My Experience With "nitro's Approach"

[whodyawant]

I wanted to post my experience so far with Nitro/Chem Geek’s chlorine plan. So far, so great!

Since we got our spa in August of ’08 we used bromine. Occasionally we would each get a little patch of itchy bumps, then my husband got a dreadful rash all over his body in January that lasted one month. Dermatologist said it was dermatitis that could have been caused by anything… bromine, mps, other chemicals, allergy to soap, water too hot, air too cold, etc. He prescribed a cortisone shot and some cream and finally, the hubby was back to normal! Back then Chem Geek suspected our bromine might have been too high. I refilled, messed around with that, got it good, but after just one more use, my husband got rashy again, so…

I started Nitro’s Approach after decontamination of my spa and on a new fill April 6th. My spa is 430 gallons. We have soft water and I forgot to put it on bypass and filled my spa with soft. YIKES! Just after the fill my hardness was 40 ppm; pH >8.5; TA 150; FC 0. Using Nitro’s directions, I first added the recommended amount of Dichlor to shock my spa to 12 ppm to verify decontamination (see “decontamination” on Nitro’s links). Once I knew my spa was good (no bugs), I then got my water a little harder with Leisure Time Calcium Booster. I wrote down EVERYTHING (test results and amounts added) in a little notebook because I can’t rely on my memory anymore!! Using Nitro’s directions I thought I should first get hardness up to at least 100 and test all again. Once I did that I then followed his directions to the letter on balancing my water using the ‘add dry acid and aerate method’ to get my TA to an acceptable range, then the pH. It took me three days to tweak it because I could only work on it in the evenings after work. Indeed, after adding dry acid and aerating, my pH would skyrocket. In the meantime I went to pool calculator that Nitro recommended (learned how to measure ppms!) and just fiddled with the figures. You know, like a “what if?” scenario. I would change my “goals” in the different sections just to see what scenario would put my CSI at zero while keeping my pH and TA in an acceptable range. If I tweaked the hardness, lowered the TA or changed the temperature, it would affect all readings.

My experimenting on the pool calculator with my desired temperature of 101 told me I needed to get my hardness up to around 190ppm, CYA at 24, pH at 7.5, and TA at 90 in order to have my CSI at 0. Maybe it was just luck, but I was finally balanced on day 3 (April 9th) after the new fill. All said, I added a total of 16.5 ounces of Leisure Time Calcium Booster; 5 ounces of dry acid; 2½ ounces of Dichlor; and 1 ounce Quantum Sequest-All (mineral protection) from the time I filled to my switch to Clorox. I did not add enzyme, mps, or anything else.

It is now April 25th and my pH has remained at 7.5 and raises to < 8.0 when aerating. My TA has remained at 90. I have not used one ounce of MPS to shock (and don’t want to use it ever). I have not added any borates (yet). I have not had to add any pH up or down. I have “super shocked” once by adding enough bleach to bring my FC up to 12ppm (thanks again to the pool calculator to tell me how much bleach that takes)! Three of us (me, my husband and my 11 yr old daughter) use our tub twice a week after we’ve showered. Our suits are rinsed with clean water only (not laundered) and we soak for approx. ½ hour on each use. In the last two weeks I have checked FC, TA, and pH daily. With our bodies, and our use, I have had to add an average of 1 ounce of bleach every two days. Do not forget to test prior to and after each use! One day our FC was at 3 – we soaked for ½ hour and when I checked afterward it was at .5! If I had not checked until the next day we would have had trouble! Remember, we all have different body chemicals and we all perspire differently which can affect your use of free chlorine. For example, one clean guest in our spa will change our use of FC considerably compared to just us. Different body chemicals I figure.

One tip I have is this… when you are trying to make your spa perfectly balanced, by all means use a drop test kit! But for just checking levels before a soak and after, go ahead and use the strip. What I did was bought a new box of strips and I checked my spa on the strip then immediately checked it with my drops to see the difference between the two. Now I know that my strip always tell me my pH is a little higher than my drop test and they say my FC is always 1 ppm or more lower than it really is. Oh! And check the expiration date on those puppies. It DOES make a difference! I have some strips that expired and my readings were all wrong!

