Low Baqua Spa Sanitizer (Ppm)

[wwotr]

Hello,

I'm new to THIS Forum, but have had my "Coast Spa" for 6 years now and use Baqua Spa Chemicals exclusively.

We recently have moved and are using our spa about 4-6 times a month (at the most).

I'm using the Baqua Spa Test Strips and have all my Chemicals within Tolerances,

(except for the Baqua Spa Sanitizer ppm) Category.

My water looks "slightly" murky.

I have the small little Spa Kit I bought from the Pool Store in my are.

I was trying to use the "Shock" Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level.

As I said before, everything is in line EXCEPT that sanitizer category.

It's beyond the "Very Low" mark and the pad on the Test Strip is almost White.

Am I using the wrong Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level?

If so, what to the more knowledgeable people here suggest.

I think my Hot Tub is close to 300 Gallon capacity.

Any help would be appreciated.

Roger

[waterbear]

Hello,

I'm new to THIS Forum, but have had my "Coast Spa" for 6 years now and use Baqua Spa Chemicals exclusively.

We recently have moved and are using our spa about 4-6 times a month (at the most).

I'm using the Baqua Spa Test Strips and have all my Chemicals within Tolerances,

(except for the Baqua Spa Sanitizer ppm) Category.

My water looks "slightly" murky.

I have the small little Spa Kit I bought from the Pool Store in my are.

I was trying to use the "Shock" Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level.

As I said before, everything is in line EXCEPT that sanitizer category.

It's beyond the "Very Low" mark and the pad on the Test Strip is almost White.

Am I using the wrong Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level?

Yes, the shock is peroxide, not biguanide. You need to add the sanitizer, not the shock.

If so, what to the more knowledgeable people here suggest.

The more knowledgeable people here usually recommend chlorine or bromine before a biguanide based system like Baqua unless you have a true allergy to halogens (very rare but it does happen). The biggest problem is biguanide systems like Baqua is the prevalence of white water mold, pink slime, and cloudy water that usually occur sometime after 3 to 5 years of continued use. Also, some people do get respiratory irritation from the peroxide shock. The high price is another reason they are not a first choice. They drain your wallet and make a LOT of money for your dealer!

I think my Hot Tub is close to 300 Gallon capacity.

Any help would be appreciated.

Roger

Hope this helps.

[wwotr]

Hello,

I'm new to THIS Forum, but have had my "Coast Spa" for 6 years now and use Baqua Spa Chemicals exclusively.

We recently have moved and are using our spa about 4-6 times a month (at the most).

I'm using the Baqua Spa Test Strips and have all my Chemicals within Tolerances,

(except for the Baqua Spa Sanitizer ppm) Category.

My water looks "slightly" murky.

I have the small little Spa Kit I bought from the Pool Store in my are.

I was trying to use the "Shock" Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level.

As I said before, everything is in line EXCEPT that sanitizer category.

It's beyond the "Very Low" mark and the pad on the Test Strip is almost White.

Am I using the wrong Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level?

Yes, the shock is peroxide, not biguanide. You need to add the sanitizer, not the shock.

If so, what to the more knowledgeable people here suggest.

The more knowledgeable people here usually recommend chlorine or bromine before a biguanide based system like Baqua unless you have a true allergy to halogens (very rare but it does happen). The biggest problem is biguanide systems like Baqua is the prevalence of white water mold, pink slime, and cloudy water that usually occur sometime after 3 to 5 years of continued use. Also, some people do get respiratory irritation from the peroxide shock. The high price is another reason they are not a first choice. They drain your wallet and make a LOT of money for your dealer!

I think my Hot Tub is close to 300 Gallon capacity.

Any help would be appreciated.

Roger

Hope this helps.

No not really. All I got out of it is that Baqua Spa is overpriced and diesnt do as good a job as Bromine. I'd like to stick with the Baqua Spa, as my Wife DOES have some skin allergies. So what do I do to get the Murky Water gone and the Sanitizer lever up?

Roger

[wwotr]

Hello,

I'm new to THIS Forum, but have had my "Coast Spa" for 6 years now and use Baqua Spa Chemicals exclusively.

We recently have moved and are using our spa about 4-6 times a month (at the most).

I'm using the Baqua Spa Test Strips and have all my Chemicals within Tolerances,

(except for the Baqua Spa Sanitizer ppm) Category.

My water looks "slightly" murky.

I have the small little Spa Kit I bought from the Pool Store in my are.

I was trying to use the "Shock" Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level.

As I said before, everything is in line EXCEPT that sanitizer category.

It's beyond the "Very Low" mark and the pad on the Test Strip is almost White.

Am I using the wrong Chemical to bring up the Sanitizer Level?

Yes, the shock is peroxide, not biguanide. You need to add the sanitizer, not the shock.

If so, what to the more knowledgeable people here suggest.

