CleJohn

Hello fellow clevelander. I bought a Viking from The great escape out in Avon 13 months ago before winter and right in the indian summer week. Something I learned. want a huge discount? Pay cash. Ive been super happy with mine. Cleveland weather is awesome for hottubs my wife and I when driving try to see if people have hottubs in their back yard and we havent seen any from the highway or anything else. Super strange. Buying a hottub was THE smartest "luxury" purchase we have ever done. I use ours daily (that is for a year running) Little tip.. if you get the red bumps you got an allergy to the chemicals. On this forum you can learn how to use their bleach system. It was a life saver for me. Clejohn

Im here reporting in after a year. check my post history.. I used to get the mps rash.. one year later on the clorox bleach system and i am incident free. (other than dry skin when I over use the hottub) Yup.. do what chem geek says. buy the big test kit and save money using clorox. It works like a charm.

I've been on this forum since I got my hot tub about a year and a month ago. I had the SAME rash. We switched to the bleach system advocated here and it not only has been much cheaper. I havent had ANY of that rash except for recently on the back of my legs (to be fair I was in the hot tub 2 hours one day and the next an hour and a half. (I brought my tablet in and was reading magazine articles) I laid off for 3 days the rash went away. The itchiness i just had was VERY different than the rash I had when we were using MPS and nature2. That was bumps and it hasnt come back since. Bleach and the big teasting kit. I am another huge advocate of that system. 1 year and loving it.

I like it but it seems "inefficient" I'd imagine that would be quite expensive. (This coming from a guy who has the $199 Ez-Up 10x10 canopy over my hot tub for the past 13 months with ZERO issues.)

I figured I would post this here. I havent found ANY good information. Just a lot of spam sites listing things that arent really related. I have my Viking on a 8 foot by 8 foot pad (the plastic one) So here is the list of things I want in a Hot Tub Shelter 1. a Roof to keep off rain 2. sides because I live next to a gas station and there is an apartment complex where one person "could" see. 3. an area in front of the hot tub (I am thinking 4 foot by 10 would be ideal (hence the 14x10 dimension) for disrobing and maybe getting out of the rain and reading book when not tubbing. Might be a good sitting area for those not bathing too. maybe even a bench out of wood later. I am thinking of making something 12 (or 14') by 10'. I am thinking simple metal roof panels. and some sort of privacy for the side. I live in Cleveland so it does get cold in the winter for sure. Since I am sure you guys have seen this. Does anyone have links or ideas on how to build something? I have all the woodworking tools to do quite a bit of damage I am just looking for some pointers or pictures or plans. Spring is coming and Id like to make something. I saw a 7000 dollar room kit at the spa place which would be nice but I dont know 7 grand for a bunch of painted sheet metal seems excessive when I betting I can make something for sub 1000 dollars. what we tried thus far is this 200 dollars at Sams club but it wont last and I cant see buying a new one every year. One thing i have learned from Hot Tub ownership is winters in Cleveland might not get tons of snow.. but WIND! wow.. there is a LOT of wind. So.. I need to make something solid. Thanks!

Thank you for all the comments. Went to the local pool place "Leslies Pool Supply" Had a younger girl there 25 ish. She knew what she was talking about. She tested our water and said "Everything is good" We also bought a rebranded Taylor test kit just because. The red dots ARENT getting worse I have gone in a few times since then. My wife is going to try to start using more chlorine instead of using the MPS. The girl behind the counter echoed the "you might be getting microtears.. or your back might jsut be getting dried out (try lotion) She said she has sensitve skin and it happens to her "the burning sensation" The funny thing is too the little bumps are going away and they ARENT leaving behind that super pigmentation thing. so who knows. also changed the filter. I think I am going to change it weekly. The tub is close to the house and I really like doing it anyhow. Feels like I am making a difference cleaning it.

Well I just took a dip in the hottub after reading that is it bacterial or chemical and read up on it. Was in for 15 minutes (one cycle) so if it is chemical I guess we will find out shortly. It said if it is bacterial it will make no difference. So.. here we go. The wife has no such sensitivities. She is a 3-4 time a week or less user. I am once daily for certain sometimes 2-3 per day. Well she is thinking that she isnt adding enough di-chlor and is going to put in more. We are going to have to get a tester system too. That TAylor looks good but it might not be locally available. I will probably be on the doorstep of the Leslie pool supply place at 10am tommorrow (with a water sample too) Dunno. we need to get to the bottom of this.

Ok.. so what do I do now? I have searched the forum for the description of folliculitis. A couple things. The bumps dont hurt when I press them. They arent as big as the pictures. It also seems like they dont get aggrivated with hot tub usage. could it be the MPS sensitivity? (That is what my wife puts in) Nature2 system, Di-chlor and MPS Dichlor weekly MPS is daily. 4 tsp to 6 tsp a day. Which is a total guess. she has strips that test MPS but I just went and tested and MPS doesnt show up at all. So.. I guess is there a good guide system on how to use the Nature2 system somewhere. I searched "Nature2" here and didnt find a faq. is there a BETTER system? I am going to read that bleach option as that seems to be the one people like here. I am kinda upset.. dont feel like I can get in the tub now.. dont know if I should be draining it.. yea.. This week I have been in 3 times in the past 7 days and I like to use it a lot more than that. I am not really getting an answer from my wife on it. She thinks she is using TOO much chemicals.

First time spa owners here. After 4 years of going to the woods and renting a cabin with a hottub my CPA wife says to me "You know we dont sightsee that much anymore we just sit in the hottub the whole time. We should go get a hot tub. I have crunched he numbers and it probably would pay off in 3-4 times if you calculate ALL the things we do when we are there." So.. 4 weeks later yours truly had a Viking ETS in my back yard with a new plastic pad perfectly leveled and absolutely 100% dialed in 50a service disconnect. My was has taken to the chemicals as well. She used to be a lifeguard when she was in high school so I figured.. she is detail oriented.. managed the whole pool. Sounds like she is the best one to do the chemicals. I tend to "cut corners" anyhow. I have used the tub every day for the past 4 months. something that has happened to me since like week two was. when I go to bed.. my back feels burned.. kinda like a sunburn but.. I dont know more like what I imagine a chemical burn is. I have read enough of this forum while I waited for my verification email to come and I have seen that I am not an unusual Spa user. You guys my wife tests with test trips daily she says all the numbers are perfect. We use a Nature2 system where she is using the Non Clorinated shock (tsp after use) daily and like a weekly Chlorine (I think that is it) treatment. now.. granted I am using this hot tub like a mad man.. I love it. I thought I might get tired of it.. but I havent. so could it be something in the Nature2 system causing my irritation? I have NEVER had a problem with a bromine solution. That is what they use at the cabins. Granted we spent only a week there and I would use it then 5-6 times a day. Thoughts? oh and at the beginning of this week I got some itchy small bumps all over my arms and legs. I stopped using the tub for 2 days and it seems to have subsided. I hope that isnt something crazy.