Oops, one more tip. A lot of hot tub manuals or hot tub chemical manufacturers suggest on a new fill and weekly maintenance to add your sanitizer, metal sequester, enzyme eater, foam reducer, etc., etc. I bought it and used to throw it all in, like I was told but would still get scum or scale or foam. I swam in a chemical cocktail. Guess what? After Nitro’s Approach and by not adding ANY of those things I DON’T have any scum, scale, or foam. Hmmm… suspicious!

Chem Geek and Nitro, thank you so much! We love getting in our spa again. We smell little or no chemical, we have saved money, and our bodies feel great (no itch)! Sure, I may have to check my spa every couple days or have someone baby sit it when we are on vacation, but so far it is working out fabulously! I will certainly keep you posted!

*Disclaimer: Any newbie out there reading this… if your initial readings were the same as mine, don’t just dump in the amounts that I did to get the same outcome! Water, outdoor temperature, users, and frequency of use is different with everyone. Just test, test, test, and test again with YOUR spa!

Thanks again guys!!

Who

[Nitro]

Excellent!

It's great to hear everything is working out for you. Posts like these are the reason I'm here.

Keep up the good work, and keep us updated.

[The Pup]

Congratulations...great post!

If I may ask one question...before you stated:

It is now April 25th and my pH has remained at 7.5 and raises to < 8.0 when aerating. My TA has remained at 90.

Did you have to add Dry Acid to get your ph down after it was raised by aeration, or did it fall back into range on its own?

For years I had fought the ph rise until finally realizing the interdependence between TA and CH (as it relates to ph). Typically for my water situation, I just needed to lower my TA and the degree of ph rise after each spa use was significantly mitigated.

Note: I used a similar approach as Nitro's prescribed method for more than 20 years with no real issues to speak of...it works! However, because I can be called away at any time because of my work...I am currently using a Bromine 3-step method with the dual-cartridge Spa Frog (Bromine & Mineral). I buy everything in bulk online. I have to replace the Bromine cartridge every 3 months ($6 each) and the mineral cartridge every 4 months. I use less than 2 ounces of MPS each week to maintain Bromine sanitizer levels at 0.5-1.0 ppm...with very-little-to-no smell and no scum, foam or itching...I guess I spend $3 a month in chemicals to maintain my hot tub's crystal clear water chemistry. After using hot tubs since the early '70s...I have really expanded my understanding of hot tub water chemistry from reading most every post on this forum.

[whodyawant]

Congratulations...great post!

If I may ask one question...before you stated:

It is now April 25th and my pH has remained at 7.5 and raises to < 8.0 when aerating. My TA has remained at 90.

Did you have to add Dry Acid to get your ph down after it was raised by aeration, or did it fall back into range on its own?

The pH falls to 7.5 by itself after we have used it with the bubbles on. I have not had to add anymore dry acid.

Before, when we used the bromine, we liked it too, and we liked the convenience of being able to leave it for days without worry. But without use the bromine really seemed to build up and get very high. We used a feeder cracked to the lowest setting. However, after my husband's rash, we were advised that if he had developed a sensitivity to bromine, he may now always have that sensitivity, so we switched. This chlorine regimen might require attention daily, or every couple days, but like Nitro has said, it's just a moment or two of your day, and quite simple once you get the hang of it!

[Nitro]

The biggest drawback with Chlorine is the required attention. However, if you keep your Chlorine Demand low, you can actually go longer between checking (2-3 days) with no problems. However, I find it just as easy to check everyday, so I don't forget. If you have to go out of town for a week or less, you can shock to 12ppm and it should last until you return. Again, assuming you have a low CD before you leave.

