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One needs expose to an allergen over time before one develops an allergy. How long it takes partially depends on how often and at what level you are exposed to the sensitizer. Dermatitis from hot water does happen in some individuals, it is a form of heat rash and can appear as small, itchy bumps or a generalized redness of the skin. There can be an underlying contributing medical condition.

I use chlorine. No mps on hand at all. I have used cal hypo in the past to raise my hardness but no alternative sanitizers. I do have ozone, the light still lights up but it is also 20 years old so I just assume it's not doing much. I did consult my dr, he thinks it is a form of dermatitis and not foliculitus. It definitely looks like a rash when I get it. Small red bumps, my arm pit are is clustered together as a full blown rash. Other parts of my body just have random bumps. When you say I wouldnt have a reaction initally, I have used the tub a lot for the past year. Is it normal that say a year of use and it's just now showing up? On a small veer off topic, if I switched to chlorine there is no recommended floater since trichlor keeps adding cya right? I assume a SWG would be the correct way to "set it and forget it" on the days I am not using it? I dont mind daily additions of chlorine to the pool, thats really easy since theres not cover. Having to do it with the hot tub is a little bit more a pain when it's not used everyday. Also if I have developed a sensitivity to bromine, will lowering the level possibly help or is it's presence enough to upset my body?

LaMotte uses DPD to test sanitizer and MPS (non chlorine shock) will test as combined chlorine. This known interference is a limitation of DPD testing. Taylor does have a special reagent to remove the interference from MPS for use with their K-2005 (DPD) and K-2006 (FAS-DPD) test kits. The jump in pH was an interference from the high level of MPS. The pH was not that high. In fact, MPS is acidic and your pH was prbably a bit lower than 7.6 at that point. Lesson here is to never test pH when sanitizer test indicates it is at or above 10 ppm (TC or TB). MPS is a known sensitizer. Stop using it. IF you are using bromine then activate with chlorine, not MPS (I prefer liquid chlorine or plain, unscented laundry bleach (both are sodium hypochlorite, only difference is concentration with laundry beach usually 5.25%, 6%, or 8.25% and liquid chlorine 10% or 12.5%. The generator produces sodium hypochlorite (bleach). Ozone destroys chlorine btw. Is your ozone unit UV-C or Corona Discharge? Is your UV a separate germicidal lamp or the UV in the ozone generator? My guess is that it's from MPS. Dermatitis from hot water does happen in some individuals, it is a form of heat rash and can appear as small, itchy bumps or a generalized redness of the skin. There can be an underlying contributing medical condition.

D.sebens i have been having similar issues. One year ago, I bought Intex portable spa to test if my wife and I would really use it. No jets, just bubbles. First timer at this and the water quality was all over the map, but I never got any rash or itch. We used 4-5 times a week. Last summer in August, we decided to get a full hot tub. I have had all kinds of rashes, eczema outbreaks and a few really nasty infections that will leave marks for the rest of my life. I have tried chlorine and bromine and am now going to try salt water. What could have changed in one year? one thing helped, I don’t use jets directly. Every time I used jets, I get a rash where the jets hit. When the temperature is over 100, I get a strong rash. Under 100 degrees and it is much less. I bought The lamotte spin touch water tester and have learned a ton about water balancing but have yet to find a solution to my rashes. As a side note, my blood sugar has been much higher than the prior year and I am sure this is a big contributor. so I decided to start all over, even though this is brand new tub. 1) drain tub and clean completely 2) Vaccuum out all water. 3) fill tub FROM house water which has three stage filter with UV. 4) Tested water. Alkalinity and ph good, no metals, no cya, no phosphate. added a little calcium to make water a little harder. NO CHLORINE or bromine was added or anything to adjust PH or TA. basically this was bath tub water. Used same day for one hour with no jets, water temp 98 degrees and had no reaction or rash. After 1 hour of use with my wife. put in 2 oz non chlorine shock. tested water that night. To my surprise, FC was still 0 but TC was 20 ppm and ph jumped from 7.6 to 8.4. All I did was add non chlorine shock! I waited till TC came down. next morning TC was 2. How can TC be 2 if I never added chlorine and it was 0 the day before and all I used was 2oz of non chlorine shock. turns out non chlorine shock interferes with TC measurement and gives false readings. FC is not impacted. so now with TC at 2 and adding a little ph decreaser of about 1 oz, I try tub again. Temperature is 101. Now, 3 days later, I am still itching like crazy, sleeping maybe an hour or two a night and covering myself with prescriptions from doctor to alleviate itch and rash. My wife had no reaction at all and was totally fine. As an additional note. I tested the water the morning after our last use and did not add any chemicals after the last use the night before. Both FC and TC are back to 0. The whole test period had no smell and crystal clear water. my blood sugar has been between 200 and 350 Should be somewhere between 100 and 165. Now yesterday, I found out I got shingles so tub is out for awhile. I would recommend you 1) check with a doctor. 2) keep temperature down below 100. 3) avoid direct jets. 4) shower immediately before and after with anti bacterial soap. 5) ensure swim wear and and robes are cleaned. Chlorine and bromine do stick to clothes. 6) I found bromine to be less offensive, but had to turn off ozonator and up light. It seems to messes up free bromine. Non chlorine shock had same interference effect as with chlorine. 2oz and TC jumps to 20. 2 days later, 4.0. Free bromine always .02. Could not tell how much bromides were in tub and Combined Chlorine/Bromine was all over the map from 0 to 30. Could not get Free Chlorine/Bromine to get above .02 even when Total Chlorine/Bromine was also .02. Was reading that UV light destroys bromine.. Starting all over again this week but switching to salt water chlorine generator with ozonator and uv light. I would love to hear anyones thoughts on this rash issue also. john

