Hillbilly Hot Tub

Bet on much more than 300 KW per month unless you are adding extra insulation to the tub. Look through past posts about the box store tubs. It will give you some ideas on costs and how to better insulate the tub.

You should be able to get a manual from Thermospa, they are still active. And yes there are gaskets that seal the jets and yes they do get brittle along with jet lines that maybe have sharp bends in them, wern't cared for properly, or just inexpensive material. You may have a combination of them all. But your going to need to get in there and see how it is leaking. It sounds like one or a few of these things.....Bad pump seals, cracked wet end. You can replace seals and wet ends (and probsabley while you are there the impella) If the pump runs, and the shaft looks ok, it may be worth just replacing the parts you need. Bring the pump to a local service tech and see what the parts would cost oposed to a new pump, or you can price these parts out yourself if you are comfortable replacing them. As far as finding the manual, it may be easier if you just give the info off the pump. Most the techs in the forum know each pump by the pump manufacturer better than the tub manufacturer and they can help with the right aftermarket parts. (you dont want to go through thermo spas for your parts!)

It may not be your computer acting crazy, the forum is having issues of some sort! The brominating concentrate has bromide in it which is why they may not be having you use sodium bromide to start. It is mostly dichlor though. The brand I carry is 82.5% dichlor and 14.7% sodium bromide. The tablets you use are a mix of bromine and chlorine. You have a lot of chlorine in your tub the way they are having you do it. Di chlor contains CYA, which if you search the threads seems to cause soom people to itch, and if the CYA gets to high it reduces the effectiveness of the sanitizer. If your PH runs low it will make you itch, if it runs high it can make you itch, thats why I asked what the readings came out to be. I would, on your water change, start the tub with sodium bromide, not the brominating concentrate, that way you are not adding dichlor. Use the bromide and shock with non chlorine shock to activate the bromide, fill you feeder and shock as needed. If you see the bromine levels dropping, shock with non chlorine shock, this will help reestablish them. You may need more than once a week if spa is used a lot. This route will keep the chlorine amounts added to the tub down, and stop any CYA issue. Some people itch from non chlorine shock(MPS), but IMO thats not what is bothering you. Do you have dry skin? Have you tried a good lotion AFTER spa use? (dont do it before, it will make a mess out of the tub! ) Do you itch right after a frsh water change or is it after a few weeks?

You will need a good test kit, PH and ALK adjusters. Depending on the water you start the tub with, you may need calcium Hardness and you will need shock. Non chlorine(MPS) is usually best. If you search in the water chemistry section of this forum, you may find some helpful information. When you first get the tub, you will be testing frequently. After awhile you will learn what you tub and your use does to effect the water and it will become easier. When you get the tub it should come with some paperwork to help with the explantion of the frog system. If you purchased from a dealer they should be able to help you also. You can also go to the frogs website, they have manuals ect. Its kingstechnology.com I think. Just google spa frog and it comes up.

First, yes you should start with sodium bromide. This gives you a bromine bank. Second, what are you test readings? Bromine level (test before adding MPS) PH, ALK, CH, CYA? Do you have ozone? What do you mean by addtional bromine as needed? Is this the one step brominating sanitizer? Where you have itch with both bromine and chlorine, you may have sensitive skin or dry skin that the chemicals are bothering. Have you looked into the frog system that allows you to use lower levels of bromine because of the addtion of the mineral stick? We have had good luck with spa perfect which reduces the smell, clears up water ect. ect. Personally have not tried Spa magic

Chlorine is not a good choice if you are not attending to the tub on a daily basis. If you look through the past posts, you have to take care of chlorine on a daily basis. The ridual will not last 2-3 weeks(or even close) and you will have PH issues. You are best to stay with bromine or go to Nature 2. Many people just set the Nature 2 stick in the basket, you just have to make sure that hair or stuff pulled into the filter basket does not get into the holes of the nature 2 stick. Thank you for the info... I think when I refill later in the summer I'll switch over to Nature2. Scanning the info on Nature2 though it seems to suggest weekly MPS etc - Would it be ok to leave a Nature2 based system for a 3 week time frame? Nature 2 should be allright. Adjust the PH before you leave and give it a dose of dichlor and MPS. If no one is using it over the 3 weeks you should be ok. When you return, check and adjust the PH again and give a dose of dichlor and MPS. MPS is also needed at each spa use while you are there using the tub.

This Pack was made specific for PDC with a remote heater, thats why it is a different stlyle heater than most geckos. If you want the tub to heat while using it, the jumper needs to be in high current. The relays are probabley rated for 4 kw only (you can call PDC). The blue is the teflon coating, you have no signs of scale or anything that would impede the heating.

I have never noticed a reduction in performance from the heater or the pumps. Do you know what the procedure is with DE filters? Do I need to do anything special before/after using Swirl Away? You should drain out the DE filter after swirl away use and clean your fingers(rinse them out) They may need to be cleaned anyway since the tub has this build up. Spring cleaning time! The directions on the bottle say to run the tub with jets on for an hour. I would do this a few times, super cleaning. When you drain the tub back out, you will see all kinds of crud and goo come out with the use of this. You may even notice better performance in the jets. How old is the tub? You may not notice anything with the pump or heater, but that does not mean damage was not done. Keep an eye on things. Its better to catch a small problem early than have it become a big problem later! If you had those deposites disappear a few months ago and they are back, there is still copper coming from something. Lets hope its not the heat exchanger(I am guessing you have a gas heater) Good Luck

Chlorine is not a good choice if you are not attending to the tub on a daily basis. If you look through the past posts, you have to take care of chlorine on a daily basis. The ridual will not last 2-3 weeks(or even close) and you will have PH issues. You are best to stay with bromine or go to Nature 2. Many people just set the Nature 2 stick in the basket, you just have to make sure that hair or stuff pulled into the filter basket does not get into the holes of the nature 2 stick.

