New Spa: Here's What The Dealer Gave Me

[cpuKEN]

Below is a sheet that the dealer gave me with the purchase of our new spa. I wanted to run it by some of the more informed experts here to get their feedback. I understand there are many ways to maintain the water chemistry in a spa but I'd like to make sure there aren't any omissions or other issues with this plan.

=================================================================

Fill Instructions:

Add one can Metal Gon

Add Mineral Purifier cartridge (place on filter)

When spa comes up to temp (89-90 degrees), add 2-4 oz. of Chlorine, add 4-6 oz. of pH down (first day only)

Address pH & Alkalinity:

Add 2 oz. of pH down per day

Check every day until it comes into range (may take 7 days)

After each use:

1-2 people, add 2-4 oz. of Activate (looks to be a non chlorine shock / MPS)

3 or more people, add 2-4 oz. of chlorine

Once a week:

Check pH and Alkalinity

add 2-4 oz. of Defender

Add 1/2 cap of Natural Clear (At least 24 hrs. apart from Defender)

Change Spa water 3-4 times a year

===========================================================

Additional Info: It looks like 90% of the the time, it will just be my wife and I in the tub... so, if I'm

understanding these directions... I will be adding Activate after each use and not chlorine. Seems to

me I will rarely be adding additional chlorine since only 1 or 2 of us will be using the tub! That somehow

doesn't seem correct.

Thanks in advance.

Ken

[bart6453]

Below is a sheet that the dealer gave me with the purchase of our new spa. I wanted to run it by some of the more informed experts here to get their feedback. I understand there are many ways to maintain the water chemistry in a spa but I'd like to make sure there aren't any omissions or other issues with this plan.

=================================================================

Fill Instructions:

Add one tof Metal Gon

Add Mineral Purifier cartridge (place on filter)

When spa comes up to temp (890-90 degrees), add 2-4 oz. of Chlorine, add 4-6 oz. of pH down (first day only)

Address pH & Alkalinity:

Add 2 oz. of pH down per day

Check every day until it comes into range (may take 7 days)

After each use:

1-2 people, add 2-4 oz. of Activate (looks to be a non chlorine shock / MPS)

3 or more people, add 2-4 oz. of chlorine

Once a week:

Check pH and Alkalinity

add 2-4 oz. of Defender

Add 1/2 cap of Natural Clear (At least 24 hrs. apart from Defender)

Change Spa water 3-4 times a year

===========================================================

Thanks in advance.

Ken

Sounds like a good start...but a bit too general for me.

Get yourself a good test kit....NOT STRIPS.

Sounds like you are setup on the Nature 2 program, which uses MPS in conjunction with the silver cartridge to sanitize. It also requires a .5ppm Free Chlorine to maintain proper sanitation. I found it much easier to just use the nature 2 as a backup safety net, and use nitro's approach to water maintenance and keep chlorine at a more traditional 2-5ppm free chlorine.

Test your Chlorine every day until you get the hang of it. I need to add chlorine every other day no matter if I use it or not. If I use the tub I test the very next day and then can go to the every other day testing. It took me a couple of months to get there....at first I would test chlorine every day.

Take a read of Nitro's approach to water maintenance on this board...print it out....study it...it is by far the best source of water maintenance I have ever found.

I think the dealers instructions are on the right track...just to simplified...someone on this board once quoted Einstein "Make things as simple as possible, but not more simple than possible"

If you just add chlorine willy nilly and not based on demand you could be woefully overchlorinated or woefully underchlorinated.

You cannot let your chlorine drop to zero...which it will over the course of a couple of days even if you don't use your tub.

On another note, it's always a good idea to shock (that's your MPS) only when you need it...I.E. when combined chlorine is above .5ppm...instead of because it's that day of the week.

Another thing you may consider is switching to the Dichlor then bleach method as described by Nitro. Many use it including myself...it's wonderful, easy, and very, very inexpensive.

I would also use borates....again...read about them in Nitro's post.

I know this was a bit willy nilly, but I am just spewing what I think somewhat randomly here.

good luck...and remember...FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS USE TEST STRIPS!!!!!

Oh...and another note...you can get a great price on the Taylor 2006 test kit from AMATO Industries...I just got mine the other day...I think it was $55 after shipping and took a week to get. I think they are a drycleaner supply store or something...anyways..that's the best price I have found.

[cpuKEN]

Below is a sheet that the dealer gave me with the purchase of our new spa. I wanted to run it by some of the more informed experts here to get their feedback. I understand there are many ways to maintain the water chemistry in a spa but I'd like to make sure there aren't any omissions or other issues with this plan.

=================================================================

Fill Instructions:

Add one tof Metal Gon

Add Mineral Purifier cartridge (place on filter)

When spa comes up to temp (890-90 degrees), add 2-4 oz. of Chlorine, add 4-6 oz. of pH down (first day only)

Address pH & Alkalinity:

Add 2 oz. of pH down per day

Check every day until it comes into range (may take 7 days)

After each use:

1-2 people, add 2-4 oz. of Activate (looks to be a non chlorine shock / MPS)

3 or more people, add 2-4 oz. of chlorine

Once a week:

Check pH and Alkalinity

add 2-4 oz. of Defender

Add 1/2 cap of Natural Clear (At least 24 hrs. apart from Defender)

Change Spa water 3-4 times a year

===========================================================

Thanks in advance.

