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waterpen

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  1. Ok, I've read most of the posts on this forum regarding chlorine and cyanuric acid (CYA) in hot tubs. What I've learned is that: 1.Some CYA is good, too much is bad. Optimal is around 80ppm? 2. When the CYA levels go up in a hot tub, through the addition of Dichlor (or Trichlor), the chlorine is less effective for killing pathogens and preventing algae. More needs to be added to maintain free chlorine levels at 3ppm. 3. The only way to lower CYA levels is to drain and replace the water. 4. CYA protects the chlorine from sunlight UV rays, which is more important in a pool, but could have some effect if your tub cover is off on a bright sunny day. Sooo, here the part I don't understand...for swimming pools, it seems that you may actually need to add CYA to get the levels up to optimal. WHY??? In a pool, you generally do not replace the water every 3 months, like for a hot tub.... Wouldn't the CYA levels build up just like in a hot tub if you use stabilized chlorine in the form of dichlor, trichlor or cal-hypo?? Where does that CYA go, since the pool water is not drained? Any insight from the chem pros to help me understand this will be appreciated!!
  2. Thanks Richard!!! Excellent information. Yes, Beachcomber's guidelines say TA should be arounf 120, so it confirms your advice. We will likley use aeration on the jets all the time, so that should produce more outagassing and help to keep the ph towards neutral. We have the new UV sanitizer sytem (made by Delta), so the dealer said that should decrease the trichlor use, and set the puck dispenser at a lower amount. Hopefully that will also help keep the ph more neutral. The test kit supplied by Beachcomber has the (Taylor) DPD reagents for chlorine and a ph indicator solution. So I will have to take the water sample into the dealer to check other parameters, including TA. Will know more in a few weeks... By the way, the webpages for the links to the K-2006 and TF-100 test kits from an earlier post in this thread indicate that they no longer ship to Canada . Does anyone know a good source for these kits in Canada? Some earlier threads were putting the price of a Taylor k-2006 kit at $199 !!! Has anyone found a decent Canadian source and price since those posts??
  3. This is interesting because I just got my Beachcomber hot tub and the chemicals that came with it included a puck dispenser and trichlor mini-pucks. The recommended routine is to use the puck (trichlor) to automatically dispense the sanitizer, then use CareFree Boost (Dichlor) as the shock when needed, and CareFree (MPS) as the weekly oxidizer. From reading this forum, it seems the the main issue with trichlor is that it is acidic and will cause a ph drop. Of course it also adds CYA, but so do other forms of stabilized chlorine (e.g. dichlor). Any thoughts from the water chemistry pros? By the way, the pail of pucks says "Trichloro-s-triazinetrione", which I assume to be trichlor - is that right?
  4. We looked at the Artic and Jacuzzi also, as well as Sundance. In the end we settled on a Beachcomber. Good thermal efficiency, interchangable jets (of the same size), good quality construction, no soft pillows that breakdown over time. I think the Artic had the best overall construction, but it just didn't fit right - make sure you wet test. As for the Sundance and Jacuzzi (same company), no dealers near us would let us look inside the tub at the control box, heater, pumps, plumbing, etc. That made me uneasy about buying one of their tubs. Kinda like buyng a car and being told not to look under the hood.
  5. Wow everything you wanted to know about water chemistry but were afaid to ask! You mentioned that using an ozonator also adds to the ph rise. What about the use of an UV sanitzer? Note that is is NOT the old type of UV based ozonator system. It is a new product from Beachcomber (I think it's actually made by Delta). Thanks for the load of information. It'll take me a while to digest it all.
  6. OK. So I think I get it. The Dichlor has a neutral ph but as the FC is used up, it actully becaomes acidic. However, this is more or less offset by the CO2 produced from aeration, likely resulting in a neutral ph. However, the Lithium probably starts off with a higher ph (say around 10) and, as with any other hypochlorite source, the ph drops as the FC is used up. The CO2 produced from aeration raises ph, so the net effect may be a somewhat a basic or alkaline ph with the use of lithium. Thanks
  7. I was taught Litium was a PH of about 10, 8 sounds way to low. I would research that further, but maybe there is something in it that helps stablize the kind they carry?? Yes, I coiuple of other online sources list the ph of Lithium Hypochlorite as around 10. I wonder why such a difference? And what actaullly happens to the ph as it is "used up"?
  8. Thanks Richard, I thought that the ph for Lithium was about the same as Dichlor, and certainly not as high (basic) as bleach. Here is what if found at http://www.thetubstore.com/care.html regarding ph and available chlorine: Lithium Hypochlorite (35% Available Chlorine, pH 8) Sodium Dichlor (65% available chlorine, pH 7) Any addtional thoughts?
  9. Has anyone tried using lithium hypochlorite instead of dichlor with the Nature 2 cartridge?
  10. Thanks for the replies! I had a couple of quotes this week and both price the 6-3 wiring alone at about $500!! They are using some kind of wiring that does not require a separate conduit. Not sure what it is. Sooo, with the labour and disconnect, it's coming up to abput $1000. Seems like a lot, but if the cost of the wire is $500, it's kinda hard to quibble about the total.
  11. Just wondering what the general consensus is on how much an electrician should charge in eastern Canada to install a hot tub. I am told we need 6 guage wiring. The length of the run from the main panel to the outside disconnect is about 80 ft, and the length of the run from the outside wall to the tub is about 30 ft. So about 120 ft total. Any thoughts on how much it should cost? (We have a GFCI from the dealer.)
  12. Hot tub is on order and will arrive in 4-6 weeks.
  13. After doing a considerable amount of research and with advice from some senior members of this forum, we bought our first hot tub We narrowed down our short list to the Jacuzzi J345, Sundance Chelsea and Beachcomber 578. Wet tested all three. In the end, the combination of features in the Beachcomber won out. We like the multi-level seating, with jets on the cooling seat; the 4 wall insulation for Canadian winters, and interchangeable nozzles (30 days to switch nozzles types at the dealer). Also, no soft plastic headrest pillows to deteriorate and have to replace. All were nice tubs and I am sure we would have been happy with any of the three. Thanks to those provided good advice.
  14. I spoke to tech support at Beachcomber, becasue I am considering installing the Cleartech system also. It is a new system for 2008 and uses UV-C, which they say should reduce chlorine required by about 70%. The UV bulb life is about 18 months and is user replaceable. Sounds pretty good, but the initial investment cost is quite high.
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