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Brian VT

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Everything posted by Brian VT

  1. It's very tough to get all the water out. The water that remains in the plumbing will probably contaminate the new water when you refill. Also, if you live in a northern climate, it can freeze and break things. So...when you refill...most here recommend an Ahh-Some treatment (which kills biofilm). Then drain and refill again. You won't find much love here for SeaKlear. As far as I know, Ahh-Some has no worthy competition.
  2. It might be possible to plug the hole in the MM box by going in from the tub side? If so, then you would just need to pinch off the clear tubing where it leaves the pump "closet". Actually, you might as well pinch that hose anyway.
  3. The likely culprit is the small hose nipple broke off the back of the MM box. It's a connector for a supplemental filler hose @ 1/4" i.d. You probably weren't able to get the water out of the MM box and it froze. This filler hose is not very necessary. Some people just plug the hole in the box and plug the end of the hose. You'll need to remove the corner skirt slats and dig the foam out to get to it. You can fill the foam back in with spray foam or bubble wrap or whatever you have handy that's waterproof. I used bubble wrap. Reattaching the slats can be frustrating. Not much "meat" there to attach.
  4. Sodium bromide (what you added to your water) doesn't sanitize on it's own. It needs an oxidizer (chlorine, mps, ozone, etc.) to form bromine (a sanitizer). Add @ 6 fluid oz. of plain liquid bleach. That should bring your bromine up to @ 10. Wait until it drops a bit before using tub. Test and add bleach as required to maintain bromine @ 3. Shock (add bleach to reach 10+) if water starts to look cloudy.
  5. I've read to dye the water a color so you can track down the leak. Not sure if food coloring is appropriate or if something else should be used.
  6. If water is coming up from the screened hole in the footwell then the circulator is running (as it should be).
  7. Hot Springs would probably send you a manual. The small circulator pump should run continuously (there is no on/off for this) and the temperature should remain constant.
  8. If you did drain it, or if you didn't, you'll likely end up with some growth in the plumbing so I would recommend an AhhSome treatment before using it when you return. That being the case, I would leave it full because you'll need it full to do the Ahhsome treatment. Otherwise you'll have to fill it, treat it, drain it, and fill it again. I think the only reason to drain it would be if there is a chance a kid could get in there and drown or if there's a chance it could freeze.
  9. I don't have a photo. Sorry. It was the small Watkins circulator pump that runs 24/7. There's a thin spot in the housing, near the impeller, that just wore through (probably due to prev. owner using too much chlorine). WaterWeld claims to work under water but I already had the pump out so I dried it before applying the WaterWeld.
  10. I'd be tempted to just find a rubber plug that fits. A more-involved method might be JB WaterWeld, I used that on my plastic circulator pump housing and it's been good for 2 years.
  11. You can ask for whatever $ you want. It just depends how badly you need/want to sell it. I just saw this ad locally. (no affiliation). I wouldn't pay that much but someone that has sticker shock from looking at new ones might. https://vermont.craigslist.org/hsh/6046380137.html
  12. Congratulations on your new tub! The factory usually wet tests to check for leaks but I don't think the water left from that would be what you're describing. The factory certainly wouldn't have had a cover on it. I think yours might have been a floor model in a showroom. Even with a straight-from-the-factory tub I would recommend filling it with water and running an Ahh-Some For Spas treatment through it and then refill. Best to start off knowing everything (including the plumbing) is clean.
  13. I suspect the high chlorine demand is from something other than bathing. Probably biofilm in your plumbing. I would get some Ahh-Some for spas and do as many treatments/refills as necessary until the foam shows no contaminants.
  14. I suspect the leak is due to broken hose nipple on back/bottom of the Moto Massage box. It's fairly common. See my post with pictures here:
  15. Both of those can work great but they can be tough to regulate. If they are contributing and the tub is not being used then you'll likely have way too much sanitizer. The same can happen with a BSG if you don't know what output to set it at. Even if you did switch to a BSG you need to take the time to assess the needs of your tub. There is no one "formula" to maintain a spa. We all use them differently. The bottom line is figuring out what it takes to keep the bromine level at 2-3ppm between uses and then how much "booster" to add after bathing to account for that and be left at 2-3ppm until your next soak.
