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About a month ago my wife and I purchased a new Jacuzzi J-345. In the past month I have had a crash course in spa water chemistry. It was a little overwhelming at first, but I have learned a great deal, thanks in no small part to this forum, especially Nitro's post. The spa is equipped with the ClearRay UV sanitation system and came with a “starter kit” consisting of a bottle of Silk Balance, pH increaser and decreaser, chlorine powder (dichlor), non-chlorine shock (MPS), and some 4-in-one test strips. According to the Silk Balance brochure, all I had to do after filling the spa was add a tablespoon of chlorine powder, adjust pH to 7.2 – 8.2 and total alkalinity to 80 – 120 ppm (using the test strips), and the next day add 4 oz of Silk Balance. Then, add one tablespoon per person of MPS shock after each use of the pool, and once a week add a tablespoon of chlorine and 4 oz of Silk Balance. That's it - no testing and monitoring necessary. This scares me to death. The first thing I bought was a Taylor K-2006 drop test kit (based on recommendations in this forum). I determined that within a couple of days after adding the chlorine I had no detectable FC, and pH tended to creep up to above 8.0 over the course of the week. So, now I add a half teaspoon or so of dichlor every night or two, just enough to keep FC above 1 ppm, and a teaspoon or so of pH decreaser to maintain pH at 7.4 – 7.6. I continue to add the MPS after each use. Fridays after we use the spa I also add a teaspoon of dichlor, and Saturday mornings I add the Silk Balance. Here are my readings this morning: pH – 7.4, FC – 5.4, CC – none, TA – 100 ppm, CH – 140, CYA – less than 30 ppm. I have questions: Am I doing this right? Comments and suggestions greatly appreciated. The Silk Balance came with the spa, and my wife and I have both noticed how nice it makes our skin feel. However, it is priced about the same as Dom Perignon. Are there other (less pricey) additives with similar results? Nitro mentioned something called Gentle Spa.