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Help Me With My Sanitation Method... What's Right For Me?


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Ok, bought a lightly used spa, everything is squeeky clean. Been using the leftover Baqua the previous owners gave me.. not thrilled at the scum line of goop. Don't like the "fizzy bubbles" and not crazy about the smell. I'll use this stuff for a couple more weeks but then I'm ready to swtich.

Equipment is a Hot springs spa, with 3 of their fancy "ceremic fiber" reusable filters, 24 hour ozonator.

1-2 people using the spa 3-4 hours a week.

My priorities: Easy to maintain and of course safety. I don't mind a chlorine smell. I don't care what the stuff costs (within reason). I think test strips are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Every so often the spa will have to go a week or so unattended.

Question 1 is: What's the best chemical for me? I think I'm leaning towards bromine

Question 2 is: After choice of above chemical - what about all of these "add on" products - things that you stick in the filter tubes etc?

Question 3 is: How to switch from Baqua... I know I'll have to drain the tub, no big deal. The lines are "clean" in that there is no gunk etc in them. I imagine I'll have to use baqua filter soak on my filters, and then potentially another cleaner on them affter that... sound about right?

Comments on all the above appreciated. I've done lots of reading and it seems there's no shortage of opinions...

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Bromine Pros:

If used correctly you can leave it unattended longer. Think of Bromine as being an automatic transmission.

Some say it has less smell than Chlorine while soaking, but I disagree. I've soaked in both, and I see no difference, IF both are well maintained.

Bromine Cons:

Costs more

Is a little trickier than Chlorine

Some say the smell stays on your skin longer after getting out of the tub

There seems to be more cases of sensitivity to Bromine

Once you convert your tub to Bromine, you can't switch back to Chlorine without a water change

Chlorine Pros:

Cheapest

Safest

Easiest to learn and use

Less cases of sensitivity

You can easily switch to Bromine without changing your water.

Chlorine Cons:

The longest you should go without adding Chlorine is about a week.

You should add Chlorine around every 2-3 days. Think of Chlorine as being a stick shift.

If not maintained correctly, Combined Chlorine (CC) can build up and give off bad odors.

Nature 2 (a mineral system) can be used with Chlorine that will act as a slow sanitizer, allowing you to leave the tub unattended longer. It will also allow you to have less Chlorine in the tub while soaking. Nature 2 is ideal for tubs that only get used by 1-2 people. If more than 2 people are using the tub, I recommend raising Chlorine level higher (i.e. 3-6ppm FC).

The thing to remember is, if you start with Bromine, you're stuck with it until you change your water. If you start with Chlorine, you can easily switch to Bromine if you find it to be too much trouble. If you plan on using the tub 3-4 times a week, I think you'll find adding Chlorine after each soak will suffice. If you leave the tub for more than a week, you may want a neighbor to add Chlorine.

Just MHO. Others may vary.

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Thanks. I was under the impression that Nature2 etc worked just as well with Bromine as they would with Chlorine?

I don't have an issue with draining the tub. Well I don't think I do. We'll see if it kills my lawn. :)

The only thing that "scares" me about Chlorine is that people say a week is about the outside limit for maintenance. When I use the tub, I don't mind playing with the chemicals etc. But once a week is really what I would consider my tolerance for routine maintenance. Then again - my impression is that the ozonator and the something like the Nature2 carts (is it the same as Hot Spring's FreshWater AG+ ?) should help with that?

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I used bromine for years; got a new tub and switched to nature2. I accidently let the sanitizer go to 0 fo about 3 days and ended up with a rash. I had to disinfect the tub and drain it. I am now back with bromine. Using the bromine tablets seem the easiest for me to maintain.

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My priorities: Easy to maintain and of course safety. I don't mind a chlorine smell. I don't care what the stuff costs (within reason). I think test strips are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Test strips are NOT reliable for water balancing. If you go with bromine get a Taylor K-2106. If you go with chlorine get a Taylor k-2006 (NOT a K-2005!) You will not regret this. It will actually be easier to balance your water than using guess strips!

