toby

Hi, I should have put this on my earlier post. http://www.moxichem.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=113 sell 99% pure at £5 a kilo or £12 for 10.

Thanks, That's a shame, because borax is brilliant for curbing weevils and other mites. I'll use my remaining supply with care.

Hi Waterbear, My limited understanding of using a three part bromine system was that the Calcium Hypochlorite acted as an oxidiser to convert part of the Sodium Bromide bank to HoBr. I thought any chlorine produced would be rapidly used or evaporate. If DPD-1 is measuring chlorine, I am confused about what it is reporting on when I am not shocking the spa?

Thanks, found a source on Amazon.co.uk. I'm guessing this a US cup of TSP will weigh max 200g, so 5Kg should do me for over a couple of years if I wash the cart monthly. Do you know if it degrades when exposed to air, I tend to decant 6 months worth of chemicals so the master container isn't regularly exposed to contaminants.

Utter nonsence, we have a nanny state and a overlord super state which is run by an unelected set of commisioners. We actually have it good, the problem is the civil servants need employing once they've done a good job. Take bananas - In the EU, the committee in charge of standardising and improving the quality of fruit presented to the hapless consumer had legislated everything they could think of. At a meeting where they were scratching their heads on what to do next, the british delegate suggested as a joke legislating for straight bananas (unlike some EU countries the UK sees slipping on a banana as funny - apologies to those who dont) the rest of the attendees thought this was a fantastically good suggestion. The whole thing got out of hand, the world switched to this variety of bananas and now a disease is wiping out this banana variety which produces straight bananas... Sorry back to the point... someone might slightly misuse borax! Also sadly baking soda was used to dilute illegal substances, so its bulk cheap availability was curtailed. I can see their view, I can also see the other side of the coin. Take your pick. (sorry this has nothing to do with chemistry - moderator please feel free to delete this useless waffle)

Nice one, any suggestions for narrowing the choice, there are a lot which claim to be phosphate-free, are these preferrable? I suppose my real question is which active ingredients should I be looking for please?

Thanks, A couple of years ago I'd been chasing the Ph and always wondered why it appeared unstable. I'm using a Lovibond 'DPD No. 1' which I has assumed was compatible with comparators. Sell by date being 2018. Out of interest what are the differences between DPD 1 and 3?

I'm looking for some tips on how to make some sort of close fitting cylindrical container for cleaning filters in? I'd like a minimum volume container, so I minimise the amount of expensive polluting catridge cleaner I use. I'd like to say this is to reduce the impact on the environment, but actually I'm a tight git! Currently I wrap my cartridge in a plastic rubble sack, but its not really satisfactory.

Tesco were selling Borax, I bought 400g from their Eco-section, I've since read that pure borax was considered too strong for home use. There's someone on Amazon selling it without a prohibitively high postage charge. http://www.amazon.co...4&creative=6738 I've also seen that Boots did sell it, but they may have stopped at the same time they withdrew Sodium Bicarbonate.

Have you thought about getting a cheaper version of the same thing? My chemist friend has pointed out that salt is salt. Paying a lot for nice packaging on the front my make you feel good, but its still just salt (sodium chloride). I use the same sodium chloride in my dish washer and salt grinder; ok its food grade, but its cheap. Food grade rock salt is 97+% pure and usually costs less than the 'fashionable' sea derived salt. I've found very competitive prices at chinese restaurant wholesalers.

I like a high TA because the Ph appears to be relatively stable. I havent had to re-adjust the Ph over the last two years. I was wondering what unwanted side effects I might be instore for? Also is there a maximum recommended level for TA? I set my TA at 150 on refill. I am using a 3 part bromine system. Sodium Bromide Bank of 30ppm, Sodium Bicarbonate TA 150, Calcium Hypochlorite Shock and BCDMH Bromite Tablets. I generally run the Spa at a 3ppm level as my willing elves can easily read that on the comparator! Re Stable Ph: The Ph zooms during shocking, but returns once the shock level returns to normal.

