this problem. Follow Chas advise. For all the time I have been visiting the forums (years), his remedy has fixed this problem for many people.

Sounds like Suncrest is a sales person/employee for Eco One and Rain Forest Blue, seeing they are the same company. To answer the question, neither product is a sanitizer, so a level of .5 to 1 ppm bromine or chlorine would be appropriate. An easy program would be to add a small amount of dichlor after each use or add a tblspn of dichlor once per week.

There is a serious misquote here. Rainforest Blue, Spa Magic, EcoOne, Nature2...none of these sanitize and you cannot call them sanitizers. They are bacteriacides. The only sanitizers are chlorine, bromine and biguanides (peroxide). You may have crystal clear water with these other products, but take a cup of that clear water and send it off to a lab and see whats living there, especially compared to properly sanitized water. There are many who claim they use a product with unbelievable results, but that does not mean it is safe water. Some bodies can handle more bacteria, pseudomomas, and other living nasty things better than others. Most of these products instruct you to use it with a low level of sanitizer which is the correct way. To do so without and thinking you have truely safe water is like sticking your head in the sand. BTW, Molly is using the product in a very safe way.

Just to restate what has been already said. Products such as Eco One, Rainforest Blue, N2, etc are bacteriacides and not sanitizers. They may keep your water sparkling clear by themselves, but not sanitized. You need a residual sanitizer for a truely safe spa. The only sanitizers are chlorine, bromine and peroxide.

from hurricane Katrina and their new home looks to be a Splash Superpool.