Every so often the spa will have to go a week or so unattended.

For this reason alone I would recommend a 3-step bromine system. Also bromine works better with ozone than chlorine does (reasons are technical)

Question 1 is: What's the best chemical for me? I think I'm leaning towards bromine

Like I just said, a 3 step (sodium bromide on fill, chlorine or non chlorine oxidizer, and bromine tablets in a floater). I prefer using chlorine to oxidize and shock bromine systems. Bleach is the easiest and most cost effective form of chloirne, IMHO, and has the least impact on other water chemistry parameters. Most people don't realize that chlorine is an integral part of bromine sanitation. It is one of the oxidizers that converts the bromide ions into active bromine sanitizer and is found in 99% of bromine tablets on the market!

Question 2 is: After choice of above chemical - what about all of these "add on" products - things that you stick in the filter tubes etc?

You don't need them!

Question 3 is: How to switch from Baqua... I know I'll have to drain the tub, no big deal. The lines are "clean" in that there is no gunk etc in them. I imagine I'll have to use baqua filter soak on my filters, and then potentially another cleaner on them affter that... sound about right?

No, you WILL need to replace the filters after the conversion.

Comments on all the above appreciated. I've done lots of reading and it seems there's no shortage of opinions...

Hope this helps.

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Thanks. I was under the impression that Nature2 etc worked just as well with Bromine as they would with Chlorine?

No, it only works with chlorine and NOT with bromine.

I don't have an issue with draining the tub. Well I don't think I do. We'll see if it kills my lawn. :)

Hot tubs must be drained and refilled 3-4 times a year to maintain water quality.

Remember you have a very high bather to water ratio in a tub (small volume of water and a lot of soaking. The amount of sweat the average adult will lose in a 20 minute soak is quite large and sweat is chemically almost identical to urine!

The only thing that "scares" me about Chlorine is that people say a week is about the outside limit for maintenance. When I use the tub, I don't mind playing with the chemicals etc. But once a week is really what I would consider my tolerance for routine maintenance. Then again - my impression is that the ozonator and the something like the Nature2 carts (is it the same as Hot Spring's FreshWater AG+ ?) should help with that?

Not really, I would recommend bromine for you.

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Waterbear is an expert on water maintenance in pools and hot tubs. Therefore you should listen to everything he has to say. However, IMHO I wouldn't be so quick to start with Bromine over Chlorine, even if you have an Ozonator.

Hear me out on this.

1. If you add Borates to your tub, and keep your TA low (50-60ppm) an ozonator should not be a problem. I have a friend (guinea pig) who is testing this for me. He has an Ozonator and using Bleach. So far he has not had any problems keeping his pH in check. Bottom line: Aeration is not a problem if you use Borates and keep a low TA.

2. If you think you'll get away with only checking your tub once a week (even using Bromine), think again. If you are just starting out, you need to check your tub every few days. I've seen a number of people using bromine get trapped into thinking they only have to check their tub once a week, only to find a cloudy, stinky mess. Do yourself a favor and check your tub every few days, regardless of the method you use.

3. If you plan on leaving your tub longer than a week, on a regular basis, and have nobody to check it for you, then yes, I recommend using Bromine. However, if you can find someone to add Chlorine to your tub if you're gone longer than a week, I wouldn't worry about it. I've left my tub (on purpose) for a week, and still had 1 ppm FC. If you maintain your Chlorine Demand, you can go many days without worry. Don't think you have to check your tub everyday. Also, if you're using Nature2, you can go longer.

4. Lastly, and very important, if you start with Chlorine and don't like it, you can easily switch to Bromine. However, if you start with Bromine, you're stuck until your next water change. To me this is the single most important reason to start with Chlorine.

