New to the hot tub world and frustrated!

[Mason Fam]

My husband and I purchased our first hot tub, a Bullfrog X8 (500 gallon), in November.  We started it up with chlorine and thought life was good.  After just a few weeks, we noticed that everytime we tested the water, there was absolutely no chlorine in it.  So, stupid us, we would just add chlorine, get it up to level and get in.  Soon after, my husband developed a terrible case of hot tub rash and then we learned all about it.  Yuck!  We superchlorinated the tub, cleaned it and all was good again, except for his skin....it never truly got better.  We talked to our local pool guy and he sold us on the Pristine Blue system.  He told us that it may help with his sensitivity to the tub.  We drained the tub, cleaned it and started it up with the Pristine Blue system.  At first we loved it...no smell, very soft water, etc.  And once again, two weeks into using Pristine Blue, all levels are perfect, except the copper level.  It drops the next day.  It seems like all of the copper is going straight to our filters....they have turned blue.  We replaced the filters and tried again.  Now, my husband is getting a rash again and is at the end of his rope.  Anyone else experience anything like this?  We really want to love our hot tub!

Thanks for any advice!

Mark & Jen

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hello Masons':  Your post seems to indicate that your hot tub has a Biofilm issue.  Please research biofilm in hot tubs.  This forum has many postings that can assist you.  When you say you drained the hot tub and cleaned it, you do not say whether or not you used a plumbing & jet cleaner.  You need to do this! Be sure to research this issue and get a product that has a good following from this forum.  Biofilm exerts tremendous demand on sanitizer and going without it or too low a residual, can certainly contribute to an individual getting a skin rash or  hot tub folliculitis, AKA (Pontiac Fever).  Do the plumbing purge every 4-6 months for best results.  You absolutely have to dump the water after the "Purge".  When you see the gunk that comes out you'll want to dump it, believe me. Maintain adequate sanitizer levels and you'll see a dramatic difference in your maintenance issues and sanitizer demand.

[dlleno]

the fact that your chlorine level dropped to zero prior to your troubles does indicate a contaminant that is now living in your water. often times, folks will experience frustration with maintaining water balance before they experience sickness or rash, but either way the evidence imho really tells me that you need to purge.    I have written about this extensively here and in a little-known blog post where I tested several purge products.