  16. Excellent post. Thank you. I think a reason that they aren't promoted by spa stores is that you won't be buying the "special" chemicals that they sell. So many folks are looking for a magic chemical that they can buy and chuck into their tub rather than spend the time to understand the (simple) process of keeping it balanced and sanitary. One of these generators is probably the closest thing to a "magic" solution. I hope to get one some day. Bleach into a bromine spa is cheap and easy enough for me and my present budget.
  17. It sounds like your sanitizer level has dropped to an unsanitary level at some point and bacteria has had a chance to get established. Get some Ahh-Some for spas, refill the tub (any clean water is fine), use Ahh-Some per directions, drain, repeat until foam stays pure white (no crud coming out of your spa's plumbing). Get a good water test kit. Ditch the strips. Decide if you want to use chlorine or bromine as a sanitizer. We can advise you from there.
  18. I had mentioned this to you before. I think you're a good candidate for a salt water chlorine generator. You'll have much more control than with a tablet floater.
  19. I think you'll be fine/happy with it. You can always turn the jets off and get heat if wanted. I have 220 but I often turn the jets off so I can just soak and listen to the stars twinkle. :-) I don't know about efficiency. Sorry.
  20. 6 tbsp is a fairly random # as they don't know the condition of your water and they don't know if you're also using an ozonator or SWCG, etc. There is no standard "recipe" for maintaining water. 6 tbsp may bring the bromine up to 6ppm or 30ppm. It'd be a crap shoot with the info. presented. For every-day sanitation, test water, enter results into an app., such as poolcalc, add chemicals as directed to maintain @ 3ppm of bromine. After bathing, add enough oxidizer to account for the increased sanitizer load and finish back at 3ppm. Soon you will "get a feel for it" and you may not need to use the app. Periodically (I rarely do), or if the water starts to get cloudy, bring bromine up to "shock" level (10+ppm) to break down organic waste (body oils, etc.). Again, an app. can tell you how much to add to arrive at 10+ppm. Avoid bathing until sanitizer levels have come down to a safe level (below 10ppm). Many of us will tell you that household bleach is better and cheaper than MPS, but MPS does work. I suspect you're going to add that it's a rental and you're not there to test the water. If we don't know the condition of the water and the amount of water then we can't tell you how much MPS to add. You should try to duplicate the conditions your tub may encounter from renters and "get a feel" for what it takes to maintain sanitation. Then you can instruct them to do the same. Without actual water testing, though, it's still a crap shoot. You don't know how many people were in the tub and you don't know how long they were in there or how "dirty" they were.
  21. I suspect you have biofilm in your plumbing that is creating the high demand of sanitizer. You said you used Ahh-Some when you got the tub. Only one treatment? Have you used it since then? One treatment may not be enough if the film is well established. I would do another treatment and be sure that all the foam is pure white and has no contaminates in it. If not, more treatments are in order.
  22. Most tubs do not drain the plumbing completely. I would hesitate to experiment while freezing temperatures are possible. On mine the heater didn't drain completely and the water froze and expanded and broke the heater. Costly mistake. Better luck to you.
  23. Congrat's on the new tub. Can't help you with pump controls. Don't even know what tub you have. Many of us recommend filling, adding Ahh-Some and running the jets to clean the tub and plumbing, draining, and refilling.
  24. You shouldn't need to lift the tub. Just dig out the foam. The likely culprit is the small hose nipple broke off the back of the MM box. It's a supplemental filler hose @ 1/4" i.d. This filler hose is not very necessary. Some people just plug the hole in the box (blue arrow) and plug the end of the hose (red arrow). You can fill the foam back in with spray foam or bubble wrap or whatever you have handy that's waterproof. I used bubble wrap. Reattaching the slats can be frustrating. Not much "meat" there to attach.
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