The more knowledgeable people here usually recommend chlorine or bromine before a biguanide based system like Baqua unless you have a true allergy to halogens (very rare but it does happen). The biggest problem is biguanide systems like Baqua is the prevalence of white water mold, pink slime, and cloudy water that usually occur sometime after 3 to 5 years of continued use. Also, some people do get respiratory irritation from the peroxide shock. The high price is another reason they are not a first choice. They drain your wallet and make a LOT of money for your dealer!

I think my Hot Tub is close to 300 Gallon capacity.

Any help would be appreciated.

Roger

Hope this helps.

No not really. All I got out of it is that Baqua Spa is overpriced and diesnt do as good a job as Bromine. I'd like to stick with the Baqua Spa, as my Wife DOES have some skin allergies. So what do I do to get the Murky Water gone and the Sanitizer lever up?

Roger

Anyone???

(crickets chirping....)

[waterbear]

So what do I do to get the Murky Water gone and the Sanitizer lever up?

Roger

Anyone???

(crickets chirping....)

the shock is peroxide, not biguanide. You need to add the sanitizer, not the shock.

If that doesn't work you will probably have to drain and refill and if that doesn't work you will probably have to drain again, purge and sanitizer the spa, and then start over.

Your problem is very common with biguinide spas and there is no easy cure, unfortunately.

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

In a nutshell, I think what water bear was saying in the first post is that you are not using the right product, you must use the sanitizer to bring up the sanitizer AND even doing this it may not work because you may be fighting very common mold issues that arise with baqua. You may have to use a spa purge product, then decontaminate, then refill and start over with the Baqua, with the knowledge that you most likley will have this issue again in the future.

[waterbear]

In a nutshell, I think what water bear was saying in the first post is that you are not using the right product, you must use the sanitizer to bring up the sanitizer AND even doing this it may not work because you may be fighting very common mold issues that arise with baqua. You may have to use a spa purge product, then decontaminate, then refill and start over with the Baqua, with the knowledge that you most likley will have this issue again in the future.

EXACTLY! The sanitizer is Polyhexamethylene biguanide. The shock is hydrogen peroxide. You have to use the right product to raise the PHMB (sanitizer) levels.

IF that does not work then all I can say is you should now understand why biguanide based systems are not recommended unless there is a true halogen sensitivity (rare and not the same at all as having skin allergies).

[simonc]

Roger -

I don't have any experience with Baqua Spa, so I cannot speak from personal experience. However, I do have some general comments that might be helpful:

1. You've gotten advice from two of the most experienced and knowledgeable people on this forum ... waterbear and hillbilly hot tub. I would seriously consider their advice. As the old saying goes ... "A word to the wise is sufficient."

2. The FIRST responsibility of a hottub owner is to make sure his/her water is SAFE. People introduce all sorts of nasty bugs into the water ... bacteria, viruses, mold. These things like the warm water environment and their populations can explode quickly. People do get sick from these things. The purpose of a sanitizer is to kill these bugs before they can multiply and become a threat to your health. There are a limited number of US government "approved" sanitizers for pools and hottubs. Baqua Spa is NOT one of these. (Correction: Baqua Spa is apparently an EPA registered sanitizer. I apologize for my error.) The most common ones are chlorine and bromine. If you or your wife have been in public swimming pools or public hottubs with no skin irritation, there is a good chance that you will also do well with a chlorine sanitizer for your own spa. Maybe some more experienced forum members can comment on which approved sanitizer method is best tolerated in the general population? Personally, I don't know. My experience is limited to chlorine which works well for me.

3. You mentioned that you used "shock" from a pool kit you have. "Shock" is a word that may refer to multiple chemicals. Most likely, it's a "non-chlorine" shock. It also might say "oxidizing" shock. This is NOT a sanitizer. By itself, it probably will not kill the bad bugs in the water at a fast enough rate to make your water safe. (You said you added it to increase the sanitation level.) This type of "shock" is an oxidizer. It's primary purpose is to get rid of bather "waste" such as sweat. It also gets rid of residual chemicals that are byproducts of using chlorine. One can use chlorine as a "shock" and it will kill the bugs. However, I don't know if chlorine shock (or any kind of shock) is compatible with Baqua Spa.

I hope this information helps you determine how best to keep your water safe. I'm sure that's a concern for you too.

Good luck,

- Simon

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I have to correct a little, Baqua is an EPA approved sanitizer, it just has some of its own issues such as the mold and it also eats at some of the plastics used in some of the tubs. Arctic spas does not want baqua used in their tubs for one.

The "shock" for baqua is a peroxide based shock, which is not a sanitizer. You can not mix other products with baqua, they do not play well with others!

Each sanitizer can have its own issues if not done properly, such as biofilms with chlorine ect. Baqua has the mold. Over the years we have so overused chemicals (and drugs) that bacteria/germs/viruses are becoming immune to them. If we do not stop over using sanitizers ect. this problem is just going to get worse.