I Guess I'm Lost When It Comes To Water Chemistry!

[WRMcAninch]

Ok... long story short as possible. New tub last October. Everything going good with chlorine until I got bumps on my legs, etched like hell. Switched to brom-aid, two part sanitizer,same problem. Figured out I am elergic to MPS I guess. Switched to Baqua-Spa and things were good with me but I couldn't handle the tary goo. Another switch to the 2 step Bromine. Followed directions from this forum and not having any luck keeping the Bromine reading up. I'm using "One Step Brominating Concentrate". I have a 315 gal spa and followed directions on the label. Started out good but now test strip says "0" Bromine. Put 2 tsps in a few hours ago and it reads "0". What gives? And to top it off it looks like the wife is reacting to the Bromine :-( So here I am, a garage full of chemicals that looks like a pool store, changed the water enough times the water district is thinking of putting in another water tower and I'm still clueless as to what to do. We are using the tub and the water is clear. Help would be greatful.

[chem geek]

You may have biofilms in your spa and should use Ahh-Some to purge your spa.

With 2-step bromine, you have to add oxidizer to active bromide to bromine every day or two. With the 3-step method, you use bromine tabs in a floating feeder to maintain a background dose. Usually the reason to use bromine is for that floating feeder so that you don't need to frequently dose. If you are using the spa every day or two so can easily dose every day or two, then the Dichlor-then-bleach method would probably be better for you. See Dichlor/bleach Method In a Nutshell but note that the TA should be lowered to 50 ppm, not 80 ppm, and the use of 50 ppm Borates (usually from boric acid you can get from Duda Diesel) is not optional. You can use PoolMath to calculate dosages.

[WRMcAninch]

Thanks for the reply and sorry I haven't replied sooner.

I did get the Ahh-Some and did a decontamination. Got a lot of gunk out of the tub, cleaned and refilled. I decided to try some of the chemicals I already had to see if I truly was allergic to the MPS. Well... I am :-(

This Hot Tub thing started out great and made me feel much better, I have a muscle/skeletal thing going on. But now it's becoming a pain in the A**. I read the Dichlor/bleach Method In a Nutshell and feel so confused. Well maybe not confused but certainly overwhelmed, it really seems you need to be a chemist. And to top it off under the on going maintenance it says "Add MPS before/during high bather loads to help out the Chlorine, and keep CD low. (Optional but recommended)" Well since MPS is a problem for me what would I do at this step?

I've tried chlorine first, then Brom-Aid, then Baqua-Spa, then One Step Brominating Concentrate and now back to Brom-Aid. My wife was OK with all of them except the one that didn't bother me, the One Step Brominating Concentrate. The Baqua-Spa didn't bother me but neither one of us cared for it, the tary gunk was a little much to deal with. Maybe we weren't met to have a Hot Tub. :-(

[chem geek]

Forget the part about adding MPS. For the Dichlor-then-bleach method that should not be necessary. I didn't write that article and can't edit it to correct it.

If you soak every day or two then the Dichlor-then-bleach method isn't a lot of work since you just add chlorine after every soak. If you don't soak that often, then it's more of a pain because you need to add chlorine in between soaks. Also, if you have an ozonator and don't use the spa every day, it's more work since ozone reacts with chlorine using both up.

Bromine is generally easier, especially if you don't soak frequently, because bromine tabs in a floating feeder can be used to provide a background dose of bromine in between soaks. If you have an ozonator, then starting a bromide bank (adding sodium bromide) when you change the water then has ozone generate bromine from that bromide. You still usually need to add an oxidizer after each soak if you soak infrequently, but you can use chlorine for that (i.e. you don't need to use MPS). You can see this post on the 3-step bromine method -- 1) add sodium bromide after changing the water, 2) use bromine tabs in a floating dispenser, 3) add an oxidizer (e.g. chlorine) after each soak.

The only issue with bromine is that it doesn't keep the water as clear as with chlorine, but if you use chlorine as your oxidizer after each soak it should be OK. Worst case, you can shock with chlorine on occasion if needed.

I don't know what Brom-Aid is. Does it have a list of ingredients or a manufacturer name on it? I'm not sure why your wife didn't like brominating concentrate since that's generally a combination of sodium bromide with chlorine so after you build up bromide (or add it initially) it makes bromine. Perhaps you should try the 3-step method I described/linked above.

[WRMcAninch]

The Brom-Aid is under a SpaBoss label made by CAPO Industries Ltd in Burlington, Ontario Canada. Ingredients listed are; Sodium Bromide (NABR) 35%, Inert ingredients 65%. It's a two part system, Brom-Aid and Energize. Energize ingredients are; Potassium Peroxymonosulfate 31.5%, Inert ingredients 68.5 %.

It's not that my wife didn't like the brominating concentrate, it didn't like her. It seem to dry her legs out and they were itchy.

We soak almost every night and I will get in for a quick soak in the morning before work. The morning soaks were a God Send for me with my troubles, got me limbered up for the day. I think the Dichlor-then-bleach method may be the next try.

Sorry... a few more questions before I try switching; 1- I just changed the water, do I need to dump it and start fresh again? 2- what do I need to get? I read some place about a test kit, I just use strips now. The rest is in the Dichlor-then-bleach post I think.

I thank you for your help. All this can be overwhelming at times and its nice to have a place to turn for help.

Thanks Again,

Bill

[chem geek]

You have to change the water to go from bromine to chlorine; the other way around from chlorine to bromine can be done without changing the water.

The best test kit is the Taylor K-2006. It will work for bromine as well (though the 2106 is more commonly used for that), but is tops for chlorine. However, that kit is VERY expensive in Canada. The K-2005 will be less expensive but will only have a DPD chlorine test so won't read above 10 ppm and won't be as accurate, but will still be better than your test strips.

For Dichlor-then-bleach you should just need to get Dichlor, usually called chlorinating granules, and unscented regular bleach such as Clorox bleach (8.25%), and acid (dry acid which is sodium bisulfate is OK), and boric acid you can get from Duda Diesel where for 315 gallons to get to 50 ppm Borates would take 12 ounces weight (around 13-1/2 fluid ounces volume). You can use PoolMath to calculate dosages.

[WRMcAninch]

Thank you kindly for all the info. I will get my supplies ordered and give it a go. I'm sure I will have more questions once I get started. I am really missing the tub.

Thanks again,

Bill