DougA

Nitro wrote an AWESOME article on balancing TA and PH that seems especially helpful after a refill. Thanks Nitro! Curious if folks still use this method OR if this method leads to PH drop that is too low or damaging to equipment? Some knowledgeable folks I chat with said this process would lead to too much of a PH drop but Nitro seems to be saying the PH won't drop much if the Alk is super high. Curious if anyone has used this method and checked the PH to ensure the Ph is not getting too low. In his article, he wrote, (steps quoted directly from his article)...... "1. Turn on all your jets and air features and keep them on the entire process. (i.e. Aerate) 2. Calculate how much you want to lower your TA, and how much acid you need to add to lower it. 3. Add to the tub HALF (not > 1 cup nor < 1 TBS) of the amount of the remaining acid you need to add. 4. Aerate for 30min, and check TA/pH. 5. If TA > Target and pH is > 7.8, goto step 2. 6. If TA > Target and pH is < 7.6, goto step 4 one time. 7. If TA > Target and you can't get pH > 7.8 via aeration, Target too low. Stop here. 8. If TA = Target and pH is > 7.8, Target too high. Lower Target TA and goto step 2." Also, in step 3#, he says ........"Add to the tub HALF (not > 1 cup nor < 1 TBS) of the amount of the remaining acid you need to add (to get to the target Alk)"........ Is he referring to not greater than one cup of dry acid? If so, how much is the max amount of 31% Muriatic Acid that can be added at one time (as long as its less than 1/2 of the amount needed to get the ALK to target? Thanks, Doug

I have a 400 G. hot tub. I'm thinking about covering my drain at the bottom of my hot tub with Flex Seal Paste the next time I drain it to reduce the risk of biofilm and other stuff growing in that pipe that flows out of the tub to drain it. I'm curious if my Ahh Some flushes clean that pipe sufficiently because the water in that pipe is just standing water versus the moving water in the jet lines and tub. I don't really need the drain because I use a sump pump to take drain the water and a shop vac to get the remaining water. Do you think sealing the drain would be helpful for reducing growth or is this likely unnecessary? Do you think "Flex Seal Paste" would be safe in the tub. They claim it is? Thanks! Doug

I've seen several folks post about not being afraid to use too much bleach during a shock. What is the highest Free Chloine you would recommend in a shock to avoid damage to the tub?

I installed a SmarterSpa SWG on my 400 G. hot tub. The Smarter Spa lets you control the max free chorine by adjusting how long it runs (power) AND the minimum free chlorine by adjusting the sensor for when it turns on (zero point). What max and min free chlorine would you shoot for as I adjust it? If you have a smarter spa, any guess what would be a good "power" and "zero" setting point for a 400G tub? In talking to a technical service person at SmarterSpa, he said the SmarterSpa will not run for a minimum of 3 hours after running. Does this seem accurate in your experience. My tub is most often used by 1 person for 15-30 minutes about 7-10 times per week. It is used by two people for 15-30 minutes one or two times a week. Occasionally it's used by more people. I have used liquid chlorine so I would be willing to supplement occasionally with liquid chlorine and/or add MPS occasionally. My numbers.....CYA=25, borates=50 ppm, TA=60, Ph=8.6, Nature2, SmarterSpa, Calcium Hardness=240

I've drained and filled my hot tub twice. Both times it needed about 12 sodium bisulfate to bring down the Alk & PH. When I do a drain and fill, can I add that entire amount (12 OZ) at one time? Any tips? THanks, Doug

I have a 400 g. hot tub and measure FC and CC with a Taylor k-2006 kit with MPS correction regent R-0867 AND a Hach strip. Both Taylor k-2006 kit with MPS correction regent and Hach strip show increases in CC from 2.0 PPM to 4.6 AND FC from 1 to 1.8 in the past few days but I have NOT added dichlor, chlorine or bleach. I've only added PH down, Alkalinity UP and MPS. Should any of these INCREASE the FC and CC? I use Nature2, MPS after every soak (daily) and weekly addition of 1 cup bleach (my CYA is 100). I used to use 2.4 T. diclor weekly. Thanks, Doug

I used the K-2006 with MPS regent to get the CC readings so I'm guessing they are right. Confirmed 5.0 with two brands of test strips too

I have a 400 g. hot tub with Nature2, MPS and occasional adds of bleach because CYA is high (100 ppm). My combined chlorine is 5.0 in my hot tub. Free chlorine is a 2.0. Can I fix the combined chlorine with MPS? If so, how much should I use? Any other recommendations. Thanks! Doug

Thanks for this very helpful post. Why is it recommended to have any CYA in a hot tub if it reduces effectiveness of chlorine? What is the best level of CYA to maintain in a hot tub. I've seen 20 or 30? I use Spa Choice Diclor which the ingredients say is 55.5% available chorine. How much of this diclor would I need to add to my tub to get it to 30 PPM? Thank you very much! Doug

I have a friend who has had hot tubs for over 15 years that is trying to get me to switch over to saltwater. He runs a saltwater spa and said its so easy and very effective. Are they an effective sanitizer? Do they damage pumps or spas? Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you, Doug

I've done LOTS of reading on this site and learned a TON. I've been using Nature2 with MPS after soaks and ensuring MPS level is OK with Nature2 strips before soaks. I currently use diclor shock about once a week. I like this system but want to ensure I keep my free clorine at 0.5 or 1.0 because several folks have suggested that. What is the best and easiest way to do that? I prefer to do this without switching diclor for MPS after soaks. I use tub daily or more and leaving cover off after diclor is a pain in the winter because I live in MN. Thanks, Doug

Waterbear....thank you very much for your details above. VERY helpful. When you say, " test sanitizer weekly using FAS-DPD (Taylor K02006)," what is the sanitizer???? Do you mean chlorine or bromine or mPs or whatever you use OR do you mean something else? Thanks, Doug

If you used strips in addition to the Taylor kit for frequent testing, what test strips do you like the best? We used our hot tub daily or more. With the strips you're recommending, are there tests on the strip that are especially inaccurate and you should always use th Taylor kit

Hello. I run Nature2 with non-chlorine shock and occasional diclor (weekly or a bit more often). One of the staff at the Nature2 company said......……if free chlorine readings do not match "not free Chlorine readings", I should shock with diclor. I think that's what he said but I'm curious if he was saying free and total chlorine reading should be the same. How do I measure "non free chorine" readings. Do I just subtract Total from Free Choline to get "non free chlorine" Is this important to be checking and how often would you recommend checking this? Any other information, articles, links, etc. would be appreciated to better understand this. Thank you, Doug

What are the advantages of using diclor versus MPS? If using diclor instead of MPS, do you need to monitor for CYA? Do you need to monitor for CYA with MPS? What do you do if CYA is too high or too low? (I don't understand CYA yet.)