Need Help Getting Chemicals Figured Out....

[salachic]

Hi. I'm new here. I've been reading all the posts and learning a lot, but I'll admit I'm pretty confused and not sure if some of the things I've read applies to my situation.

We bought a used tub last month. We cleaned it well (we think) and filled it up. We had ordered a starter kit of chemicals from SpaDepot and between those and the tub instructions/paperwork, started adding things: alkaline decreaser, PH down, bromine etc. Our 1st problem we ran into was that we did not know that we had to add both the bromine and the spa shock too. After a visit to the local pool store we learned that other brands have the bromine/shock mixed and ours did not. That is why even after putting in almost 1/2 a container of bromine, it still registered 0 on the test strip. We added the Shock and Voila! it's where its supposed to be. We also have a bromine floater and have to fill that about 1x a week.

Our main problems/questions right now seem to be:

1. We are using AquaChek test strips. Are they good? Accurate? Sometimes we are guessing if the colors match the ones on the bottle.

2. I've read about the Taylor tester.... more info pls. Does that give you readings digitally? What is a good/basic model to start with?

3. I think (according to the test strip) that the Alkaline and PH levels are on the low side of normal. I put in some ALK increaser, will that raise the PH a bit as well? I'm going to test again tomorrow to check, if not I guess I'll put in some PH up.

4. Water appears slightly murky/cloudy. Could that be caused by Alk/ph levels being off? I have a clarifier, do you recommend I put some of that in?

5. It foams up quite a bit when we turn on the air --- but I just finished reading on there about the swimsuits/laundry soap issue ---- duhhhh. But I washed the suits to get the bromine smell out ---- now I have to stop washing them to keep the foam out of the spa. Does anyone know of a wash/rinse for suits that won't cause the spa to foam? Do you recommend a de-foamer?

6. I honestly feel like i'm constantly dumping stuff in and pretty soon I'lll have more "stuff" than water. We are also looking in to getting a Spa Frog stick. The guy at our local pool/spa store only sells the Nature2 which will not work with bromine. But he says when one uses a mineral stick like this, then the test strip readings will be off. Will it just be the bromine readings that are off? or the Alk/PH readings too? If that makes the bromine readings off, how would I know when to add more?

7. The tub has an ozonator. I've read those only last so many years. The tub is 2 years old. How do I test if it is working? How will I know if it quits working?

As you can see I'm a complete newbie..... but we're eager to learn. We are not looking for the fix it/forget it thing - but a simple yet reliable method to know that our hot tub is clean and safe.

Thanks for your help!

[LofSlentSot]

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[chem geek]

1. We are using AquaChek test strips. Are they good? Accurate? Sometimes we are guessing if the colors match the ones on the bottle.

No, in general test strips are not good and they are not accurate. The drop-based test kits such as the Taylor K-2106 for bromine or the Taylor K-2006 for chlorine are the best. These are FAS-DPD "count the drops" tests so there is no color matching -- you just count the drops until the sample goes from pink/red to clear and then multiply the number of drops by an appropriate factor.

2. I've read about the Taylor tester.... more info pls. Does that give you readings digitally? What is a good/basic model to start with?

No, it is not a digital meter. See an online demo of the tests at http://www.taylortechnologies.com/products_choose_slideshow.asp'>this link by clicking on "Pool/Spa" on the left side and then selecting the K-2006 videos. The test for bromine in the K-2106 is very similar to that of chlorine in the K-2006 except you won't do the second step testing for combined chlorine since that is not relevant for bromine and instead you are just testing for Total Bromine. Also, the CYA test is not relevant (nor available) in the K-2106 kit.

3. I think (according to the test strip) that the Alkaline and PH levels are on the low side of normal. I put in some ALK increaser, will that raise the PH a bit as well? I'm going to test again tomorrow to check, if not I guess I'll put in some PH up.

If you raise the Total Alkalinity (TA) using baking soda, then if your pH started low then it will go up as well. If you get your TA too high, however, then the pH will tend to rise over time. You want to get your TA to a level where the pH is fairly stable. That level will vary by spa because it depends on the amount of aeration.

