kjm

Hello all, I am writing to you as a new spa buyer. Let me go on the record right now and admit I am clueless as to how to balance the water, test, etc. I am even going to have to figure out how to turn the lights on in it! So I'll save us all the trouble and say what we all know - I'm an idiot. Hopefully with some help, the posters here can help educate me and turn me into a professional hot-tubber. I am several weeks away from receiving the tub, and probably sometime in April from actually being able to take my first soak. I am installing it in our new home we are in the process of building. I have purchased an infinity tub (essential spas neptune) from ebay - wholesale recreation. After doing a lot of reading and looking and sitting in hot tubs I made the decision to purchase sight unseen and I'm aware of the risks. Let's just say I believe I will purchase another tub in the future, and I expect to learn a lot from the ownership of this one. I'll wind up with about 4k with everything delivered and hooked up. My rationale here is that if I get 5 good years out of it, that is 800 a year and that is a price I'll pay even if it isn't "perfect" or if it starts to break at the end of the prorated warranty. I would rather do this, then 5-6 years from now when I have broken 40 years old and really know what I'm doing( ) I can buy a big time tub (Hotsprings and Bullfrog are 2 I really like, but out of my price range right now). Makes sense in my mind anyway. Who knows? I may get many more bonus years out of it and buy another just like it down the road. The spa will be outside on a concrete slab (patio), and I will most likely have a gazebo type structure over it. I have been reading the posts on testing and chemicals, etc. and I have a couple of questions: 1. Should I try to use the Salt Ozone combo? The best I can tell from all of the reading I've done is that just an ozonater combined with Chlorine treaments and a willingness to diligently maintain is the best route. I'm a bit worried about something that generates salt in the same enclosed box as my heater and pumps. 2. Is there a post anywhere on this site (I've looked, maybe I am looking in the wrong place) that is a "How to maintain the chemicals in your spa for dummies"? If there is an interest, I would be happy to create a post with pictures as we go along showing the construction of the spa area from the slab stage (very soon) all the way to the finished product - lights on and soak-ready. Thanks to all, I am glad I found a site with so many knowledgeable people. Kevin