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Is A Swcg A Good Solution To Space Cadet Water Maintenance Plan..?


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I need a little help. I am smart and genuinely interested in keeping my hot tub as perfect as possible, however, I also suffer from this lovely thing called “chemo-brain” that makes me very absent minded. They tell me this will eventually go away (in 5-10 years!) but in the meantime I frequently forget to check my chem levels. (I also have a hell of a time remembering to water plants, thankfully the dog still gets fed!)

We have a 380 Gallon Caldera and I had been using the Dichlor-bleach method, but would miss a day or three at a time and that was worrying me since sometimes the chlorine would get to 0. (Almost never more than three because I love going in!) I switched to the Nature2 using MPS/soak and Chlorine (bleach) shock on a roughly weekly basis. My thinking was that it was a slightly lower maintenance way to maintain the spa. That’s what I am doing now however I suspect that the sanitiser levels are still getting too low sometimes as well. We had people over a few days ago and we all noticed a faint odd smell (mildew-ish if I had to describe it) despite having added MPS prior to the soak and verifying the levels were higher for the anticipated bather load. I am now thinking that the Nature2 is not going to be the right system for me with my limitations.

I'm thinking that getting a salt water chlorine generator might be the best solution for my well-intentioned but spacy brain.

I know a SWCG isn’t a set and forget solution, I'm not expecting it to be, but I’m thinking it will provide some stability to the system that I have been having difficulty managing on a daily basis and for about $300 that seems well worth it.

I’m not sure how a SWCG maintenance routine would work but my thinking is: Each fill balance the water as usual, add boric acid to 50 ppm (still a good idea with SWCG?) and 100% pure cyanuric acid to 30-40 ppm. Add whatever sort of salts need to be added and activate the SWCG. Continue to check levels the same way that I have been to maintain balanced water and add bleach when necessary and/or for high bather loads.

Does this seem like a good plan to make sure the sanitiser never dips below zero or am I seriously missing something?

If this is a good idea and anyone has more experience with SWCGs in hot tubs I’d love suggestions. I’m thinking of either the

TechniChlor 220 http://www.amazon.com/TechniChlor-220-Saltwater-Generator-Chlorinator/dp/B003TL8UQS/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1369961603&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=TechniChlor+220

ChlorMaker IL http://www.amazon.com/ChlorMaker-IL-Saltwater-Generator-Chlorinator/dp/B005L9AT8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369961510&sr=8-1&keywords=ChlorMaker+IL

Chem-Geek and Waterbear I'd especially appreciate your input, I've come to respect you both pretty highly in reading over old posts and your help already since I've joined.

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Yes, your plan is fine and yes you would still use borates, keep the TA low, and have some CYA in the water. Just note that the higher salt levels (2000 ppm) might be a problem for poor quality (low-grade) stainless steel or other metal components in your spa. Probably not a problem, but it depends on the spa. See what your spa manual says (if anything).

Some people on this forum have used TechniChlor and like it a lot.

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Thanks, I've ordered it (The ChlorMaker by the same MFG as the TechniChlor but different/easier controls), should be here in a few days. I'll report back since I didn't see a whole lot of info on here regarding member experience with various models.

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