Water Changes

[Brock]

Well, I have had the spa for about 30 days right now....it has been used pretty much EVERY NIGHT for at least 30 minutes and usually 1 hour per soaking.

Usually two persons in it but at one time had 8 in it and another time had three in it...

Uses Bromine and mineral float with Shock added every day or two and spa has O3 during scheduled filteration cycles which now run a total of 6 hours per day.

Here are some questions I have:

1. never had TH near ideal level...hangs in LOW area. Will this affect my ability to stabilize my other chemicals significantly? Plan on trying to add some calcium to raise this weekend.

2. PH has been in HIGH range for a good part of month but Alkalinity is about right.

3. Bromine has always been low unless I put a large dosage in for shock but does not last and allow Bromine kit and filteration to keep Bromine levels where needed...they tend to be in low area as well.

Now this week started noticing more foam in spa when BLOWER or air jets are opened and in use. Could nightly soakings introduce that much organic material to cause foaming after only 30 days with regular filteration and chem checks?

Any idea what is keeping my Bromine from maintaining levels. Cant remember name of chems using but directions say I should only have to shock once a week or after exceptionally heavy usage...but I tend to need to shock after every soaking to keep it marginal much less in IDEAL settings.

Water changes I have read are needed usually around 6-8 weeks.....here I am at 4 weeks and thinking I might need to do water change this weekend. Could it be that my spa is new and there were other contaminants in pipes and tubing that I am dealing with as a NEW SPA and it breaking in and such?

Any comments appreciated.... Planning on water change and starting chems from scratch this weekend....and possibly checking other brand of chems out for use with the bromine floater with mineral cartridge. I know it is not the best but it is not messy and has worked adequately though not as well as I would like....but not sure what is chemical and floater induced and what is by me being a NEW spa owner and gaining experience every day.

Thanks for any input....

[TinyBubbles]

Raising your calcium hardness should help with foaming. You say your ph has been high, have you tried to lower it? High ph can be corrosive. You say you use a floater, have you tried adjusting that to change your bromine level? How low is your bromine reading? You really shouldn't need to change your water after 6-8 weeks, let alone 4. If you had 8 people in your spa, I would assume people were wearing suits. If the suits had detergent left in them, this can cause foaming. We only rinse our suits out in water, and only use them when it's light out. Have you been rinsing your filters regularly? I would definately try to do this. I'd do it every day or other day to see if it helps. Maybe even use a filter cleaner, but make sure you get that all rinsed out. Try adding a floating scumball to your tub. This helps soaks up lotions, etc in the tub. Unless the foam is excessive, I wouldn't worry too much. If your water turns cloudy, then worry. I'd be more concerned with the low sanitizer levels. Although, if you have a mineral cartridge and ozonator, you should get by with lower sanitizer levels. One last thing, have you tested for TDS? If this is high, it could contribute to foaming as well.

[kengorman]

Well, I have had the spa for about 30 days right now....it has been used pretty much EVERY NIGHT for at least 30 minutes and usually 1 hour per soaking.

Congrats on the new tub. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

1. never had TH near ideal level...hangs in LOW area.

What is your hardness level. Ideally, it should be between 200-400ppm. Anything lower may present corosion problems. Soft water will leach minerals from metals in your tub, including the heater. Further, soft water supports higher levels of foaming than harder water does and aerating the spa by opening the air jets will contribute to the foaming. Adding calcium will help. Don't add too much or your water will become too hard. Hard water has a tendency to scale.

Will this affect my ability to stabilize my other chemicals significantly? Plan on trying to add some calcium to raise this weekend.

The hardness level in your water is not as important as your TA or PH levels are. Get your TA level in the appropriate range and your PH level will be much easier to maintain. Further, a proper TA level will make your bromine sanitizer much more effective.

1. never had TH near ideal level...hangs in LOW area. Will this affect my ability to stabilize my other chemicals significantly? Plan on trying to add some calcium to raise this weekend.

Probably best to add some "Ph down" product. It will lower your ph into normal levels while keeping your alkalinity in range.

Might want to post this on the "Hot Tub Water Chemistry" forum on this site.

HTH,

Ken

[Brock]

thanks for answers...i will get some PH down and some Total Hardness UP stuff. Today checked and everything is about right except PH is a bit high still and need to get hardness up.

I have a little over 400 gallons of water and initial setup had me put it on 6 (bromine cartridge) for 24 hours and then 2 afterwards. I put it on 4 last night and when I got home tonight it was just right for Bromine. Next soak after we get home from party and cookout tonight will check again.

Thanks for comments.