Just my 2 cents. Sorry to disagree with you Waterbear. I do wish you would post here more often though. :)

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I used bromine for years; got a new tub and switched to nature2. I accidently let the sanitizer go to 0 fo about 3 days and ended up with a rash. I had to disinfect the tub and drain it. I am now back with bromine. Using the bromine tablets seem the easiest for me to maintain.

With all due respect, this is not a very good example. You've been using Bromine for years. Then you start using a completely different system, and "accidently let the sanitizer go to 0". You would have the same problem regardless of the method you use.

As I siad before, Chlorine is a Stick Shift and Bromine is an Automatic. If you get used to using Bromine, you'll have trouble adjusting to Chlorine. However, if you get used to Chlorine, you're not likely to switch to anything else.

Again, just my 2 cents.

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I guess I was just lucky. I used bromine for about 10 years using a floater. I checked it infrequently and the sanitizer never went to 0, never had cloudy water, etc. I thought I could do the same with the n2 but I got caught. I was using dichlor after each soak instead of mps and my cya became really high without me knowing. Maybe thats why I ran into the bug.

I have to admit that I really like the feel of the water with nature2 much better than bromine. I am more confidient that I can ignore the tub more and get away with using bromine.

I still have a couple of the nature2 sticks so I will probably give it a try at another water change and switch to chlorine when my cya reaches the advised levels.

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1. If you add Borates to your tub, and keep your TA low (50-60ppm) an ozonator should not be a problem. I have a friend (guinea pig) who is testing this for me. He has an Ozonator and using Bleach. So far he has not had any problems keeping his pH in check. Bottom line: Aeration is not a problem if you use Borates and keep a low TA.

Aeration and pH control is NOT the problem. Ozone destroys chlorine and visa versa, making it harder to maintain a FC level in the tub . It activates bromine, making it easier to maintain a bromine level.

2. If you think you'll get away with only checking your tub once a week (even using Bromine), think again. If you are just starting out, you need to check your tub every few days. I've seen a number of people using bromine get trapped into thinking they only have to check their tub once a week, only to find a cloudy, stinky mess. Do yourself a favor and check your tub every few days, regardless of the method you use.

A true statement. Bromine is much more fogiving than chlorine and you can neglet the tub for abot a week without any major problems (NOT SO WITH CLORINE!) but testing every few days (and NOT with strips) is a sound plan.

3. If you plan on leaving your tub longer than a week, on a regular basis, and have nobody to check it for you, then yes, I recommend using Bromine. However, if you can find someone to add Chlorine to your tub if you're gone longer than a week, I wouldn't worry about it. I've left my tub (on purpose) for a week, and still had 1 ppm FC. If you maintain your Chlorine Demand, you can go many days without worry. Don't think you have to check your tub everyday. Also, if you're using Nature2, you can go longer.

On this I disagree, A chlorine tub,especially with an ozonator, should be checked daily.

4. Lastly, and very important, if you start with Chlorine and don't like it, you can easily switch to Bromine. However, if you start with Bromine, you're stuck until your next water change. To me this is the single most important reason to start with Chlorine.

Since water should be changed every 3 to 4 months and it really takes about that long to see how well a sanitizer works for you this is not a major problem. I do recommend normally starting with chlorine but from what the OP has described I feel they would be happier with bromine from the start.

Just my 2 cents. Sorry to disagree with you Waterbear. I do wish you would post here more often though. :)

No problem with the disagreeing. Everyone has their opinions and I am by no means the final athority. I just go on what I have learned from my own experiences, my cusotmers, and the knowledge of water chemistry that I have. I would love to post here more. I was very active on this forum at one point, but since I became a Moderator at another pool and spa forum I really do not have the time to participate here more. I also got very tired of the porno spam and infighting that was so prevelant here at one point.

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As always, I'll be the lone voice that touts BaquaSpa. I started with it 3 years ago, and for the first few weeks we had the brown goop. We were told that under proper maintenance it would dissipate and it did completely. Since then, it has been the simplest (once a week quick work) and most enjoyable (no odor, no rash...perfect). I remain on the lookout for white mold but my water is as clear and refreshing as it gets. I fully expect that someday I may have to switch but I couldn't be happier so far for 3 years now.

