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cmh

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  1. Hi folks, My local community (Ottawa, Canada) has tap water with a high pH (9.39) and low TA (35.3) (per city reports). The tap pH is too high to measure, but the TA checks out with my Taylor test kit. My problem is that if I use Muriatic Acid to drop pH to around 7.6 and add Spa Up to raise the TA to around 100-110 then the pH climbs with time and the TA drops with time. This makes water balance frustrating. From online threads, I understand I could leave the TA low, drop pH with acid and then add borax to buffer. Then perhaps the pH would be more stable, and I wouldn't need to worry about low TA because the borax would be helping. This is in a 1000 L hot tub. FYI, for sanitizer, I am using 2-part bromine to get started after a refill, floater with bromine pucks, and adding bleach after each soak to reactivate bromine. Questions: 1. What TA and pH I should target before adding borax? 2. How much borax should I add? I am using 20 Mule Team 99.5% pure. 3. I like to use the "saturation index" calculator that came in the Taylor test kit to confirm balance. Can I adjust for the borax in the water somehow?
  2. Want to be taking a scientific approach to water maintenance within my knowledge base. I am using a 3-part bromine chemistry. Part 1 is 35% sodium bromide (liquid). For part 2 I was using Potassium MPS, but the powder available here is weak (32%), and I realized I could be using cheap bleach to wake up the bromine after each soak, so now using bleach. Part 3 is brominating tablets (65% bromine/ 28.95% chlorine) in a float feeder, which I set to keep levels constant around 4 ppm total bromine when the tub is not in use. I am checking the levels with a Taylor FAS-DPD bromine test kit. My question is whether I need to be hyperbrominating the tub weekly? I understand that, in chlorine chemistry, a distinction is needed between free available chlorine and combined chlorine. Combined chlorine is not an effective sanitizer. Therefore, regular superchlorination is needed to break down combined chlorine back into free available chlorine and the cycle continues. However, I understand that combined bromine compounds are effective sanitizers. Therefore, it sounds like hyperbromination is not needed. As well, a certain amount of fresh sodium bromide is added each week, and my understanding is that this should ensure new free bromine becomes available anyway. Hyperbromination puts the tub out of use for at least 24-36h while the levels come down again. This limits our use of the tub, and I do not want to do it if not really necessary, or do it less frequently. I am wondering if hyperbromination is really needed? And if it is needed, whether it is really needed once a week. ---- p.s. I have not used the word "shock" above because there is clear confusion online between products that raise chlorine/bromine levels (I bought shock at the store today and added a little shock to the tub after my soak) and hyperchlorination/hyperbromination (once a week I shock my tub up to 20 ppm bromine).
  3. Just following up on this. We bought the hydropool, and got a good deal from a friendly local dealer who had this model in their showroom for over a year. It fits four quite nicely, as long as you like the other couple. But who invites people they don't like to sit in the hot tub together? The footwell has just enough space for the 3 people, and the person in the lounger doesn't really affect the others at all. Only issue is the potential for a bit of overflow if the water level is high to start with. A bit of refilling solves that issue. Loving the hot tub.
  4. I'm located in Ottawa, Canada and looking for a hot-tub for year-round use. As we have a small backyard, I am looking for a rectangular model as opposed to a square. The tub will mostly be used by me and my wife, but we would like to be able to occasionally shoehorn in another couple (e.g. if we have friends over for dinner). So far I have identified the Hydropool Serenity 4000 and the Coast Omega as potential options. These are nice because they have a lounger, but the seat setup looks like 4 could sit. I am wondering if there are any other models out there that I should also be considering. Also any insight on whether these are likely to be comfortable, reliable and cost-effective given Ottawa winters. Any other tips appreciated.
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