khurley

Thank you for your reply. I've spent a lot of time trying to understand this, but there is a lot of information out there, and it is overwhelming. I did realize that my CYA was 150ppm, not 200ppm as stated above. I have drained and refilled my spa today. The temp is at 78 degrees and I haven't added any chemicals to it, because I don't know what to add. I have a drop test kit coming tomorrow, but in the meantime my test strips show this: FC - 0 Ph - 8.4 TA - 120 TH - 200 CYA - 40 Since this is fresh tap water on a complete drain, I guess my city water comes with some CYA already in it. Can I just start adding some bleach now?

Hello All -I am so happy to have found a forum about hot tubs, thank you! I posted this in another forum, but after reading through some of the posts here, I think this might be a more knowledgeable group. I am so very, very confused. My number one question is - should I drain my tub due to high CYA levels?About a month ago I upgraded my small concrete porch to a new concrete pad and thought, a hot tub would be perfect right there. I started looking into it and was hooked. I got my first hot tub almost 2 weeks ago, a Hot Springs Rhythm (no add-ons).I think of myself as a fairly capable person, but when it comes to water maintenance, I get very confused. When the hot tub was installed I got what the dealer called "spa school". This guy babbled off a bunch of stuff to me and gave me several bottles of chemicals. I did my best to write down everything he said.Here are my struggles: *After only 2 weeks my bottle of Chlorine is almost empty, and my CYA level is at 200ppm. I have researched and found that the high CYA levels are a result of using so much dichlor - is that what I call Chlorine?? And that high CYA levels will render the chlorine ineffective. I called the dealer to ask if I should drain the tub and start all over, but they said that CYA is only significant in pools, and that I don't need to worry about it. I just have a hard time believing that from what I have read online. They also said that since I use a mineral stick in my filter, the test strip will always show my chlorine at zero. Is this really true? And they said that I only need to add chlorine once a week. This is not what the installer told me in spa school. *At first I focused on PH and TA. It took a whole week, but I finally got those numbers down to an acceptable level. The installer told me to look at PH first, and get that squared away before looking at anything else. However, online I find that TA is the first thing to regulate, then PH. Which is correct?? *Also, I was not given any chemicals to increase TA if it gets too low, which it is now close to doing now. What should I buy? *I was told to use shock once a week, as well as Stain and Scale control. Is this correct? Can I add them at the same time? *After a few days of having the tub I was starting to get some floating scum, so I bought some enzyme. It appears to be working well. How often should I add that? *Lastly, is there a better way than using all this product?? I know I must seem very confused, I am. I would greatly appreciate any help anyone has to offer.Thanks in advance!