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I guess I was just lucky. I used bromine for about 10 years using a floater. I checked it infrequently and the sanitizer never went to 0, never had cloudy water, etc. I thought I could do the same with the n2 but I got caught. I was using dichlor after each soak instead of mps and my cya became really high without me knowing. Maybe thats why I ran into the bug.

I have to admit that I really like the feel of the water with nature2 much better than bromine. I am more confidient that I can ignore the tub more and get away with using bromine.

I still have a couple of the nature2 sticks so I will probably give it a try at another water change and switch to chlorine when my cya reaches the advised levels.

If you let CYA get too high, that could have definitely caused problems. If you do try Nature 2 again, try switching to bleach after a week or two of Dichlor. That will keep the CYA in check. (20-30ppm) Also, try to keep your Chlorine Demand (CD) low, by using enough Chlorine. If you let CD get too high, you won't be able to leave the tub as long. Here is a post that explains it.

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Aeration and pH control is NOT the problem. Ozone destroys chlorine and visa versa, making it harder to maintain a FC level in the tub . It activates bromine, making it easier to maintain a bromine level.

Well, my friend has been using chlorine since last fall and he hasn't mentioned any problems keep a residual FC. I could see how that would be an issue if you left the tub longer then a few days though.

A true statement. Bromine is much more fogiving than chlorine and you can neglet the tub for abot a week without any major problems (NOT SO WITH CLORINE!) but testing every few days (and NOT with strips) is a sound plan.

A friend of mind was using Bromine (incorrectly I might add), and he was only checking the tub once a week. He would open the tub to a cloudy, stinky mess. He thought this was normal. He would then shock the tub, etc. to clear it up. Then he would use the tub, and forget it for another week. His wife ended up getting a rash, which she thought was just caused by the jets.

After I saw his tub (and stopped puking), I explained to him he was doing it wrong, and he should never see cloudy, smelly water. After decontaminating his tub, and teaching him to use chlorine, he hasn't had a problem.

This is an extreme example I know, but it just reminds me that beginners should check their tubs often, regardless of the method they use. And Bromine doesn't mean maintenance free. Obviously once they get the hang of it, they can leave it longer.

On this I disagree, A chlorine tub,especially with an ozonator, should be checked daily.

I do recommend anyone starting out on Chlorine check their tub everyday. However, as long as someone keeps their Chlorine Demand (CD) low, they can safely go for days without the need to add chlorine. Assuming the tub isn't used in between of course.

The problem comes in when they let their CD get too high by not using enough Chlorine in their routine. Most people aren't aware of their CD, and don't realize it can change. Until that is, it gets really high, and they find they can't keep residual FC, despite shocking.

I wrote an article about it here. My CD is ~25%. If I start with 6ppm FC, I can safely go 3-4 days without touching the tub, while FC never dropping below 1ppm. If I shock to 12ppm, I can leave it for a week.

I don't have an ozonator, which I can see raising CD. However, I doubt it would raise it to 75%, which would require daily dosages of chlorine. OTHO, an ozonator will help FC oxidize waste, so that in itself will lower CD. It would be interesting to find out exacly how much an ozonator raises CD though. We had a thread going on here about it, but I don't think we came to any conclusions.

Since water should be changed every 3 to 4 months and it really takes about that long to see how well a sanitizer works for you this is not a major problem. I do recommend normally starting with chlorine but from what the OP has described I feel they would be happier with bromine from the start.

Hopefully, the OP will keep us updated on their method, and how it works out.

No problem with the disagreeing. Everyone has their opinions and I am by no means the final athority. I just go on what I have learned from my own experiences, my cusotmers, and the knowledge of water chemistry that I have. I would love to post here more. I was very active on this forum at one point, but since I became a Moderator at another pool and spa forum I really do not have the time to participate here more. I also got very tired of the porno spam and infighting that was so prevelant here at one point.

