kajun

Hey guys, Looking for some help. I changed the water on Dec 1st, haven't used the tub a lot because it's been very cold and windy. In any case, I did some water testing about 2 weeks ago with my taylor drop kit and had the approximate readings: FC: 6 TA: 80 CH: 100 pH: 7.6 CYA: 100~ I recognized the stabilizer was really high, but wasn't sure what to do about it. Since then, the water has been foamy, burns through dichlor quickly. I read about the dichlor then bleach method, so i bought some bleach last night and added 2oz, waited a while and tested again. didn't seem to effect the FC levels. I added 5oz last night when FC was at 3, tested today about an hour ago and FC was at 2.5 / 3. Basically i'm wondering what my best option is at this point. I haven't been able to buckle down and address this properly as i've been very busy with work / school and it's been around -30 to -40 celcius for the last 2 weeks with high winds, haha. I think the best option is probably to do a partial drain and refill. Supposed to be a little nicer on sunday. Is there another option to consider? Thanks in advance.

i was thinking something like this actually. incidentally if i keep the in tub lights off (as suggested earlier) it keeps the bugs to a minimum. also put up a bug zapper. that thing keeps busy, man.

Absolutely brilliant. two birds with one stone!

hey all, just got my jacuzzi j-245 last week and loving it so far. only problem is now that it's warming up outside, it's really only suitable to use when the sun has set or is setting. the wife and i went in last night around 1015. within half an hour, we had easily 2 dozen or more bugs in the water floating / swimming around. not sure what to do about it aside from maybe not using it when it's dark outside (which would suck). aside from the obvious, keep the tub covered when not in use and put up an enclosure, does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep bugs away / out of the water?? not sure if maybe a bug zapper closeby would be a good idea.....

AHA!!!! And they are made by Chemtura, who pushes trichlor whenever it can (It is one of their main products), has a corporate stance that 200 ppm CYA is acceptable, and likes to keep customers ignorant to boost sales for dealers that use their testing system, which is notorious for overdosing on chems and maximizing dealer profitsl The Spa Synergy is sold under Chemtura's Omni/Guardex brand (US/Canada). Other Chemtura brands include Bioguard/Spaguard, Spa Essentials, Sun, Simplicity, SoftSoak/SoftSwim, AquaChem, and PoolTime/SpaTime. This does not include their non North American brands like Bayrol and BIoLab. Interesting tidbit. Chemtura does not sell trichlor tabs in it's flagship dealer line Bioguard/Spaguard but rather, sell dichlor as Spa Guard Chlorinating Concentrate. Interesting tidbit. Spa Synergy is sold under the Guardex brand in Canada (and your IP address puts you in Manitoba) as an "easy system" that consists of Initiator, very expensive borax to buffer the pH mst likely in the form of boric acid (based on some data from the MSDS) which forms mostly tetraborate (borax) ions at normal spa pH); trichlor tabs mixed with more borax; and "Clear" which is nothing more than dichlor. The three products are meant to be used together as a system, and as such the borate probably does mitigate some of the problems with using trichlor in a spa to a small extent. I suspect that the trichlor tabs are just meant to be a chlorine reserve and the main chlorination comes from the dichlor. in this system. The K-2006 costs considerably more in Canada than in the US (because of an exclusive distributorship by Lowry & Associates in Newmarket, Ontario who sets the prices there) but is still the best deal for the money. I do know of one Taylor dealer that sells mail order on the internet that has a good reputation. Piscines-Apolio in Montreal. There are probably some others. Hope you find this helpful. interesting....haha, well thanks for all the info it's much appreciated. i'm thinking of ordering a k2006 on amazon (a lot cheaper) and getting it shipped to a small town in the states that's close to me. anyone had issues with bringing these across the border?? strangely enough, my uncle used to work for bio guard (30+ years) and he said to not use trichlor but instead, brominating concentrate.

the dealer assures me they've been using these for 12 years without problems. the tablets are spa synergy trichlor tablets. i dont know. i think it's ridiculous that there's so much debate and "confusion" around this topic. in any case, i am planning on getting a k-2006 test kit. i will then test the water while using these trichlor tabs. i'll report back. if i don't like the findings (which i'm thinking i won't) i'll choose an alternative at that point. as for the uv system, i ended up getting the tub at a lower than retail price with it included, they didn't push it on me. i said to them "wouldn't you get the same result from...you know, sunlight?" haha

Waterbear, as i'm st ill gathering information i'm curious about something. i've read that trichlor shouldn't be used because of multiple reasons. dissolves too fast, lowers ph dramatically resulting in equipment failure. i've used a total of 3 of these tablets (as i don't have anything else right now) and i'm actually finding the ph is going UP. it takes almost 2 days for one tablet to dissolve as well. the only thing i find is the chlorine levels are quite high. i've spoken with a number of people locally that have had hot tubs for years, everyone seems to be using CHLORINE tablets without any type of equipment failure. i'm not saying your wrong, don't get the wrong idea. i just find that there are a lot of opinions and a lot of concepts and logic tells me that chlorine granules or bromine would be the way to go. but how can so many people i know personally use chlorine tablets and not have issues?

since i can't seem to find any information supporting the use of trichlor (i didn't really expect to either), i'm gonna pick up some dichlor. since i've already used 2 trichlor tabs, should i just wait until the chlorine levels drop low and then add dichlor? also, if i'm adding it after usage, do i need to leave the lid open for a bit or do you only need to leave the lid open for shocking? i am looking into the dichlor then bleach method. i'm thinking i may just use dichlor for now and once i'm more familiar with everything (and have received my drop kit) then i'll probably switch to dichlor-then-bleach.

i actually didn't "buy" it, so to say. it was included in the kit. he actually said it wasn't totally necessary either.

my fault, it's actually 82%. Either way, i'll see what the dealer says about it. i'm thinking i'll pick up some dichlor though. find it strange that they would advise a system that wouldn't work for sanitizing though.

got the tub today. the installer went over their suggested chemical routine: step 1: add a bottle of spa marvel step 2: balance the water step 3: add 2-3 tablets of 68% trichlor step 4: (biweekly) shock with spa synergry shock this is a weekly process. so in otherwords, i add 2-3 tablets of chlorine on monday, and then do it again next monday. i imagine FC would be through the roof for a bit and near depleted by sunday? I emailed the dealer already asking why i should be using trichlor when all i can find is that it shouldn't be used in spas. strange that they would come up with this method of sanitation and never hear any complaints though.

Lantern, i recently bought a 2012 J-245 and the price included the cover, lifter, clearray, steps and some other options i can't think of right now. Not sure on your location but where i'm at, Jacuzzi is running a promotion that includes all of those options. May not hurt to ask.

I saw that jacuzzi had proclear, it made me think of nature2 right away, hah. Okay, in any case i'll check with the dealer. i should be receiving it this friday - can't wait!

Waterbear, do you know if there are any warranty issues with using bleach as a method of sanitation after the initial CYA is built up? (i suppose this is a question i could ask the dealer as well)

thanks for the reply. i've been reading a few threads on here and i saw the dichlor/bleach method, sounded like a great routine and i've already looked into buying a K-2006 as well. good point on the clearray system, if the lid is open, the water is getting tons of UV anyway. I'm still new to water chemistry and terminology so it should be interesting for the first while, haha.