twkennedy

Thanks for the concise explanation. I will be more diligent with filter cleaning, which i do every month. Alkalinity can be brought up with Baking Soda yes? I will be draining as Hillbilly says in a week or so. Is there a cleaning process i should go thru with the tub when it is empty? Keep in mind, i am in the North East and its pretty cold .. i am hoping that mother nature gives me a warm day when i drain. Hi there.... Let me offer some advice from someone with 17 years in the hot tub business, hot tub owner and store owner... -Organic contaminents will cause foam (body oils, sweat, lotions, etc etc... ) most bathing suits don't really carry enough soap to cause foam anyway so, don't sweat it so much... just keep one pair for the tub and rinse/wash in hot water only. --Rinsing filters is crutial... but you need to use enough pressure: garden hose or kitchen tap is not enough... get your garden nozzle on and spray with jet pressure. ---Also... soaking filters is a MUST. Do it monthly to remove calcium and oils that are attached to the fibers of your filters. ---- Last but not least: Alkalinity. Contrairy to what some believe, Low Alkalinity WILL CAUSE FOAM! when the Alkalinity is bellow 100, it's closer to the acidic side of the scale and will cause a foaming, eno like effect. The water appears crystal clear when the jets are off but as soon as you turn them on high, you get this "eno" effect and it foams... Turn the pumps off and listen to the water...it fizzes... This is the No. 1 problems for most spa owners... They think that the water is fine because it's clear...and then, think that it's oils causing foam... IT'S NOT! Keep your alkalinity over 100 and your problems are solved. For more information on a product that fixes all this non-sence, go to: www.aquafinessecanada.ca This is the only true One Step System! Christian

You are a riot. Right to the moon Alice...

Thanks Hill I am due for a water change in 3 weeks. I have been wrestling with the chems since i got the tub 3 months ago and had it pretty stable then this started. I clean the filter every month... i just wash it down with hose in the slop sink... I am going to do a more thorough cleaning .. any recommendations?

SO.. i am pretty good my self at either no suit or use the suit i use all the time. It never goes in the wash. Is the foam harmful? Could it also be caused by high bromine or low ph? Its quite a job wrestling with this chemical mix. I posted a smaill video of what the foam looked like. This is the worst it has ever seen it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvEaKCA2Nzg...re=channel_page

I have been getting foam from time to time in my tub. I use anti foam and it seems to do the trick most of the time. Sometimes i have to hit it twice. Its a white foam, not a brown dirty foam.. anybody know what causes that?

I will have to look into the full pleated filter. First have to use up the 12 month supply of stage 2 filters i do have. Yea i went out this morning did my test.. PH was on the money but Bromine gone.. I shocked it and it came back up. I did put a half bromine tablet in with the frogger and opened up the frogger full.. will check it again in a few hours... If not i will have to get another packet of bromine starter... thanks tony !!

I did buy 4 today from the dealer. When i bought the tub they gave me a 100 dollar gift card. Came in handy... Thanks for the lead.... now i have the drain and refill to look forward to in december... hope its not to cold.. OH and while i have your attention... whats the deal with bromine. Mine is consistently low when i check. I shock and it looks great.. a bit later... gone again.... i did start with the bromine starter.. and then addded the frog system.. bromine and mineral float. I currently have the bromine set at 5 dispenser.. and i put on the recommendation of the spa dealer a 1/2 bromine tablet in the filter door slot. see what happens.. but no slime or foam.. and pretty clear water...

Hey there Hillbilly... I do.. support him.. but the guy i bought it from is 20 miles away. quite a ride for filter. I bought 4 from him today.. at 20 bucks a piece....The local Leslie pools do not carry them..... So.. where online? Support your local dealer. It will be nice if you need him in the future and he is farmilar with seeing your face. I am seeing them for 13-15 online plus you have to pay shipping.

Any leads where to by the stage 2 filter for the Sundance Certa 780 Spa. Has to be replaced every 3 months... Local dealer wants 20 bucks for the thing..

I have approx a 400 gallon Tub. How much shock should i put in. They say 2oz a week but what does that translate into teaspoons or tablespoons. Do i have to get a scale now?

We are first time Hot Tubbers. I bought the Certa, on sale, i thought ,till i saw your price... beats mine. BUT that being said... we have had it for a few weeks, love using it, getting use to the up keep,ie water maintenance. More than i thought. But we do like it... it has enough power if i divert the jets to one side to almost blows me out of the recliner. but we are only 3 weeks into it and not much to compare to. But i would say we are pretty happy with it. its suppose to be a 6 seater.. but i find 5 adults fill it up , 6 would be a bit tight.

Will do Nitro my friend... it has been quite a pleasant addition having the tub.. but like going back to school again. I will get it down ...but yes.. water maintenance.... they kind of breezed over that when the sold us the tub.. I knew nothing about hot tub maintainance or water chemistry two months ago. I learned almost everything I know from this site. I never knew how important water maintainance is, but I also never knew how easy it is to do once you learn it. If you feel more comfortable having a "pro" come out to help that's fine. My only advice would be trust, but verify. Please let us know the outcome.

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. Seeing that science was not my strong point i am going to have the company i bought the tub from come by and take care of the issue and get me on the right track. BUT my science teacher would be proud that i broke out the beaker again after so many years. I will motor on and hopefully stabilize the issue. I will be back for sure with more questions .. I am only 3 weeks in to owner ship here... Here's the thread with the steps to decontaminate your tub. Good luck.

and this can all happen within a 3 week span... so the true decontamination process would involve what? I find the doc saying the pseudomonas is caused by low PH. It is a germ that thrives in low sanitizer. Low PH can cause other skin irritations, but what I have learned is pseudomonas is from low sanitizer. If it is true pseudomonas you will have to decontaminate the tub, more than just drain and fill, you will have to do a true

Well the affliction hit our family today. My daughter ended up with what looked like little bug bites turned out to be diagnosed by the dermatologist as pseudomonas. She, the doctor, didn't even know we had a tub but called it. ANYWAY.. i have seen posts where people drained the tub cleaned filled it and in some cased repeated the process. The dermatologist said it was caused by low PH and I did notice low PH levels this morning so i put ph increaser in. Do i really have to go thru a full drain and refill. The tub has only been in use for 3 weeks so to say the least this is hopefully not the sign of things to come. I have a Sundance Certa with 24 hour circ pump. About 400+ gallons. So ... what do we do here? I tempted to just increase the PH and be the guinea pig.