6th Ave

Great, I appreciate your opinions. We saw some very compelling sales messages from Clearwater Blue, which of course sounded appealing, but once we began digging for reviews we lost confidence in that menthod. Going the bromine route is absolutely what we are encouraged to do first by everyone, so it seems like that'll be our strategy starting out. Trying it will give us a good look at bromine, and maybe it won't seem that scary after all. Waterbear: What the store rep did tell us about the frog also, was that without the Spa Frog I ought to maintain 2-4ppm. of bromine in my water, but with it I could go down to 0.5ppm. I saw another post where you mentioned that 2ppm is really too low. Do you think it's safe to drop the bromine level if a frog is introduced into the system? Though of course this isn't my opinion for community/public spas, but at home we actively try to avoid an anti-bacterial environment. Yes, of course I clean (and would use an antibacterial cleaner if I were to, say, put a raw fish on the counter) but I don't wash my hands with antibacterical products, etc. I believe it's unhealthy to completely sterilize my environment. I'm sure you've heard this brand of snake-oil before, but my folks are chemists, and these perspectives have been in my family since I was a child. With the spa, assuming I do larger cleanings regularly (drain/scrub/refill) how important is it to keep this completely sterile (vs. dropping to a low bromine level like the 0.5-2pmm). I'm not used to dealing with 300 gallons of water hanging out in a bucket for 2-3 months, and I'm content to admit it's quite different from using antibacterial soap to wash my hands.

Hi! I'm new here, and I've poked through some very interesting information you've all shared and discussed. It's quite a lot to process. Please forgive me for once again starting a thread which I'm sure has graced this board many many times. Thanks in advance for all your insight. We're renting a place with a spa (300 gallons) and have never owned or maintained one before. It'll only be two adults using the tub, about 2x per week for half and hour or so. I'm sensitive to the use of harsh chemicals (not physically, but for health reasons), and I always try to make choices which lower my exposure. I understand that the hot tub is an enclosed system which needs sterilization and balance, but I am also well aware of the (at times contradictory) laundry list of potentially negative effects. But let's not get into that... Our local brick and mortar spa supplier chatted with me about all the different options out there. We arrived at something that sounded like a good middle ground. I'd like to know if any of you use, or have used, this combination, and your experience with it. The store representative suggested I go with a Spa Frog Filter Insert, Water Balancing Kit (PH Up & Down, Alkalinity Up, Calcium Up), and Enhanced Shock. He figures I can use the Frog insert and add Enhanced Shock 2x week. I should test the balance weekly, or every two weeks. Our landlords left us a new test kit, which appears to be a " Blue Devil Professional 4-Way Test Kit " What appealed to me here is not having to use a floater all the time, and not having to use bromine. He mentioned that our Seattle water rarely needs the Alkalinity Up, but it wasn't unwise to have it around. I'd love to hear what you think.