A doctor would be able to determine if the rash is fungal or bacterial, but given its winter time maybe you have developed a certain sensitivity to the tub water.

So just a follow up on purging and the rash I was getting. Every time I drain the hot tub (every 3-4 months) I purge it with awesome and I think the other issue I had was the chlorine level, I think I was putting in a little too much. So I put in just under 2 teaspoons of granular chlorine every other day if I’m the only one using the tub and then once a week I put in 2 tablespoons of shock along with rinsing out the filters every 10 days. I have a hotspring flair and I can say I am rash free. My skin is sensitive to certain things so I just thought I would pass this along

Sorry buddy, I am a volunteer with limited time to devote to this forum and am not watching a video. There are many variations on a few basic methods of maintaining spa water. Mps (non-chlorine shock) is an oxidizer that does not raise free chlorine to eliminate combined chlorine, and in theory should be used if a shock is needed immediately before use to avoid the high chlorine level that results from shocking with chlorine. The problem is that many more people have adverse reactions to mps than chlorine. Search this forum for "rash" and you'll see. And mps in the water will throw off other readings, such as chlorine and ph, leading to more problems if over-used. Masters spas, and all spa manufacturers, simply repeat what chemical manufacturers say. They do not make or test chemicals. Chemical manufacturers sell chemicals, and recommend every product they make, needed or not. Masters spas usually have an ozone generator on a 24/7 circulation system, and ozone is a much stronger oxidizer than mps. With ozone, you should not have any cc buildup, and will see dropping fc levels.

I have had a spa for about 3 years. Leisure Spa 400 gallons, for the first year I broke out with a terrible itchy rash stomach. Arms and legs. I finally figured out after buying some stuff from California "enzymes " that made my hot tube smell like fish and they said shock it with non-chlorine shock, and I broke out again. Then I went to Dichlor and low and be hold happend again. MPS. So I have switched to Bromine and shocking with clorox. My problem is after 2-4 weeks the water still looks clean but if I turn the jets on with air it bubbles and the water gets cloudy. My spa does have ozone not sure exactly what that means. I just drained cleaned, cleaned filters, refilled. I take 1 and a half of my bromine tablets and grind it into a powder to start. Need help on foamy bubble.

I know this post is a little old now, but I thought I would post something that has seemed to help me (fingers crossed). I had been reading this for ideas and then found something else to try. so, my husband and I have had a spa for 5 years. We used it on a weekly basis and no problems. Then one day I broke out in a very itchy rash. It happened each time I went back in the spa. My husband was not affected. we drained the spa and checked chemicals, but it kept happening. so, we drained the spa and switched to a new system that doesn’t use the same chemicals. so far, so good…but I’ll post if things change this is the website I got them off: https://www.crystalwaterspss.com.au/ maybe they can help someone else

