Nitro

It's better to understand what you're doing, than to just blindly do it. That is because if/when something goes wrong, you're better equip to handle it. Even if your fill water is well balanced, it won't stay that way. You need to keep track of your TA/pH, and test strips just don't cut it. You're not seeing the true picture. Two weeks is not really long enough for things to go wrong. After a month or two you'll have a better idea. To answer your question directly, it is easy to maintain your water, but it's not that easy.

Check out my links below for the correct way to use Chlorine.

Is the Spa Shock, MPS (ie Non-Chlorine Shock)? If so it will read as Combined Chlorine. My advice is to forget about CC, if your water doesn't have a strong Chlorine odor. I only check my CC once a month or less, and it's always under 1 ppm. As long as you keep your FC above zero at ALL times, and your Chlorine Demand (CD) low, you should have no problems.

I'm guessing here, but I think your problem has to do with poor water maintenance. If your water is properly balanced and sanitized, you shouldn't have any problems. I'd recommend the Dichlor/Bleach method (see below for more info). If done correctly, it uses very little chemicals and is almost like soaking in pure water.

Yeah, I was writing my post while you posted. I saw that it was mostly the same as yours, but I decided to post it anyway. It can't hurt to give a second opinion, even if it is the same. Great minds think alike.

Is there an echo in here?

Hello, and welocome to the forum. Yes No need to decon. unless you suspect you haven't been keeping up with sanitation i.e. you have a bug in the tub. Although it can't hurt. Swirl Away would be a good idea though. You can use Borax (aka 20 Mule Team) and Acid. Get it in bulk for pools, it should last you for years. Should be.

NO, you cannot just use bleach. You NEED CYA in ALL pools and spas, indoor and out, period! Without it, the Chlorine will be TOO strong. That fact sheet has some misinformation. Chem geek can give you a detailed explination.

Yes, you are correct. I should re-phrase that to say, "Stop talking to YOUR dealer".

Short answer, yes! Yes, you need to get TA down, or your pH will rise as soon as you start using the tub.

Once the acid is mixed into the water (which only takes mins with the pumps running), it's safe to soak.

First, always add Chlorine after you soak. Being a small tub it will get used up faster. Remember, it takes the same volume of Chlorine (not ppm) to oxidizer bather waste regardless of the tub size. That means you should be adding the same amount of bleach I had to my 350 gal tub after soaks. Second, never let your FC drop to zero. See above! Third, what Sea Klear are you using, non-chlorine shock (aka MPS)? I was referring to the Clarifier. Lastly, why would you use Dichlor once a week, if your using the Dichlor/Bleach method? Dichlor is only need on a fresh fill to build up CYA. After that you use Chlorox Bleach as your Chlorine source. Yes, I would give it a heavy shock. One full cup Bleach and 1 oz MPS (non-chlorine shock). The clarifier (by Sea Klear) is optional, but can't hurt.

Sounds like you have sluggish water. Although it shouldn't be after only 5 weeks, unless you started with very high TDS. You have well water by chance? It could be you're not using enough Chlorine. Try giving it a good shock. Add an ounce of MPS and a cup of bleach. That should catch you up. You can also try a clarifier such as Sea Klear. Drop in an ounce. You may need to wait a few days for your FC to drop below 10 ppm before using it. But if your FC is below 10 ppm after 24 hours, add another ounce of MPS and cup of bleach. Lastly, have you been keeping your filter clean? If you add Sea Klear, make sure to clean your filter the next day. Oops, after I typed the above I missed that you wrote you're using 1 oz/person/hour. Are you talking about bleach, or Dichlor? If you're talking about bleach, that's probably not enough. Read my link below about Chlorine Demand (CD), and check it. Also, check your Combined Chlorine (CC) just for yucks.

Is this a new tub? If so, you should drain after the first month. New tubs secrete oils from plastics etc that can cause issues. After you refill, your water should last 6 months.

No, you explained it perfectly. I'm the who didn't explained this well. Your TA is NOT fine if your pH is reading high. FORGET trying to get TA in an "acceptable range". There is no such thing. Adjust TA so that your pH is fine. If that's 50 ppm so be it. Again, read my top link below, the Water Balance section for a detailed explination. Also, check out the link, "Lowering TA". This is the reason why it's so difficult to balance your water with test strips. You need to be able to measure TA and pH precisely. Test strips just don't cut it.

If your pH is too high, your Alkalinity is NOT too low. You need to lower your Alkalinity until pH is correct. Forget the range for Alkalinity, it means nothing. Read the top link below (Water Balance section). BTW, what is your TA? Artic is wrong, which doesn't surprise me. If your Calcium is 20 ppm, you need to raise it to at least 100 ppm. Again read the Water Balance section below. That dealer is talking BS, which doesn't surprise me. Your Calcium should be around 100-150 ppm. If it's 20 ppm, that's way to low. My advice is to add Calcium, and stop talking to dealers.

You should run the jets and air for 20-30 mins, then check pH to make sure it's in range first. See my link below about Lowering TA for more info.

Hardness (i.e. Calcium Hardness) doesn't change unless you add Calcium or add water with a different Calcium level. I'd suggest taking your fill water to a local spa store and ask them to test Calcium Hardness. Then make a note of it. If it's well under 100ppm, you may want to bring it up to 100-150ppm. Otherwise, just leave it alone and make note of it.

Allan, I think your only agenda here is to promote you company and sell your product. You still haven't answered my question HERE, which is: "The consensus here is that biofilm will not form if sanitzer levels are maintained at all times. Are you saying this is not true, and the only way to keep a biofilm free tub is to use your product?" Until you answer that question, I'll consider your posts nothing more than SPAM.

Because without CYA, the Chlorine would be too strong at normal levels (3-6 ppm FC). You would need to keep FC <1 ppm, which would be to difficult. Read this post for more info. Chem geek has already given you detailed explination, HERE.

The quick answer is it's not a big deal, and it will get used up in time. However, MPS being high is not "out of whack", which tells me you might need to do some reading. Check out my links below.

MPS will get used up pretty quick (hours to days) depending on what's in the tub and how much you added. I probably sound like a broken record, but if you follow my procedure you will need very little chemicals. All you need to add to the tub on a regular basis is Chlorine. MPS is not needed. If you have sensitivity to something, the less you put into the tub the better. Also, I wouldn't bother with Bromine, because if you have sensitivity to Chlorine you'll probably have problems with using Bromine. My advice is the same as Quant's, Drain, Decon (Can't hurt, just to be safe) and try my procedure using Chlorine (without MPS). If you're still senisitive, you may need to switch to Baquacil (another type of sanitizer). I'm betting you won't be though.

That's what I'm thinking, though I could be wrong. Looking forward to seeing those ingredients.

I don't know what's in Easy Shock. Not even sure it contains Chlorine. My advice is to follow the Decontamination procedure in my link below. Then try using Chlorine again (see the link below for the proper way to do it). If you still get a rash, switch to Nature 2 and see if that helps. MPS can cause skin sensitivity. If that's your problem, you should not use MPS.