Ken

Sounds like a good start...but a bit too general for me.

Get yourself a good test kit....NOT STRIPS.

Sounds like you are setup on the Nature 2 program, which uses MPS in conjunction with the silver cartridge to sanitize. It also requires a .5ppm Free Chlorine to maintain proper sanitation. I found it much easier to just use the nature 2 as a backup safety net, and use nitro's approach to water maintenance and keep chlorine at a more traditional 2-5ppm free chlorine.

Test your Chlorine every day until you get the hang of it. I need to add chlorine every other day no matter if I use it or not. If I use the tub I test the very next day and then can go to the every other day testing. It took me a couple of months to get there....at first I would test chlorine every day.

Take a read of Nitro's approach to water maintenance on this board...print it out....study it...it is by far the best source of water maintenance I have ever found.

I think the dealers instructions are on the right track...just to simplified...someone on this board once quoted Einstein "Make things as simple as possible, but not more simple than possible"

If you just add chlorine willy nilly and not based on demand you could be woefully overchlorinated or woefully underchlorinated.

You cannot let your chlorine drop to zero...which it will over the course of a couple of days even if you don't use your tub.

On another note, it's always a good idea to shock (that's your MPS) only when you need it...I.E. when combined chlorine is above .5ppm...instead of because it's that day of the week.

Another thing you may consider is switching to the Dichlor then bleach method as described by Nitro. Many use it including myself...it's wonderful, easy, and very, very inexpensive.

I would also use borates....again...read about them in Nitro's post.

I know this was a bit willy nilly, but I am just spewing what I think somewhat randomly here.

good luck...and remember...FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS USE TEST STRIPS!!!!!

Oh...and another note...you can get a great price on the Taylor 2006 test kit from AMATO Industries...I just got mine the other day...I think it was $55 after shipping and took a week to get. I think they are a drycleaner supply store or something...anyways..that's the best price I have found.

I have one of the Taylor2006 test kits on order, it should be here soon.

You mentioned a potential problem with adding chlorine willy nilly, I have since gone back in and added that additional info at the end of my original post. If there's only 1 or 2 people using the spa most of the time... I think I might have the opposite problem... using the dealer formula, I'm adding non chlorine shock after a 1 or 2 person use and never adding chlorine.

(although I've added some on my own before I re-read the dealer info. I was adding 2 oz of Chlorine and 2 oz. of pH down daily, for the first 3 days)

I've also ordered some borates and look forward to adding those.

I've been studying the Nitro procedure and I'm gradually starting to understand it but not there yet.

Thanks

Ken

[bart6453]

Ken, sounds like you have a really great start on taking care of your tub.

One question....what kind of chlorine are you using?? If you are using di-chlor and are thinking about adding 2-4 ounces....assuming you have a 400 gallon tub, that's going to be about 40ppm FC....which by now you know is WAY too high.

An interesting not about Nature 2....the instructions used to say to keep FC at .5ppm.....no matter what....now it says nothing about using chlorine except for shocking the tub when needed. Here are the instructions from the Nature 2.

http://www.nature2.com/files/TL2700_Nature...ners_Manual.pdf

Looks like they just want you to add MPS before and after you get in your tub.

Like I said.....I would use both chlorine and the Nature 2 as back up.

At first I was afraid of the chlorine smell and such, what I found is that a properly maintained tub with 5ppm FC there is barely any chlorine smell.

Secondarily, we found that a clean tub using Nature 2 is kind of strange to be in because there is absolutely no sanitizer smell. With that said, it's like a Pavlovian response...no sanitizer smell....no sanitizer???? and this mental thing made my wife and I nervous.

As to adding willy nilly.....the concern is that you would be adding based on a measurement and not on demand. You should really be calculating how much chlorine you need to add to get to a particular FC PPM. Use http:// www.thepoolcalculator.com to get your calculations right....and if you have an iPod, get the app for that too. It's great to be able to make your calculations by the side of the spa.....plus it impresses the wife because it looks like I know what I am doing.

Good for you on getting a good test kit by the way.....you are well on your way to a very easy to maintain and extremely safe tub.

[cpuKEN]

Ken, sounds like you have a really great start on taking care of your tub.

One question....what kind of chlorine are you using?? If you are using di-chlor and are thinking about adding 2-4 ounces....assuming you have a 400 gallon tub, that's going to be about 40ppm FC....which by now you know is WAY too high.

Just checked it, it is "Rendezvous Chlorinating Concentrate Granular".

(active ingredient: Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrionc Dihydrate)

Is this dichlor that I keep seeing mentioned?

Is there a cheaper version of Dichlor available?

thanks

Ken

[bart6453]

Ken, sounds like you have a really great start on taking care of your tub.

One question....what kind of chlorine are you using?? If you are using di-chlor and are thinking about adding 2-4 ounces....assuming you have a 400 gallon tub, that's going to be about 40ppm FC....which by now you know is WAY too high.

Just checked it, it is "Rendezvous Chlorinating Concentrate Granular".

(active ingredient: Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrionc Dihydrate)

Is this dichlor that I keep seeing mentioned?

Is there a cheaper version of Dichlor available?

thanks

Ken

That is dichlor.

I use Nitro's method, so I use very little dichlor and mostly bleach for my chlorine supply.