Can a 4kw element be replaced by a larger one say a 5.5 Kw without hurting anything? I have 220 volt 50 amp service. This is the spa that I have (well a newer version anyway) PDC Bermuda Spa The blue is kind of a royal blue and the entire element is the same color, plate coils and all. The element is this type... Heater Element Thanks for your help It depends on what the heater relays are rated for. The heater you refered(the linl) us to is a 5.5 kw. Could you attach a pic of your control system so we can see what in it?

Stranded is actually better IMO because it cools quicker. Either will work.

It sounds like all is working ok. 3-4 degrees an hour with a 4 kw heater is in line and when you use the tub you are going to lose heat. Jets are blowing air into the water, wind on the surface ect. The tub will work the whole time you are using it to keep it at the set temp because you are cooling it down the whole time you are using it. Once you shut the cover and turn off the jets, it would take about 45 mins to come from 98 to 100. What color blue is your heater? Does it look like a copper penny that has corosion?

That is the product you pointed out above. It works great. For the buildup on this tub, I would leave it in for 24 hours, just go out and turn the jets on for 20 mins every few hours. Its a bit of work, but it may save your heater and pump.(make sure to remove filters, if you have sand filter or DE, follow the directions) We use it as part of our maintenance, not every fill like they say, usually 1 to 2 times per year(depending on customers care in their water chemistry)

Don't leave the tub uncovered in the sun without water in it, even for a day. It can cause the tub to blister. Put a tarp or piece of cardboard over it untill you get the cover on it.

If the temp probes are calibrated properly, they should have and accurate reading. We use an old fashioned body temp thermometer to double check. Also, your temp sensor is usually located near the bottom of the tub where as a floating thermometer is reading from the top, or if it is a balboa system the water flows through 2 sensors and depending on the tub, pulling water from top or bottom or both. If you check the temp before the jets are turned on to stir up the water, there may be a degree or 2 of difference there. You can check this also with a regular body thermometer. The other tub you were in may have not been calibrated right or in an area with more breeze that kept you head cooler ect. The big thing is to find a temp on your tub that you are comfortable with and go with it. Enjoy!

My husband took a look at your pics and he said you have some substantial damage. He said there is probabley damage to the heater and pump. The scale issues we see in the picture are not good. We would suggest swirl away to clean out the lines and using a scale/metal defender for awhile, along with getting the CH and PH in check at all times. Good luck and we hope the spa did not get to damaged.

What brand did you use? You may not have to drain your tub. Many of these products (stain and scale) will not hurt you and many suggest a higher start up dose to remove any impurities in the fill water. Your dealer may be right...check into it first.

You will need Sodium Bromide to start up the spa. You use this at each water change to form a bromine reserve. Bromine tablets to go into the feeder. Stay away from the feeders with the turtles and ducks on top. The allows to much bromine to dissolve, even on the lowest setting. You with need PH and ALK adjusters. You may or may not need metal and scale remover. Do you use well water? You will need shock. MPS (non chlorine shock) works the best with bromine IMO. You may need a clarifier, specially with small children. You may need calcium Hardness increaser depending on your water. I would suggest not using HTH chemicals. If you look at their bromine tablets, in the active ingreidents and compane to brands sold at sps stores, you will see the difference. Watch for this if you purchase from "box Stores" you may not save money.

Don't use oil based products on your cover, use 303 Spray or saddle soap to get it off.

Raeve-- I have been posting about the Clearwater orlando tub in another forum, and it had been virtually unheard of. We fell in love with it because of the 2 massage seats, though we fit better in the D1 Amore bay, but we haven't purchased yet. We were about to buy--but weren't caring for how the dealer was playing games. We were looking at one, loaded, and they were quoting us US price 14,000. If I may ask--what did you pay and what accesories do you have--Stereo?? The price above was going to be--after we begged for the "home show prices" with cover lift and steps as well. We still are waiting to see the Arctic Tundra or Summit as well as DYnasty Caspian 55 or Titan 5000. We would also love to see the Artesian Piper Glen but can't find a dealer close by. I am glad to see your post. PS what color shell and cabinet? We were looking at grey with graphite shell--love it!! We deal Clearwater Spas, We love them too! The us price of $14,000 is not bad if the tub is loaded. I am glad to see that a consumer can back up that full foam tubs are not always the best insulation, and there are other issues that can arise with them(mice, bugs ect) Try all the tubs, find one you are comfortable in, thats what is most important. I will say clearwater is a good brand and they have had no issues since we have been dealing them. Artic also seems to have a really good tub. Good Luck

If you instead measure from one day to the next, then the outgassing can have an effect to hide what's going on from chemical addition. Even so, the kind of pH rise you saw is unusually large unless the TA was high and there was lots of aeration. If you continued to see this sort of pH rise after adding acid to lower the pH again, then aeration is the main cause, not chemical addition of bicarbonate. Richard I do usually test the next day since I bring the sample to the store to run through the computer program. I use the tub nightly with all 3 pumps on and all the air open to the jets, plus the 24 hour ozone, so there probley is a lot of aeration which causes the PH rise.