Yeah, the spam was pretty bad, which is a shame, because this site seems to get a lot of traffic. Thankfully, they seemed to have gotten rid of it. Hopefully they can keep it that way.

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As always, I'll be the lone voice that touts BaquaSpa. I started with it 3 years ago, and for the first few weeks we had the brown goop. We were told that under proper maintenance it would dissipate and it did completely. Since then, it has been the simplest (once a week quick work) and most enjoyable (no odor, no rash...perfect). I remain on the lookout for white mold but my water is as clear and refreshing as it gets. I fully expect that someday I may have to switch but I couldn't be happier so far for 3 years now.

Keep us update on how it works out. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts before you create a "Super Bug". To me, that's a scary thought. :unsure:

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I'm a noob but my instructions say if you're going to be gone a week lower the temperature to 80 because dichlor will last longer then at 100...

That should be true, but would apply equally to any source of chlorine whether it's from Dichlor or bleach. Chlorine is a little volatile and its reactions with other substances occur at a temperature dependent rate, so lowering the temperature should reduce the Chlorine Demand (CD) that Nitro talks about.

However, I don't think anyone here has quantified the effect so can't tell you how much difference it makes in practice. Certainly, if you are going to be gone for a week, then it's less expensive to not continually heat the spa water while you are gone.

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I don't have an ozonator, which I can see raising CD. However, I doubt it would raise it to 75%, which would require daily dosages of chlorine. OTHO, an ozonator will help FC oxidize waste, so that in itself will lower CD. It would be interesting to find out exacly how much an ozonator raises CD though. We had a thread going on here about it, but I don't think we came to any conclusions.

We didn't come to any conclusion because it seemed to depend on individual experiences. For some, the ozonator seemed to use up chlorine faster while for others it seemed to oxidize bather waste and result in somewhat lower chlorine usage. One might expect this to relate to the amount of usage (i.e. bather load), but it didn't seem to. Maybe it depends on the amount of ozone relative to bather waste -- we couldn't quantify the amount of ozone produced in each tub. Also, we later found out that a lot of ozonators stop working after some time and people don't realize it.

Richard

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We didn't come to any conclusion because it seemed to depend on individual experiences. For some, the ozonator seemed to use up chlorine faster while for others it seemed to oxidize bather waste and result in somewhat lower chlorine usage. One might expect this to relate to the amount of usage (i.e. bather load), but it didn't seem to. Maybe it depends on the amount of ozone relative to bather waste -- we couldn't quantify the amount of ozone produced in each tub. Also, we later found out that a lot of ozonators stop working after some time and people don't realize it.

The only real way to get an accurate test is to check CD on a fresh fill, in a clean tub, with a new ozonator. An older ozonator will lower CD, and a dirty tub (or water) will raise it.

That's the reason I recommend all Chlorine users check CD on a fresh fill to get a Baseline (BL). Then they can use their own BLCD to compare later tests to.

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Let me put in a plug for the Leisuretime 2 part bromine. It has worked fine for me and is relatively easy. After getting the water balanced on fill and establishing bromine reserve:

1. after each use, 2oz of Renew as a shock. I like this because the organic stuff is zapped after each use. For the "easy to use" routine, i take the shock dose out when we go into the spa. When we get out, I dump it in, put the pump on high and go in to shower. I come out and put the cover on after the shower, allowing the vapors to dissipate and reducing cover damage.

2. if the spa is not used for 2 days, I dump 1oz of Renew in. Easy to do in less than 60 seconds.

3. a quick strip check before use to verify sanitizer level

4. weekend routine (takes about 3 minutes): add Reserve, clarifier, enzyme, scale control, swap filter, put old filter in dishwasher on no heat cycle.

I double checked the strips with the Taylor kit and found that the strip readings were doing fine. In the past I found the floater was difficult to get set to maintain a consistent level--checking still required.

