New Hot Tub Owner With A Couple Questions

[chem geek]

The non-chlorine shock product is not necessary if you properly maintain chlorine levels and use a sufficient amount after every soak. The main time that non-chlorine shock is used is in the Nature² system as a mostly non-chlorine method and it's also sometimes used with bromine though even then chlorine can be used to create more bromine from the bromide bank and the non-chlorine shock usually isn't needed especially if there is an ozonator.

If by "shock" you mean the Boost product, then that's Dichlor as I wrote earlier. There isn't more than one kind of Dichlor.

You can add Dichlor or Trichlor to your spa water separately, but should never mix concentrated chemicals separately (though these two aren't as big a problem as mixing Cal-Hypo with Trichlor as that can be explosive as shown here).

Of course you were told that you would probably be fine with Dichlor-only since that's what most spa dealers say to do. It is OK but over time the CYA level builds up making the chlorine less effective so you'll need to change the water sooner and if you don't then you increase the risk of getting hot tub rash/itch/lung from bacterial biofilms. As for the Aqua Finesse, yes you can add that weekly. It would mostly be insurance to prevent biofilm formation. Nevertheless, it probably won't prevent the water from turning cloudy as the chlorine becomes so ineffective at high CYA levels that it is unable to keep up with chlorine demand. One can use enzyme products to supplement (or can get an ozonator) or one can just use the Dichlor-then-bleach method and not need anything else (just a little acid now and then).

I presume you have ordered or already received a proper test kit -- the Taylor K-2006 you can get at Amato Industries.

[Leeboy]

Great information once again, thank you. I havent ordered the Taylor , since im in British Columbia Canada . I see it $48 at amazon.com ( not .ca)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=taylor%20k-2006&sprefix=taylor+k-2%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ataylor%20k-2006

[chem geek]

Wow, that's a great price. You may have trouble getting it to Canada, however. Taylor has an exclusive distributor agreement with Lowry Associates in Canada and they charge a lot for the kits, mostly due to the extra requirements for importing the chemicals in the kit. If you are near the U.S. border, you're best bet would be to go to the U.S. to buy a kit or have anyone visiting you from the U.S. get one for you.

[Leeboy]

Does the taylor kit test the CYA ? Seems thats a very important piece of this puzzle to monitor. And thanks for clearing up the boost/shock=dichlor. So, im stuck with Aquachek strips ( blue bottle) for now . Do good hot tub owners check their water every single day?

[spidey9]

Do good hot tub owners check their water every single day?

Not sure if I qualify as a "good hot tub owner" but I own a good hot tub.

I've had it about a year and a half. For the first several months I did indeed test the water every single day, at least for pH and FC.

In doing this I developed a feel for the tub's chemistry, so that the test results rarely were a surprise. Now I test for pH and FC 2-3 times a week, and do a complete set of tests every Saturday.

I've augmented my Taylor K-2006 kit with things like a magnetic stirrer, sample size measuring tool, etc., and it only takes a few minutes to do the testing.

[chem geek]

Yes, the Taylor K-2006 tests for Cyanuric Acid (CYA). It also tests for Calcium Hardness (CH), Total Alkalinity (TA), pH, Free Chlorine (FC) and Combined Chlorine (CC). It does this with "count the drop" tests for all but the pH and CYA tests.