It is also important to instruct anyone using the spa to not get in if they have open wounds or skin infections. Not only to protect the other users, but people with open wounds will be more suseptable to infections themselves. Remember, hot tubs are NEVER sterile!
Also, all users should shower just before entering the hot tub.
Be sure to check the chlorine and pH just prior to use, and after use, and dose appropriately. Your son is old enough to train him how to do this if you are not home when he and his friends use the spa. If your hot tub is allowed to drop below 1ppm for any length of time consider draining the water and fully scrubbing the spa. Once biofilms are allowed to build up in the pipes, they are resistant to chlorine. http://www.apsp.org/APSPRWQE-news/recreational.html
Don't forget to wipe down the sides of the hot tub that are not in contact with the chlorine.
I am not a pool and spa expert, but I am a registered nurse who contracted Legionnaires disease http://www.isrm.co.uk/recreation/documents...pp32-34_000.pdf from a California hotel hot tub in 2001. I have been researching the issues of hot tub infections for the last six years.
Stacy Intille RN
According to the table on this CDC web page, the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria which is the one you are talking about has a CT value of 0.4 which is relatively small and means it is relatively easy to kill with chlorine. The concentration of disinfecting chlorine depends on the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level so if you were to use Dichlor as your source of chlorine, then the CYA level may get high, but even with a CYA of 100 ppm and a Free Chlorine (FC) level of just 1 ppm, this bug would have an effective 100% reduction in less than 40 minutes and it could be a lot less since the table indicates a 100% reduction making it impossible to precisely calculate. If you were to maintain the spa with my recommendation of 4 ppm FC with 20 ppm CYA, then this bug would get killed in less than 2 minutes.
The bottom line is that you should not worry about this super bug somehow growing in your spa.
Richard
Thank you for your prompt and very detailed answer. I keep my FC between 3 and 5 so will not worry about this any more.
Hot Tubs And The Spread Of Diseases?
in Portable Hot Tubs & Spas
Posted
It is also important to instruct anyone using the spa to not get in if they have open wounds or skin infections. Not only to protect the other users, but people with open wounds will be more suseptable to infections themselves. Remember, hot tubs are NEVER sterile!
Also, all users should shower just before entering the hot tub.
Be sure to check the chlorine and pH just prior to use, and after use, and dose appropriately. Your son is old enough to train him how to do this if you are not home when he and his friends use the spa. If your hot tub is allowed to drop below 1ppm for any length of time consider draining the water and fully scrubbing the spa. Once biofilms are allowed to build up in the pipes, they are resistant to chlorine. http://www.apsp.org/APSPRWQE-news/recreational.html
Don't forget to wipe down the sides of the hot tub that are not in contact with the chlorine.
I am not a pool and spa expert, but I am a registered nurse who contracted Legionnaires disease http://www.isrm.co.uk/recreation/documents...pp32-34_000.pdf from a California hotel hot tub in 2001. I have been researching the issues of hot tub infections for the last six years.
Stacy Intille RN