We have had our hot tub for a month. The first 2-2 1/2 weeks there was no problems except for balancing. We farm and ranch so we put in long physical days. We sit in our tub at least 3 hours nightly, sometimes with friends. The people that set up the tub told us to check the levels once a week and treat once a week. That obviously would not work and I found that out the hard way. I'm a freak about researching things so I went to work and figured it out on my own. In the process I found chemicals that was a better quality than what came with my package deal so I ordered those and started transitioning to those. Well all hell broke lose for my husband. At about 3 weeks I had changed to the new chlorine and was using the non chlorine shock off and on. He got "the" rash. It wasn't to bad at first, just treated it with cortisone cream. About half way through the forth week, after I had started using the new brand of chlorine and shock solely, he woke up with a swollen face, eyes and his cheeks were hard to the touch, not to mention his whole body was covered in hives! He started his treatment yesterday and is responding well. Back to my obsessive research. At first I thought it was the chlorine, had to be, right? I researched for hours. I had to because my husband has wanted a hot tub for 10 years and I always said no because I didn't want to take care of it, but after sitting in it, I was hooked! So I went to the store and asked the guy if the two chlorine's I was using had the same ingredients in them. We checked the labels and yes they were the same. So then I asked about the shock and he said yes they were the same, until he read the label. The shock I started with was Spa Ease Oxy Blast and is sodium peroxydisulfate, it's more like peroxide. The shock I had switched to 3/4 of the way through had potassium peroxymonosulfate. The timing of use of these ingredients pretty much has me convinced it was the potassium. I got the Oxy Blast and started using it again. It will be a few more days before he can sit in it again but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he was allergic to just the potassium in the one shock.

Yep. Chlorine. You can use dichlor (spa chlorine granules) until cya reaches 30 then switch to liquid (bleach). Keep ph balanced, most reactions are to ph. Does your spa have ozone or uv? I recommend ahhsome spa purge in any new-to-you spa, even a brand new one. You'd be shocked at the nasties that can grow in pipes. Search this forum for "rash" and see what others have done to determine the source of their issues.

@Lazarus Hi! Can you share what brand of chlorine shock you are using? We are having the itchy rash and am trying to find how to do a shock while avoiding PPMS or MPS.

First off, folliculitis is not a thing in your hot tub, it's a reaction in your follicles. Hence "folliculitis". Many things can cause this, including the chemicals you use. Start by searching this forum for "rash" or "itchy" and read what some others have done to try to determine the cause. Then come back to discuss any questions.

Purge the spa using Ahh-Some plumbing line cleaner each time you change the water (3 Months) and remove the build up of bio-film from inside the pipes. Google hot tub rash or folliculitis

New hot tub owner (male) - advised to use non-chlorine shock once a week. Developed awful itchy rash on my back despite chemical balance being consistently correct. Interestingly, my wife did not develop any reaction. Read about the PPMS potential for allergy so drained, cleaned and flushed the tub etc. Now only using chlorine shock in minimal doses as winter use of tub is minimal. NO RASH!

MPS rash is real! I had what was similar to poison ivy mostly on the back of my calves that would not go away. I removed MPS and replaced it with a regular dichlor shock and my rash went away quickly. After six months of feeling like I have mastered my chemistry in the tub with dichlor, I switched it out with MPS and within a week I am back to a poison ivy like rash on the back of my calves.

Hello Scryden: Your vanishing free chlorine situation points to exactly what ratchet said. Your tub has biofilm issues. Every single brand new hot tub sold today needs their plumbing purged to remove the slime-forming microorganisms. In addition to purging a new tub it is imperative that you perform this plumbing colonoscopy on a regular basis, usually every 6 months. Small gallon hot tubs neeed to have this done every 4 months. Swim Spas can go 12 months. Free chlorine decay rates is the red flag. We have some dealers, one in particular in Victoria, BC, who purges every single hot tub upon delivery. He thoroughly explains why they do this and proceeds to educate the new owner about testing and maintaining healthy water. Unfortunately, very few dealers will take the time to do this important first purge before use. You need to do this. You will definitely see dramatic changes in your free chlorine readings. Performing regular plumbing colonoscopies is the single most important maintenance protocol you can do to ensure you soak in crystal clear and healthy hot tub water. All it takes is for a new user to get hot tub rash from Pseudomonas Aeruginosa biofilm bacteria or something far worse, and they become believers. Why won't manufacturers and dealers just tell consumers the facts? Scryden: Do the community a huge favor. Purge your hot tub with an effective plumbing cleaner soon. Remember, all plumbing cleaners are not of equal potency. Get one that works. Then, report back to the forum regarding your free chlorine decay rate. The community is trying to help you out so you can help all those new hot tub owners coming behind you.

