vooswing

Good to know waterbear, this is why I love this website, I'm going back to granular. The test printout from leslies always shows everything as good, including TA. My ph level wasn't crazy but would rise from 7.5 to about 7.8 in 2 to 3 days. When I asked about my ph rising he said using the air with the jets will gradually increase PH. I'm in my tub long enough to watch entire movies some nights so if air increased PH that seemed to make sense. Is he blowing smoke???? He also said the duck works fine with spas so now I'm not so confidant in his knowledge. Looks like I'm finally going to have to order the k-2006 as well and stop trusting others with my chemistry. I hope I'm not derailing the OP's post but thinking since we're on the same chemistry type questions this can help us both better understand.

Just about everyone will recommend the Taylor k-2006 as the best kit, I've had good results with the basic Taylor dpd test kit Leslies sells for $10. I bought it as a temp solution until I could order the k-2006 (since the basic kit only measures ph and free chlorine) but I've been having the store test my water every couple of weeks over the past few months and haven't had anything out balance so I haven't bothered buying the more expensive, more detailed kit yet. I'm not sure if this is recommended or not but I just bought one of the floating ducks that uses 1" chlorine tabs last week and my chlorine level hasn't spiked or dipped at all over the past 5 days. I've had great success with the chlor-brite powder but my chlorine level would drop to about 1ppm in a 24 hour period and I'd have to add about 1 1/4 tbls a night to get it back in the 3-5ppm range. Using the duck has also stabilized my ph level which was always running a bit high and requiring acid every other day to maintain. I'm new to this also so if there are pros and cons to the ducks maybe one of the more knowledgable people could chime in on them.

I'm new to tubbing also so I can't help with the brown stuff but I would also be curious why there is so much foam. My water is about the same age and still looks crystal clear. I'm guessing you have some weird water chemistry going on to get that much foam in 2 month old water. I agree with the comment below it's probably best to drain, clean, and start from scratch with fresh water. PS... I've been using the same leslie chemicals you listed since I bought my tub with no problems.

I can't really comment on which is better but I bought a Jacuzzi J375 a couple of months ago and have been very happy so far. I ended up buying a floor model with all the bells and whistles and while having the stereo is nice I could only recommend it if you have the privacy to fully utilize it. My neighbors are fairly close and with the jets on the stereo needs to be pretty loud to really enjoy it and I just don't feel comfortable playing it as loud as I'd like to. In my case I end up using a pair of cordless headphones 90% of the time I soak so I can listen to my music at the volume I want without having to worry about the neighbors, I enjoy having the stereo, I just don't use it very often because of volume issues.

I just purchased my first spa about a month ago (newbie also) and here is what stuck out to me from reading this forum for a couple of months prior to buying: 1) The dealer is very important. You want someone you trust with a good reputation and who you are comfortable with. In just the last month I have spoken to my dealer a half dozen times with questions and also had a service call for a light that wasn't working properly. Honestly I thought people were exaggerating about how important the dealer is but now I'm a believer. 2) The spas most recommended seem to be D1, Jacuzzi, Sundance, and Hot Springs. Several others are also recommended frequently (bullfrog and master spas come to mind) but those were the 4 I recall that seemed to be most universally recommended. 3) Dry and Wet Test whenever possible. Different tubs and jets feel completely different. Find what fits you well and has the jet power you like. I debated back and forth on a lounger and testing was the only way I decided I wanted one. Some people love loungers, others hate them, testing is really the only way to see which category you fall in. I dry tested over a dozen tubs but I felt uncomfortable wet testing and only wet tested 2 tubs, along with the feel of the tub the dealer being very accommodating and allowing me to come in at closing when very few people were at the store was another of the reasons I went with the tub I bought. 4) Spend what you can afford within reason. I ended up spending a couple thousand dollars over my original budget but to get the tub I wanted that was the price. I was originally looking at smaller tubs in the $5-$6000 range but ended up getting a larger tub with more diverters and jet options that also had a $10,000+ price tag, I haggled over a floor model to get the tub I wanted at a price I was able to afford and ultimately spent just under $7,400 (including ozone, cover, steps, delivery, set up, etc, etc, etc. The only thing not included was tax and the electrical run). I think you've made the great start already in reading this forum. I don't know what I would have done had I not stumbled across it on a google search.

The slab my hot tub is on is pitched away from the house for drainage which causes about a 1" difference in height across the span of the tub. Today I spoke with my dealer about leveling the tub and he suggested I make shims out of 2x4's to make a frame and then fill with peat gravel to form a solid base to support the tub along the entire base. Sounded easy enough so that is how I spend my afternoon today. My concern is I ripped the lumber to make shims that narrowed from 1" to nothing and when I put in the gravel I couldn't fit it under the last foot or so because the shims were only about 1/8" deep by that point. Will the tub base "give" enough to cover the 1/8" inch or am I risking cracking my tub because it's not fully supported? I also lowered and lifted my tub several times to adjust for any low or high spots and the gravel looked great to the eye but I'm wondering if slight variations in the gravel base could also risk cracking the tub. Thanks for any insights.

I just had my 240v 60amp electrical done last week in Las Vegas and it cost $785. I was told the length of the run is the biggest factor in determining the cost mainly because heavy gauge copper wire runs $2-3 a foot, my run was about 75 feet. Betweeen all the conduit connections, fasteners, fishing the wire, installing the subpanel, and connecting the tub it took him just over 4 hours at $75 an hour. I also debated doing the wiring myself but decided $300 for labor was reasonable not to have to mess around inside the main electrical panel.

Love it. I'm only 5'8" and the lounger fits me very well, about the only thing I would change is the foot jets at the end of the lounger are low, they hit my heels so I have to turn my feet to the side so the jets hit my arches. I debated back and forth whether to get a lounger or not but I'm glad I did as so far it's my favorite spot to sit especially when I turn the jets off for some quiet tranquility. I've been a little surprised that so far I split my time pretty evenly between all the seat options. Right now I'm playing around with increasing/decreasing jet strength, fine tuning jets to hit certain areas, messing around with the diverter valves, air combinations, experiencing all the light settings, getting a feel for the stereo, and generally just having fun with all the options. When I started looking at spas a few months ago I was shocked by the prices but now I totally agree that you get what you pay for.

I got my first tub yesterday and although I'be been reading for a couple of months I just signed up to the forum and your post was at the top of the list. Thought I'd chime in because I also got a Jacuzzi J375 and when I filled it up yesterday I had the same concern about air lock and filling through the filter and my dealer told me not to worry about it, it rarely happens with the model and if it does you just wrap a towel around the hose after it's full and blast through the filter to break the air lock. I just put my hose in the bottom and filled it up with no problems. Have you had a chance to soak yet? I took about a 15 minute soak in 87 degree water last night because I couldn't wait to try it out but was able to take about an hour long soak tonight now that it's up to temp and love the tub.