What Do You Use To Measure Chemicals?

[Three Rivers]

My tub is on order so I am trying to gather what I need to take care of it when it arrives using the dichlor then bleach method. What do folks use for measuring chemicals? An old set of measuring cups and spoons from the kitchen? Seems things get confusing pretty quick - (for example 5 oz of bleach per hour soak so if 3 people were in the tub then 15 oz so 1 cup then 7 oz left so 3/4 cup then switch to tablespoons or if I use MPS then 21 teaspoons...)

I suppose everyone gets into a routine after a while and it's probably not bad but what would you recommend I start with? I was thinking of getting 100 cc and 500 cc graduated cylinders from Amazon and doing everything in metric off the pool calculator but I can't find a real set of metric measuring spoons for the dry stuff so I may need to do a little of both systems.

Lastly, does it matter what they are made off? Will the bleach or acid react with normal kitchen plastic or stainless steel that I need to look for something special?

Thanks for any input

[Itchy and Scratchy]

My tub is on order so I am trying to gather what I need to take care of it when it arrives using the dichlor then bleach method. What do folks use for measuring chemicals? An old set of measuring cups and spoons from the kitchen? Seems things get confusing pretty quick - (for example 5 oz of bleach per hour soak so if 3 people were in the tub then 15 oz so 1 cup then 7 oz left so 3/4 cup then switch to tablespoons or if I use MPS then 21 teaspoons...)

I suppose everyone gets into a routine after a while and it's probably not bad but what would you recommend I start with? I was thinking of getting 100 cc and 500 cc graduated cylinders from Amazon and doing everything in metric off the pool calculator but I can't find a real set of metric measuring spoons for the dry stuff so I may need to do a little of both systems.

Lastly, does it matter what they are made off? Will the bleach or acid react with normal kitchen plastic or stainless steel that I need to look for something special?

Thanks for any input

Keep it simple and improvise. I like to have chemical premeasured. Durring my weekly shock I fill 60 ml syringes with bleach. Then after my soak I can add what is needed easily without getting bleach on myself.

Let's say you needed the 15 oz of bleach fill a few 16 oz plastic bottles. You could even premeasure and mark 5 oz increments so you could eyeball per hour soaks.

Recycle, reuse. BTW where do you live there is a three rivers near me.

[JimKW]

I have a little 4 oz plastic measuring cup with graduations in metric and standard and that's all I use. If I need six oz I use one and a half cups. Normally I just add 3-4 oz (depending on usage) of Clorox per day. If I miss a day, I add about six the next day. It's not that hard and no need to make it harder. I shock it about every 10 days using the same little cup. You might want to invest in the Taylor Drop Test Kit to check chemical levels.

[DK117]

I have a little 4 oz plastic measuring cup with graduations in metric and standard and that's all I use. If I need six oz I use one and a half cups. Normally I just add 3-4 oz (depending on usage) of Clorox per day. If I miss a day, I add about six the next day. It's not that hard and no need to make it harder. I shock it about every 10 days using the same little cup. You might want to invest in the Taylor Drop Test Kit to check chemical levels.

I use a shot glass for dry stuff (one oz) and a one cup pyrex (glass) measuring cup for bleach (it has both oz and cups listed.) That's about it.

DK117

[waterbear]

My tub is on order so I am trying to gather what I need to take care of it when it arrives using the dichlor then bleach method. What do folks use for measuring chemicals? An old set of measuring cups and spoons from the kitchen? Seems things get confusing pretty quick - (for example 5 oz of bleach per hour soak so if 3 people were in the tub then 15 oz so 1 cup then 7 oz left so 3/4 cup then switch to tablespoons or if I use MPS then 21 teaspoons...)

I suppose everyone gets into a routine after a while and it's probably not bad but what would you recommend I start with? I was thinking of getting 100 cc and 500 cc graduated cylinders from Amazon and doing everything in metric off the pool calculator but I can't find a real set of metric measuring spoons for the dry stuff so I may need to do a little of both systems.

Lastly, does it matter what they are made off? Will the bleach or acid react with normal kitchen plastic or stainless steel that I need to look for something special?

Thanks for any input

I use some cheap polypropylene measuring cups from Walmart (set of three for a few bucks) and an inexpensive kitchen scale (not digital or even powered) that measures in ounces up to 4 lbs and can zero out a container put on it (about $17) and a postal scale that measures up to 2 oz (about $5). If you want to go metric go ahead but there really is no need unless you really LIKE the metric system. Jut realize that you do not need the precision of a triple beam scale!

Remember, it's just a hot tub, not a laboratory experiment...Keep it simple, it's only water!

Dry chems are measured by weight normally and liquids by volume. Converting dry chems to volume often introduces errors because of differenced in density of the chem because of differences in manufacture. IMHO and in my experience, measuring by weight is much less error prone and just as easy.

As far as materials go, just about all plastics are going to be fine with your spa chems, including acid and chlorine. Just rinse them off in the spa after measuring.

[Three Rivers]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about measuring out the dry stuff by weight, that seems easy enough. It looks like I can get a kitchen scale for not too much so I think I will give that a try. I do have the test set on order so I should be set there.

Itchy and Scratchy I live in western Montana, lots of rivers around here to choose from.

[spawn]

I use dichlor then bleach. About once per week I top off my graduated nalgene 1 liter narrow mouth bottle as shown here:

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=1237

I keep a rubber band around the bottle and when I head out to the tub I slide it down from the current level to a point 5 oz lower since 98% of the time my wife and I hop in for a 30 minute cycle and use 5 oz per person hour. It is easier for me to see the rubber band in the dark than to read the current level and then find a spot 5 oz lower after adding some bleach.

Occassionally I'll use a plastic table spoon to add dichlor or MPS or dry acid (which I pre-dissolve in a 1 cup glass measuring cup).

For larger quantities of dry powder at set up time (baking soda or Ca increaser) I use our kitchen scale, pouring the powder on a creased (old school lab technique) piece of parchment paper (we use it all the time in the kitchen - great for thin crust pizza on the grill, by the way).

[Tomab]

I use dichlor then bleach method. For the bleach I use a twin neck dispenser bottle similar to the one shown here.

All you do is remove cap from the dispensing side, squeeze to the proper measurement and then pour into the tub. Put the cap back on then dunk the whole bottle in the tub just incase any bleach got on the outside of the container.

Once a month or so I have to refill the large side with bleach. Easy and works great! No mess and no extra container to deal with!

[PaulR]

For dry stuff I keep a plastic picnic spoon in each container (and never let the spoons touch water). I'm not exactly sure how much they hold in terms of weight or volume, but I do know one spoonful of dichlor is 3ppm FC, and really that's the important part.

--paulr

[bfunke]

You guys all work too hard!

I have the SpaFrog system in my tube and it's great. I live in the South were pH is low so I add two teaspoons of pH-Up on fill. and then a little alkanity increasing. I usually drain the tub every 3 months or so by siphoning the water with a garden hose and wipe it down with a towel and scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner before refilling. I also hose off the filter cartridge. I change the SpaFrog bromine cartridge every fill and the mineral cartridge every third fill. Whenever I take a pool sample to my pool store I also take a spa sample. Occasionally he tells me I need to add alkalinity.

For my pool I use a Polaris 360 cleaner and put a 3 inch Cl tab in the skimmer and weekly shock it with granulated shock. I don't like to spend time on maintenance but I do enjoy both my pool and spa daily much of the year. Best wishes with your new spa.