HotTubSayTay

One lesson I learned, Its just as important to clean inside the skimmer as it is the shell of the tub. Two days after my final fill I noticed biofilm in the skimmer.. Luckily it was not too hard to remove. A second lesson I learned, the diameter of the hose is very important when it comes to draining. My 1/2 hose took forever.. I plan on finding a 1 1/4" sump pump hose for my next drain.. hopefully that's spring 2022. Few notes for new owners 4KW heater raised the water temp at a rate of 4 degrees per hour. My starting water temp was 54 degrees Filling 430 gallons through a X10 filter took just over 2 hours. Draining took 2.5 hours

Thank @waterbear @dashmer @RDspaguy for your feedback. Several people advised against wasting water & ahh-some as a first purge.. I'm glad I did not listen to them. Attached are pics of the purge on a tub that's only 2 weeks old and never used.

@ByronF Are you currently measuring your TDS? If so what's the value?

Thank you dashmer for you feedback! Looks like those who know a thing or two about hot tub chemistry are no longer available or online. I will continue to update this thread for first time tubbers so they can learn from my experience/mistakes. ~HTST

Out of the tap through a new x10 PH 6.8 TA 120 Br 0 Hardness 250 Should I be worried with 250 hardness ? (assume I raise PH to 7.4-7.8)

Hello All, Accepting delivery of my first hot tub and a few questions come to mind. The tub has an ozonator. Hot tub reseller provided a AquaChek 4in1 test strip package for my Bromine Spa. I notice it did not test for Free Bromine(Br) and inquired. They mentioned that its not important if I'm adding shock weekly, and keeping my total Br in check. My wife and I plan on doing two 20 minute dips a day(first thing in the morning, last thing at night) and a few times a week the kids will join us. Do I need to test for free Br? We planned on adding a a little MPS at the end of the day following our last dip. A Zorbie will always be floating in the tub. Hot tub reseller says its not important to test hardness as that's only relevant in pools with a concrete shell and vinyl liner( something about long term damage to liner). Apparently fiberglass tubs are not subjected to that. I'm new to this and only recently learned about enzymes. Instead of adding MPS daily is it advisable to add an enzyme like Natural Chemistry Spa Perfect to combat whatever the bather introduces daily? (Note: We will ban anyone that does not shower before entering the tub. Bathing suits will also be prewashed in a quick water only cycle to remove phosphates. Sounds crazy but i'm trying to keep the water as natural and safe as possible with the least amount of chemicals). Considering how frequently we will be in the tub, what is a reasonable frequency to test PH/TDS/Free & Total BR/TA Hot tub start up consists of filling with cold water (through skimmer), pump & leak check, 25 minute "Ahh-some" run (cleaning sides constantly), Rinse tub while purging, wipe down, fill and heat to 99, check and adjust PH, wait 2 hours if adjusted then adjust TA, wait 1 hours then add BR. Did I miss anything? Or is anything in the wrong order? Thanks in advance for helping out a noob!