Also, if you want an extra backup, you can use Nature2 mineral sticks (Silver/Copper Ions), which should keep bacteria at bay, if you happen to neglect it for a lengthy period.

[whodyawant]

The biggest drawback with Chlorine is the required attention. However, if you keep your Chlorine Demand low, you can actually go longer between checking (2-3 days) with no problems. However, I find it just as easy to check everyday, so I don't forget. If you have to go out of town for a week or less, you can shock to 12ppm and it should last until you return. Again, assuming you have a low CD before you leave.

Also, if you want an extra backup, you can use Nature2 mineral sticks (Silver/Copper Ions), which should keep bacteria at bay, if you happen to neglect it for a lengthy period.

Thanks Nitro. Your timing is perfect. After I read this I went back to your "chlorine demand" post to refresh my memory. I probably would have slacked off a bit on the shocking, just because if I see an FC reading between 1 and 5 each day, I would not get too concerned. But (I'm assuming here) if you don't regularly shock or shock after a heavy use just because you check it, and you're still at a "3" let's say, that doesn't mean your spa will not use that "3" up in a day, trying to get rid of the stuff. Right? Oh, I don't know if I worded that question properly! But do you get my drift?

Also, I remember reading somewhere here about keeping the cover off when superchlorinating, but I can't remember the specifics. Is it a good idea to keep the cover off for a time to let it "gas off" after superchlorinating? Even if you are only bringing it up to 10ppm?

One more question, Nitro. Is it possible I will not have to use borates at all? Or, after my water becomes older, I will? How will I know? If my pH starts to bounce? What are the clues? I guess I just didn't want to add one more thing, unless it was truly required.

[Nitro]

The biggest drawback with Chlorine is the required attention. However, if you keep your Chlorine Demand low, you can actually go longer between checking (2-3 days) with no problems. However, I find it just as easy to check everyday, so I don't forget. If you have to go out of town for a week or less, you can shock to 12ppm and it should last until you return. Again, assuming you have a low CD before you leave.

Also, if you want an extra backup, you can use Nature2 mineral sticks (Silver/Copper Ions), which should keep bacteria at bay, if you happen to neglect it for a lengthy period.

Thanks Nitro. Your timing is perfect. After I read this I went back to your "chlorine demand" post to refresh my memory. I probably would have slacked off a bit on the shocking, just because if I see an FC reading between 1 and 5 each day, I would not get too concerned. But (I'm assuming here) if you don't regularly shock or shock after a heavy use just because you check it, and you're still at a "3" let's say, that doesn't mean your spa will not use that "3" up in a day, trying to get rid of the stuff. Right? Oh, I don't know if I worded that question properly! But do you get my drift?

Also, I remember reading somewhere here about keeping the cover off when superchlorinating, but I can't remember the specifics. Is it a good idea to keep the cover off for a time to let it "gas off" after superchlorinating? Even if you are only bringing it up to 10ppm?

One more question, Nitro. Is it possible I will not have to use borates at all? Or, after my water becomes older, I will? How will I know? If my pH starts to bounce? What are the clues? I guess I just didn't want to add one more thing, unless it was truly required.

Think of it this way. It's not only important to know how much FC you have in the tub, it's also important to know how FAST it's dropping. That's what CD measures. A tub with 4 ppm FC and CD of 25% will last ~4 days, until it drops to ~1 ppm. However, if the tub has a 75% CD, it will only last 1 day. The main thing to do is just be aware of your CD, and don't let it keep rising. Just keep it as low as you can (<=50%), and you'll be fine. The neat thing about CD is, it allows you to understand how sanitation works. You'll get a better understanding of how much sanitation you need in diffrenct situations (i.e. after a party). Basically, it will keep you from getting into trouble.

As far as shocking, you should probably leave the cover off of at least 30 mins.

Regarding Borates, I recommend using them regardless, because they make the water feel silkier, and cut down on the smell. However, if you're not having issues with pH rise, don't feel you have to add them. Also, if you use MPS, it is acidic and will help keep pH from drifting up.