jcn

On a message board that I own and moderate I implemented a rotating "common sense" question during signup (ie. "how many is 2+2" "what letter comes after F" etc) from a pool of about a dozen. It literally cut the number of spambot signups and postings to zero. The "type the following sequence of letters" did nothing for me. The spammers have increasingly sophisticated character recognition they're building into their spambots making that kind of defense about useless. Just something to consider. John

Thanks all for the advice. It would seem that for the most part I am on track with my maintenance routine. Some small adjustments seem to be neccessary based on what you all are telling me, but nothing major. And yes, I do change the water about every 10 to 12 weeks and the nature2 cartridge at the 4-month interval recommended. In answer to the hardness, yes we have VERY hard water here. I'm talking about disolve faucets hard. I normally fill half with unsoftened water and half with softened water. I had read somewhere that using soft water contributes to foaming. Perhaps I need to use most or all soft water and add calcium as needed to get into the proper range? Also, does the fact that I have an ozonator make a difference to any of the chlorination recommendations you all have made? John

OK. Thanks for the advice. It sounds like I can assume that I'm on the right track so far as Chlorine goes. Perhaps I need a tad more, especially after an evening with 4 people in for an hour. One thing I want to be clear on. At one point you said: Whereas I try and maintain a constant level between 2 and 3. Is your 7ppm advice based on an "instantaneous" level of 7ppm which is allowed to fall off to a more "normal" 2 or 3 over the course of the next day? My other remaining question is related to the TA readings I get. Its consistantly on the very high end of the scale. In excess of 180 at all times. That's after a water change where I spend 2 days adding scoop after scoop at a time, probably half a pound total to get the pH level down to an acceptable 7.2 to 7.6. A) should I be concerned about the consistantly high TA level? Is it normal to have such a hard time getting the pH to come down to "normal" levels? Or is this perhaps related to our very hard water here? Thanks for your help, I do appreciate the time you're taking to answer my questions and share your knowledge.

OK, now this is the kind of thing I was hoping for -- People who actually know what they're talking about with the numbers to back it up . I spect I did leave out some info. When i check the levels, its usually first thing in the morning, after walking the dogs. I will check with a test strip and if the free chlorine reading isn't at least 2ppm I will add some, if it's over 2 I will usually not add any unless I know we're having company that evening. After use in the evening I will toss in some additional, not measured but "oh, about a quarter capful should be right" and then check it in the morning when i get up. "Some" is a realtive term I know, but I am shooting for a constant reading of between 2 and 3 ppm on a test strip and not relying on a formula that says "add so many tsp per hundred gallons." Is that wrong? Should I be looking for higher readings? Should I be more "scientific" in my chemicals? And yes the type is Dichlor. Speaking of test strips, why do I never see any difference between the Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine readings? Again, I'm looking for advice on what I'm doing wrong and how I can do it better

Well, there is certainly a lot of good advice here. But after reading quite a bit, I have some questions and concerns about what I am doing with my hot tub. A bit of background. We bought a house 2 years ago and it came with a hot tub on the back deck which we just love. Got no real instructions or anything and judging from the supply of chemicals left behind they didnt take exceptional care of it for at least the previous 6 months or so. I found the original sales receipt and went there to purchase new supplies (filters, chemicals, etc) even though they were 30 miles away. But that store was less than helpful so I've been using the local pool/spa store who isnt an authorized Marquis dealer but is extremely helpful in special ordering filters and such for me. However, sometimes I am not sure about the advice I am getting so far as water chemistry goes. Here is what I am doing and you folks tell me if I'm right or wrong or need to be doing something different. Usage -- on average 3 people 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes it's just me 5 days a week, sometimes we have friends over a couple times a week. I drain and clean and refill every 3 months and insert a new Nature2 cartridge every 4 months. Daily maintenance -- using a test strip, check chlorine and pH levels. Add chlorine as needed to maintain a reading of about 2 and if needed adjust pH to between 7.2 and 7.6 Weekly Maintenance -- On Wednesdays add Spa Perfect enzynme treatment. Saturdays get a shock with MPS. According to the label I should be using just under 3 ounces for a 270 gal tub. Add one ounce of metal control per label directions. Monthly Maintenance -- Change out filter and soak the old filter in filter cleaner 24 hours for next month OK, now from what I've read here perhaps my chlorine level are too low and I'm using too much shock? Generally when I refill the tub I use half regular water and half softened water. We have incredibly hard water and even then my hardness levels are very high. My TA is also generally high too, 180 or above at all times. My pool store tells me not to be concerned about that so long as the pH is in the correct range. From time to time i get extremely cloudy water... like not see the bottom cloudy. Generally this is about towards the end of the 3-month cycle and after playing around with the chemicals and not being able to really clear it up I go ahead and change the water a week or so early. I eagerly await your outpouring of knowledge and suggestions