4. Water appears slightly murky/cloudy. Could that be caused by Alk/ph levels being off? I have a clarifier, do you recommend I put some of that in?

If your pH, TA AND Calcium Hardness (CH) levels are high, then that can cause cloudiness, but it could just be that you haven't been using enough oxidizer/disinfectant and something is growing in your spa.

5. It foams up quite a bit when we turn on the air --- but I just finished reading on there about the swimsuits/laundry soap issue ---- duhhhh. But I washed the suits to get the bromine smell out ---- now I have to stop washing them to keep the foam out of the spa. Does anyone know of a wash/rinse for suits that won't cause the spa to foam? Do you recommend a de-foamer?

You can still wash your suits, but you need to rinse them thoroughly. Just do a "2nd Rinse" if your washing machine has that option. Instead of a de-foamer, you can consider getting a scum ball if you find that there's an oily film on the water surface or that the spa sides above the water line get organics on them. To prevent foaming, you can raise your Calcium Hardness (CH) to 120-150 ppm.

6. I honestly feel like i'm constantly dumping stuff in and pretty soon I'lll have more "stuff" than water. We are also looking in to getting a Spa Frog stick. The guy at our local pool/spa store only sells the Nature2 which will not work with bromine. But he says when one uses a mineral stick like this, then the test strip readings will be off. Will it just be the bromine readings that are off? or the Alk/PH readings too? If that makes the bromine readings off, how would I know when to add more?

A mineral stick should not throw off the test readings for a good test kit. I don't know what he is talking about.

7. The tub has an ozonator. I've read those only last so many years. The tub is 2 years old. How do I test if it is working? How will I know if it quits working?

That's a great question that hopefully someone will be able to answer. If the ozonator was working, then I'd expect that while it is running then you could faintly smell some ozone, especially if you churn the water, but keep in mind that most spas are designed to turn off the ozonator if they think you are using the spa, so when you turn on aeration jet controls, for example.

[salachic]

Thanks for the info. Ok, I've bought the Taylor K-2106. Here's my #s:

Hardness: 260

PH 8

Alkalinity 120

Bromine 5

question: I got a cup of water and started doing all the tests. and then I tried to use the little saturation wheel that comes with it. And it asked water temperature. Does that mean what temp I have the tub at? or what temp the water was when I did the test? Because i am sure it had cooled down by the time i got to some of the tests.....

Also you suggested hardness should be between 210-150...... but my test said to put in drops until the liquid changed color then multiply that by 10..... it took 26 drops!!! Yikes. I have some stuff called "calcium increase" but I don't have anything called calcium decrease..... is that what I need? (being so new we just bought a start up "kit" from spa depot.....)

I do plan to buy the Spa Frog.

[salachic]

Thanks for the info. Ok, I've bought the Taylor K-2106. Here's my #s:

Hardness: 260

PH 8

Alkalinity 120

Bromine 5

question: I got a cup of water and started doing all the tests. and then I tried to use the little saturation wheel that comes with it. And it asked water temperature. Does that mean what temp I have the tub at? or what temp the water was when I did the test? Because i am sure it had cooled down by the time i got to some of the tests.....

Also you suggested hardness should be between 120-150...... but my test said to put in drops until the liquid changed color then multiply that by 10..... it took 26 drops!!! Yikes. I have some stuff called "calcium increase" but I don't have anything called calcium decrease..... is that what I need? (being so new we just bought a start up "kit" from spa depot.....)

I do plan to buy the Spa Frog.

[chem geek]

You can use http://www.thepoolcalculator.com'>The Pool Calculator to calculate the saturation index more accurately than the Taylor wheel though they are close. Yes, the temperature means the water temperature. SInce your spa isn't plaster, I wouldn't worry about the saturation index. Your Calcium Hardness (CH) is high (are you on well water?) so you risk getting scaling if the TA and pH get high. I'd lower the TA level by adding acid and aerating (running the jets). Get it down to 80 ppm and see if the pH is stable. If it still rises, you can lower the TA more (but not below 50 ppm).

The Spa Frog is not really helpful since you should be able to maintain bromine levels in the spa using a bromine tab feeder plus dosing with an oxidizer after each soak.