Few things to consider..... New hottubs are filthy things from factory assembly and testing (the water used in testing is often reused in the factory for a week or more before they change it - just imagine what's floating around in THAT water lol). Lots of nasty stuff festers in the plumbing between assembly and delivery days. Pretty much every new hottub needs a ton of extra sanitizer to fully clean the inside of the spa. Biofilm and other nasty contaminates and eat up your excess free chlorine very fast. This goes back to the first point I mentioned. Currently, you may not be using enough chlorine to maintain your spa. Does your hottub have an Ozonator unit? Ozone burns off organic contaminants through oxidation (like shock) but is such a strong oxidizer that it even reacts with free chlorine. This means you can shock after use and not have to soak in a bleach bath the next day, because the ozone will burn off all the chloramines and most of the chlorine overnight. Some brands tie the ozonator to a circulation pump running 24/7 which is more effective than many budget brands who toss in an ozonator and pair it to run with the filter cycle twice a day (ozone doesn't build up in the water, so its only effective while being injected into the water) Water chemistry woes are a problem for basically everyone with a new hottub. Even the glues used in construction are acidic and will pull the pH down over time until they fully neutralize internally. Plan on draining/refilling after 1-3 months and I promise your water chemistry will be MUCH easier (note, many of us like to use a purge cleaner like AhhSome to extensively clean the internal plumbing before every drain/refill. I suggest looking into it). There are a dozen different ways to care and maintain your water. My dealer's care routine has me dosing the spa after each use with granular chlorine, and testing the pH once a month when I clean the filters and the cover. But my care routine is not compatible with every spa on the market My advice is to be careful taking advice from strangers on the internet, especially while you're still new and learning how to care for your spa. Water borne illnesses are no joke, you do NOT want to deal with Pseudomonas folliculitis (Hottub Rash). Your local CalSpa dealer should have knowledge of your hottub's configuration and your local water source - I would consult with them and take their advice for water care until you know what you're doing. (And by the same token, know that pool chemical supply dealers are in the business of selling chemicals. I would be careful taking a water sample to a pool chemical supply store for advice as I guarantee they'll sell you a bunch of chemicals you don't necessarily need)

Hi again. Thanks for the link. I have been in contact again with spa marvel and they said that i shouldn't combine spa marvel with a salt brominator system! I have been following all the advice given by waterbear and have acheived a perfect water balance when measured. The only issue is that bacteria is invisible and when my rash has gone i would like to know 100% that i have removed the problem before i bathe again. As the water has been "Shocked" to 12ppm with bromine i was hoping this is sufficient, but i have no way to measure the effectiveness of my treatment.

Wonkhester: Waterbear has made numerous postings for you to follow. Just do what the man says and you will see vast improvement. Regarding the hot tub rash, I am somewhat informed what causes this in many cases and would instruct you again to do what Waterbear says to do. Besides following his chemical recommendations it is extremely important that you Purge your hot tub with a high-quality purge product. The recommended purge product is the AhhSome as it will remove the bacteria that is most likely causing your rash. That bacteria is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. The Ahh-Some product has been tested at America's #1 Biofilm Testing University, Montana State University, and is successful in removing this biofilm. Actually, when compared to an enzymatic purge product the ahhSome was rated as being more effective at removing the "PA" biofilm by over 5,000%. This data is on the internet. You mention a product in one of your postings called Spa Marvel. This may be a worthwhile product but I recently found information on this enzyme that was put to the test by an "OCD" hot tub owner. I will attach the link here for you to read since you previously brought this product up in your recent post. What this forum tries to do is help you. I have been more active with my postings of late because I see so much mis-information and speak to hundreds upon hundreds of hot tub owners who are frustrated because they hear so many methods and recommendations. This forum and its participants really have your interest at heart. So Wonkhester, follow what Waterbear has told you. His wisdom on the subject of water maintenance is enlightening. Here is the article I ran across on the Spa Marvel. https://rvdoug.com/blog/spa-marvel-review-part-1-the-enzymes/

Ok, thanks again. I had a check up at the skin doctor and they didnt think it was a bacteria problem.... however we had a group of friends over this weekend and then without checking the levels, i got in and bathed yesterday..... i now know that the brom levels had dropped significantly between saturday and sunday, as low as 1,8.... now i am covered in a rash! I guess that was a rookie error and a costly one to my body! Now to boost brom over 10! 🙂