I am also using an ozone generator and a mineral cartridge. The water has been very clear and odor free for over 3 months (change coming soon).

Although this system requires some more "touches" they are very brief and the results have been great without any difficult tinkering. Also, I like the concept of shocking after each use. We haven't been away for longer than 4 days, but for a week or more away, I would shock before leaving and again upon return, letting the mineral and ozone keep things in check during the interim.

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Let me put in a plug for the Leisuretime 2 part bromine. It has worked fine for me and is relatively easy. After getting the water balanced on fill and establishing bromine reserve:

1. after each use, 2oz of Renew as a shock.

Renew is just MPS...non chlorine shock.

I like this because the organic stuff is zapped after each use. For the "easy to use" routine, i take the shock dose out when we go into the spa. When we get out, I dump it in, put the pump on high and go in to shower. I come out and put the cover on after the shower, allowing the vapors to dissipate and reducing cover damage.

This is standard shocking procedure.

2. if the spa is not used for 2 days, I dump 1oz of Renew in. Easy to do in less than 60 seconds.

3. a quick strip check before use to verify sanitizer level

4. weekend routine (takes about 3 minutes): add Reserve, clarifier, enzyme, scale control, swap filter, put old filter in dishwasher on no heat cycle.

Clarifier, enzyme, and scale control should not be necessary weekly IF your water is properly balanced! They are really just covering up problems that should not be occurring. Let me give you an analogy...you have a dog that makes a mess on the rug. You have two options, either spray it with deodorizer so it does not smell or clean up the mess. Adding your clarifiers, enzymes, etc is the same as spraying on the deoderizer. You are just masking the actual problem but the mess is still sitting there. If you clean up the problem you won't need those products on a regular basis. I suspect a lot of your problem is improper test results from the strips. They do NOT have the precision (not the same as accuracy) needed for water balancing.

I double checked the strips with the Taylor kit and found that the strip readings were doing fine

I test water professionally so I can say that strips are NOT going to give you the precision of a drop based test. Which Taylor kit? Also, strips only test total hardness, they cannot test calcium hardness so it's really a bogus test since we are interested in calcium hardness and not total hardness.

. In the past I found the floater was difficult to get set to maintain a consistent level--checking still required.

Once you get it adjusted it's pretty maintenance free as long as you keep the tabs in it!

I am also using an ozone generator and a mineral cartridge. The water has been very clear and odor free for over 3 months (change coming soon).

I hope you are using a spafrog from King Technology, that is the ONLY mineral cartridge that is approved for use with bromine. Nature2 and all of the OEM versions of it are only approved for use with chlorine!

Although this system requires some more "touches" they are very brief and the results have been great without any difficult tinkering. Also, I like the concept of shocking after each use.

You are not shocking after each use if you are using a 2 step bromine system. you are just reactivating your bromide bank back into hypobromous acid. This is standard procedure with 2 step bromine. Shocking means raising your bromine levels high enough to oxidize bromamines and organics in the water, usually above 10 ppm! This is done weekly.

We haven't been away for longer than 4 days, but for a week or more away, I would shock before leaving and again upon return, letting the mineral and ozone keep things in check during the interim.

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I'm not a chem expert and certainly don't have the data or expertise for a point by point discussion. I was just sharing an alternative which has worked satisfactorily. Some of the activities might be "superstitious behavior" but it does seem to work OK. Others can make their own choices. I appreciate your input for their consideration.

Let me put in a plug for the Leisuretime 2 part bromine. It has worked fine for me and is relatively easy. After getting the water balanced on fill and establishing bromine reserve:

1. after each use, 2oz of Renew as a shock.

Renew is just MPS...non chlorine shock.

I like this because the organic stuff is zapped after each use. For the "easy to use" routine, i take the shock dose out when we go into the spa. When we get out, I dump it in, put the pump on high and go in to shower. I come out and put the cover on after the shower, allowing the vapors to dissipate and reducing cover damage.

