Tips/suggestions

[coreman23]

I've just taken over a Hot Springs spa. I'm pretty sure it's an older Prodigy/Home Spa, probably mid to late 80's.

I just had to replace the circ pump and now it's running really good.

I'm looking for some suggestions on maintaining the water. I went to a local spa store and this is what they sold me.

1) 1 bottle of Leisure Time "Metal Gon". He told me to put this whole bottle in when I fill the tub, which I did.

2) 1 bottle of Sun 1" chlorinating tablets (Trichloro-s-triazinetrione, 99%, with 90% available chlorine). I also bought a dispenser for the tablets. It's currently set at about 2 1/2 slots open.

3) 1 bottle of Leisure Time "Spa Up". (Active Ingredient: Sodium Bicarbonate. Says it's for raising pH and total alkalinity of the water) He told me to add a cap full of this weekly.

4) 1 bottle of SeaKlear Spa Chlorine-Free Shock. (Active Ingredient: Potassium Peroxymonosulfate 45.2%, Inert Ingredients 54.8%, and Active Oxygen 4.7%) He also told me to add a cap full of this weekly.

5) Instatest test strips

6) He also gave me a bottle of Hasachlor (Active Ingredients: Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%, Inert Ingredients 87.5%). I think he said it's a liquid chlorine of sort. He said to not use it much, but I could use it in a pinch if I wanted to. He said to dump in a cup and a half if the spa gets a lot of use in a day.

I added the Metal Gon when I filled the tub. I then filled the chlorine dispenser with tablets and let that sit in the spa. My initial test strip looked good after adding the Metal Gon. My pH and Alk were on the high side a little, but not out of the good range. My 3 kids used it 2 days ago and made it pretty cloudy. So, yesterday, I shocked it with the SeaKlear and now it looks really clear again.

My main question is, is this a fairly good routine? I've read some negative things about the floating dispensers, so I wanted to check that.

I'm also interested in possibly going with the Dichlor (sp?) chlorine and the household bleach route. From what I've been reading, this seems like the most cost effective route. Are there benefits to going with this route? (The smell seems to be less this way.) Any problems going with the solution?

I'm just looking for some advice, any help would really be helpful.

Thank you!

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I've just taken over a Hot Springs spa. I'm pretty sure it's an older Prodigy/Home Spa, probably mid to late 80's.

I just had to replace the circ pump and now it's running really good.

I'm looking for some suggestions on maintaining the water. I went to a local spa store and this is what they sold me.

1) 1 bottle of Leisure Time "Metal Gon". He told me to put this whole bottle in when I fill the tub, which I did.

2) 1 bottle of Sun 1" chlorinating tablets (Trichloro-s-triazinetrione, 99%, with 90% available chlorine). I also bought a dispenser for the tablets. It's currently set at about 2 1/2 slots open.

3) 1 bottle of Leisure Time "Spa Up". (Active Ingredient: Sodium Bicarbonate. Says it's for raising pH and total alkalinity of the water) He told me to add a cap full of this weekly.

4) 1 bottle of SeaKlear Spa Chlorine-Free Shock. (Active Ingredient: Potassium Peroxymonosulfate 45.2%, Inert Ingredients 54.8%, and Active Oxygen 4.7%) He also told me to add a cap full of this weekly.

5) Instatest test strips

6) He also gave me a bottle of Hasachlor (Active Ingredients: Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%, Inert Ingredients 87.5%). I think he said it's a liquid chlorine of sort. He said to not use it much, but I could use it in a pinch if I wanted to. He said to dump in a cup and a half if the spa gets a lot of use in a day.

I added the Metal Gon when I filled the tub. I then filled the chlorine dispenser with tablets and let that sit in the spa. My initial test strip looked good after adding the Metal Gon. My pH and Alk were on the high side a little, but not out of the good range. My 3 kids used it 2 days ago and made it pretty cloudy. So, yesterday, I shocked it with the SeaKlear and now it looks really clear again.

My main question is, is this a fairly good routine? I've read some negative things about the floating dispensers, so I wanted to check that.

I'm also interested in possibly going with the Dichlor (sp?) chlorine and the household bleach route. From what I've been reading, this seems like the most cost effective route. Are there benefits to going with this route? (The smell seems to be less this way.) Any problems going with the solution?

I'm just looking for some advice, any help would really be helpful.

Thank you!

First, He should not have given you tablets of chlorine. These are for pools, not spas. you also should not add a capful of PH adjustor without testing the PH. If it needs PH up, you add what is needed for your spa size and how much you need to raise it. You will also need to have PH decreaser on hand.

Being that your spa is an older HS it has very few jets/airation probabley no ozone and no warranty to worry about so the dichlor bleach may work for you. Richard (chem geek) is the best on helping you with the bleach system.

[coreman23]

First, He should not have given you tablets of chlorine. These are for pools, not spas. you also should not add a capful of PH adjustor without testing the PH. If it needs PH up, you add what is needed for your spa size and how much you need to raise it. You will also need to have PH decreaser on hand.

Being that your spa is an older HS it has very few jets/airation probabley no ozone and no warranty to worry about so the dichlor bleach may work for you. Richard (chem geek) is the best on helping you with the bleach system.

I'll await future info then. You are right, there are only 4 jets and no ozone.

Thanks for the help!!!

[Whoneedsavacation]

You could also consider switching to a bromine system. Bromine tabs are readily available and require less constant attention than the dichlor seems to. When I was first learning, I was testing and fiddling constantly, but now that I have a good bromine feeder that stays adjusted with a lock ring, I test with a good quality strip for bromine a few times a week, make sure the feeder stays filled and adjust it if the levels are drifting too high or low, shock with MPS after use, and on rare occasions adjust the pH.

I believe you can switch easily from chlorine to bromine without a refill, but not the other way around. Bromine tabs contain a fair amount of chlorine anyway.

The main down side is that people seem to report more dry skin/irritation with bromine than with chlorine, although we found that was alleviated when we had the levels properly controlled. The installer told us to just throw a few tablets into the filter well, and for a while we had REALLY high (off strip) bromine levels, and we did get itchy.

[coreman23]

I'd rather not go the bromine route. Some family members use it in their tubs and it is stronger smelling than chlorine to me.