Do you mean 2.2 ppm? IF so that is too low . Bromine should test between 4 and 6. My guess is that you have pseudomonas because of under sanitized water and that is causing hot tub itch. Was this level determined by your strip reader or by your ORP sensor? If it's from the ORP sensor it might not be correct. Alkalinity is a bit high for a tub with a salt generator but your pH is low. Harness is perfect. Did you just add acid? How fast does pH rise. IF you need to add acid to lower pH often try dropping the alkalinity to about 60 ppm. https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52522-some-truths-about-ph-and-ta/ https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/28846-lowering-total-alkalinity-howto/ ORP stands for oxidation reduction potential and it is a measure of the sanitizing power of the water, Conductivity is a measure of the ionic species dissolved in the water. In your case it would be mostly sodium ions and bromide ions because of your bromine salt system. ORP is usually used in commercial installations to control sanitizer additions to compensate for different bather loads. The electrodes do need to be replaced and properly stored or the readings are useless. Personally I don't think they belong in a home system since it does take some training to understand and interpret the readings. However, at a pH of 7.2 an ORP reading of 722 roughly translates into a bromine level < 1 ppm indicating that your water is severely under sanitized. However, ORP is a constantly changing value throughout the day while a ppm value is a constant more or less so the correlation is loose at best. A chemical test for bromine level is your best bet, IMHO. Bottom line, from what you have posted it seems that your bromine levels are low and that is allowing 'nasties' to grow in your water and they are the most likely cause of your rash and itching. Best bet is to get the rash diagnosed by your doctor or dermatologist to determine if it is psuedomonas folliculitis or a chemical sensitivity.

The salt you are using is sodium sodium bromide, which generates hypobromous acid (bromine sanitizer). Chlorine based salt systems use sodium chloride to generate hypochlorous acid (chlorine sanitizer). These are the same santiziers that form in the water from other sources of bromine or chlorine such as bromine tabs or dichlor granules . The In.Clear system can only be used with sodium bromide. Second, how are you testing your water? This tells us nothing, We need the actual test result numbers to get some idea what is going on. Please post a full set of test results NOT done with test strips. They are useless for balancing water. Third, Please list all products you are using in the water (shocks and their composition, water balanacers, etc. While bromine can be a sensitizer for some individuals it is not common and it usually does not appear after several months. If it does turn out to be a bromine sensitivity then switching to chlorine and not using your Salt Water Bromine generator will solve the problem since chlorine is not a known sensitizer, but you will have to dose the chlorine manually. There are other things that can cause an itchy rash and the most common is called "hot tub rash" or "hot tub Folliculitis" caused by the germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa. caused by improperly santized water. This is why we need actual test numbers. Here is more information: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/rwi/rashes.html Another common source of a rash from hot tub water is the use of MPS (Potassium Monopersulfate) as a shock. Persulfates are known sensitizers and dermal irritants. By using bleach or dichlor as a shock after a fresh fill will solve the problem and chlorine will convert to hypobromous acid in the presence of sodium bromide. This is how both 2 step and 3 step manual bromination work. This is an enzyme product Enzymes are not santizers and will not allow you to run lower sanitzer levels. Here is a quote from their instructions from their website: "Add sanitizer as per your professional spa retailer’s guide­lines." Where enzymes might be useful is in removing biofilm during a purge procedure. However, from what I have seen posted in this forum, the most effective and popular purge product is Ahh-some. So, please post a full set of test results and a list of all products added to the water and we can take it from there. Also, I am going to split your post into its own thread so it will have a better chance of being seen.

I have a hotspring flair and I have been using chlorine granules since I’ve owned it for a year now. I developed a rash I emptied it cleaned it thoroughly and refilled it. The test strips shows almost perfect balance water is crystal clear I come to the conclusion my skin is sensitive to chlorine,it doesn’t effect anyone else using it. Would going with bromine help my problem thanks in advance.

Hey everyone.....I cant seem to keep the chlorine down. I am using a chlorine puck every 6 days or so, and a cap of refresh once a week along with the aqua finesse. I shower right before i hit the tub for a soak, and im practically the only person in it. I am now starting to get skin irritation, kinda like a sun burn and a few follicles get inflamed and itchy. ( before my tub purchase, i have had dry skin problems with my enzyme, small dry skin patches) Im wondering is i should switch to bromine ? Cut down the refresh? I love my tub but last night i used it for the first time in a few weeks ( due to -30 weather) and got out and was scratching like crazy. Water is crystal clear , no foam or residue lines. One thing I noticed , is , the water does smell nice and clean, but when I get out and start to dry off, my arms have a sour smell, and then while my towel is wet it has the same smell. When the towel dries off , the smell goes away . Here are my tests taken half hour ago , any advice for me please?