This is standard shocking procedure.

2. if the spa is not used for 2 days, I dump 1oz of Renew in. Easy to do in less than 60 seconds.

3. a quick strip check before use to verify sanitizer level

4. weekend routine (takes about 3 minutes): add Reserve, clarifier, enzyme, scale control, swap filter, put old filter in dishwasher on no heat cycle.

Clarifier, enzyme, and scale control should not be necessary weekly IF your water is properly balanced! They are really just covering up problems that should not be occurring. Let me give you an analogy...you have a dog that makes a mess on the rug. You have two options, either spray it with deodorizer so it does not smell or clean up the mess. Adding your clarifiers, enzymes, etc is the same as spraying on the deoderizer. You are just masking the actual problem but the mess is still sitting there. If you clean up the problem you won't need those products on a regular basis. I suspect a lot of your problem is improper test results from the strips. They do NOT have the precision (not the same as accuracy) needed for water balancing.

I double checked the strips with the Taylor kit and found that the strip readings were doing fine

I test water professionally so I can say that strips are NOT going to give you the precision of a drop based test. Which Taylor kit? Also, strips only test total hardness, they cannot test calcium hardness so it's really a bogus test since we are interested in calcium hardness and not total hardness.

. In the past I found the floater was difficult to get set to maintain a consistent level--checking still required.

Once you get it adjusted it's pretty maintenance free as long as you keep the tabs in it!

I am also using an ozone generator and a mineral cartridge. The water has been very clear and odor free for over 3 months (change coming soon).

I hope you are using a spafrog from King Technology, that is the ONLY mineral cartridge that is approved for use with bromine. Nature2 and all of the OEM versions of it are only approved for use with chlorine!

Although this system requires some more "touches" they are very brief and the results have been great without any difficult tinkering. Also, I like the concept of shocking after each use.

You are not shocking after each use if you are using a 2 step bromine system. you are just reactivating your bromide bank back into hypobromous acid. This is standard procedure with 2 step bromine. Shocking means raising your bromine levels high enough to oxidize bromamines and organics in the water, usually above 10 ppm! This is done weekly.

We haven't been away for longer than 4 days, but for a week or more away, I would shock before leaving and again upon return, letting the mineral and ozone keep things in check during the interim.

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This is GREAT info.

I have a Artic Spa without Ozone, bought it new in November and am just now doing my first flush/fill after winter.

I drained the water, used a bit of hot water with a bit of bleach to wash down the walls/seats etc then let all that drain. Filled the tub and it's not in the process of heating.

Here's what I do for water maintenance let me know if it's ok:

I use Bromine

-When the tub is up to 80 degrees, 1 cap full of Peak Boost, 1 cap full of refresh, floating dispenser with bromine pucks in there

-Check water chemistry with my tester kit, it's not a Taylor since I couldn't find one locally but hopefully will work better then the strips

-Adjust according to what I find.

Ongoing maintenance:

-1/4 capful of refresh per bather after every soak

-check water every couple of days and adjust alkalinity/PH as needed

That's it, should I add some Peak Boost one a week as well? I found over the winter that my Bromine had no issues to stay up there, but the Alkalinity was always going low.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm a noob but my instructions say if you're going to be gone a week lower the temperature to 80 because dichlor will last longer then at 100...

That should be true, but would apply equally to any source of chlorine whether it's from Dichlor or bleach. Chlorine is a little volatile and its reactions with other substances occur at a temperature dependent rate, so lowering the temperature should reduce the Chlorine Demand (CD) that Nitro talks about.

However, I don't think anyone here has quantified the effect so can't tell you how much difference it makes in practice. Certainly, if you are going to be gone for a week, then it's less expensive to not continually heat the spa water while you are gone.

That might be true but, if you are using an N2 stick in conjunction with Dichlor, the stick it looses it's effectiveness at lower temperatures.

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