I repeatedly shock it every 4 hours until the cleaning agent stops being used up by the organics and the level of agent reaches a shock level. Also make sure your filter is flushed/cleaned. Aqua Finesse has trichlor, Suggest you investigate shocking on this site for that system. However there's a preference for other systems amoungst a lot of members. Aqua Finesse is sold on 'enjoy the luxury of bathing in Pure, Clean, and Crystal Clear water without the need of time consuming, multiple daily measurements and high doses of harsh chemicals.' [Home Page 2012] With a 3 part bromine system, I check it twice a week, wash the filter and shock it every two weeks (which is an over night job) and finally clean the filter irreglarly. I'm lazy and I don't lose control often.

I suspect I get foam forming from contaminants introduced by bathers, scraping off the foam into a bucket gets rid of it. I assume the stuff that makes the foam is in the foam.

Worked a treat - thanks

Hi, Just got back from a week in Portugal and I've 3 small gremlins coming for the weekend. I can reduce the damage they cause if I can corral them in the hot tub for a while. I use a 3 part bromine system and left an extra tablet in the floater to be on the safe side whilst I was away. Unfortunately the HoBr's (Bromine level) crept up to somewhere over 10, possibly around 15 on the comparator. I've 24 hours to get it down. I'd prefer not to remove water as I'll loose the stability I get when I balance the 800 litre tub from scratch. I've left the air-jets on and the top off. Can I add some organics in a controlled manner to make the HoBr do some cleaning work and reduce its strength?

A cheaper way to remove foam is to brush it out (I keep a clean plastic brush for this sole purpose).

I want to play music from an MP3 player, whilst I am in a Spa. I have a pair of water resistant 35W speakers and an MP3 player that I can put in a jacket. What I don't have is a versatile Amp. I was thinking about getting something that will accept a mic-in source with 40W ish output and has a remote volume control. I am not sure whether I should get a water resistant remote and tune it to the Amps remote, or obtain an Amp that already does this. The room I was going to house the amp in does get a higher than average humidity because its next to the Spa. So a humidity tolerant amp would be sensible. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks Toby

Can I add that I bought DPD-1 tablets. These are dissolving over a period of 2 minutes. Is this normal or are there brands that are less taxing on my patience?

Slightly off topic, but can anyone advise a UK based distributor of the Taylor kits. I've had no luck so far. Many thanks. PS My thanks to all who have helped numpties like myself gain the confidence to break away from the shops we bought our spas from.

Thanks, Scratch that for a nice theory. I'll return to using my nose. Toby

Thanks I like the idea of Muratic acid. Do you know any brand names/suppliers under which it is available in the UK? Toby

Thanks, I am looking to source a shop to buy 'Sodium Bisulfate aka dry acid' (to reduce PH) in the UK. Anyone got any suggestions, or UK equivalents to achieve pH down?

I use Chlorine to convert Bromine Ions into HOBr. I believe that the hypobromous acid/chlorine detectors read 50% different when looking at HOBr or Chlorine. Thus I assume (Given I shock with the same quantity of chlorine each time) that when my Bromine Ion bank is depleted, I should see the reading (after an hour) being 50% different. What I cannot recall is whether the reading when the chlorine is not converted (bank depleted) will be 1/2 that of the bromine reading? i.e. if the bromine tester reading is normally 10, the bromine tester will show about 5 when looking at chlorine? Toby

I live in England (UK) and have had a challenge finding a supplier to buy Borax (100% Sodium Borate) as a PH up and also getting Baking Soda (100% bicarbonate of soda) for TA up in bulk quantities from. I would not normally plug a supermarket, but it it moves from their shelves, they may keep stocking it. I have just bought both from Tesco Extra. The Sodium Bicarbonate cost about 8 times less than my local spa shop! Both are new products in their 'naturally' range of cleaners. I have also read that large Boots stock Borax.

I have used www.swimmingpoolchemicals.co.uk once. They were quick and sent what I ordered. Investigating the prices of chemicals for a 3 part bromine system I found them competitive when I did the search. I intend to use them again.