coloradochip

OK, so now I am testing the freshly filled tub. Ph is reading off the charts on the Taylor test kit, so it's at least 8.0 I guess. Taylor shows both CH and TA at 90. I read that the DiChlor will lower my Ph. Is that correct? The Dichlor Method in a Nutshell says to have TA at 80. Is 90 ok, or should I find some acid to lower it? Should I up the CH to 100-150? As a side note, although not accurate, the test strips and that aquacheck consistently show a much lower Ph that the taylor test kit., Test strips are showing 6.8, and aquacheck shows 7.6. This is confusing as all heck to me, and I just don't know where to start. My hot tub came with Leisure Time Spa up and spa down, SpaPure alkilinity increaser, and Rendezvous Calcium Hardness Up. I just want to make sure I am getting this right this time without adding something and then having to add something else to counteract that, and then being so messed up that I have to start over again with new water. Thanks again in advance!

Thanks, Waterbear. Yes, Bromine for Beginners is what I have done. I did add the Sodium Bromide. I am shocking with Clorox Bleach. Yes, tub has an ozonator, just replaced when I bought the tub. As far a TA, I have been anywhere from 60 -120. I use the tub maybe 3 times a week and the rest of the family about once, so maybe the ozonator is causing the issue. I think I would like to give the dichlor method a try. I haven't tried chlorine at all, so might as well give it a shot to see which we like better. If I do that and don't like it, can I add the sodium bromide, put the floater back in and go back to bromine? I went ahead and ordered all the reagents for the Taylor. Thanks!

I am draining my tub after purchasing it used about two months ago. I did the decontamination on it at setup. I have been running Bromine, but I just can't get the PH to be stable at all and the bromine seems to read zero unless I shock after every use. Also, Bromine seems to bug my wife's skim more than chlorine. So, I will go get some dichlor today. I have some questions though: 1) As for the adding borates, do I use borax for that? How much will give me 50ppm in a 320 gallon tub? 2) How do I check FC? I have the Taylor Test kit for Bromine, but it doesn't have a Chlorine test. I also have an electronic aquacheck tested and test strips that came with the tub. 3) How do I clean the filter? I have TSP. Just let it sit in a solution of X amount water and x amount TSP for a while? 4) What is CYA and how do I test for it? Thanks in advance. Sorry for the questions, but I am a total newbie!

Most of the ads on that under used tubs are for someone trying to sell pills. What the heck is that all about?

Upon further review, the Hotsprings had a slow leak and the foam was completely water logged. So heavy it would have been very tough to move, and I didn;t want the headache of trying to dig through all that foam to fing the problem. So, now I am back ont he hunt. Looked at and tested a Sundance Optima that the owner said is 12 years old. I really liked it, and it's in fantastic shape with an almost new Sundance cover. They are asking $2100 for it though, which seems a bit high to me. My other option is a 2001 Sundance Altimar asking price of $1500 also in great shape. I think I could get that for $1200 but I would prefer the Optima for the foot jets and no lounger. Any thoughts of what a good price for the optima would be? I weas thinking of playing the Altimar off the Optima owner to see if I would get them down a ways. Any other good outlets for used spas other than Craigslist?

Thanks, Roger. I really like the HotSprings, it's a little bigger and it has no lounger which I prefer. They also threw in the secondary breaker box and enough wire and conduit to get to my box, and they dropped the price to $1000! I think I am going to pull the trigger on it.

I just found out that the Clearwater Spa is a 2008 model. I have seen both the clearwater and the HotSprings full and operating, and will wet test prior to purchasing. Woudl you still lean towards the 2003 HotSprings over the 2008 Clearwater? Long term, is HotSprings a better tub manufacturer?

I have been on Craigslist for the last couple weeks and have narrower my choices down to a few models. 1st option is a 2003 Hot Springs Grandee for $1200 2nd option is a 2006 Clearwater XS76NL for $1350 3rd option is a 2006 LA Spas HEET for $2000 The LA Spas one has many more bells and whitsles, like LED lighting, an advanced filtration system and 61 jets, but a friend of mine thinks the worls of Hot Springs so I am really leaning towards pulling the trigger on that one. The Hot Springs also comes with a sub panel and about 45 feet of wiring which would sabve me some cash. It needs to have the secondary control panel replaced though. The HotSprings and LA spas also both have ozone. Any thoughts / recommendations would be much appreciated.