cant maintain sanitizer level, please help

[Guest haynes52]

Hello, I am having a problem with my spa

it is 1500 litres

i was unable to put enough chlorine in to maintain a sanitizer level.

I was usind lithium chlorinating granules, i wound up putting 1000 Grams in within 3 days and still no residual.

i swithced to stabilized dichlor fast disolve tabs, used an entire bottle and no luck

i drained the tub and started over

i am still not able to maintain a residual for more that a few hours regardless of how much chlorine i put in

this is all without any bather usage

it is all very strange, i have never had a problem before. the pool store says that i shoulodnt need to put more than one little puck per day in on avergae and it should hold a residual even for 2 days with no use.

i have used a shock treatment twice since refilling it and still no joy!

today i have put 12 tabs in and a shock, and i fully expect the level to go to zero by night fall and without any use

i should alos note that my spa is in good balance and has perfect looking water and has no foaming

the only thing i can think of is that there is some bacteria in the pipes that is consuming my sanitizer, but this much????

p.s. i use well water this time 50% softened and 50% very hard

any thoughts??

Cheers

Ottawa Canada

[Guest Linda Lou]

Try running the spa on a bromine system as it has an extended life compared to chlorine. Bromine carries a sodium bromide bank which helps ensure a residual. Be sure that the water is balanced and all metals have been nuetralized before beginning. At that time if you are still unable to maintain a residual take the water to a lab that speacializes in bacterial strains.

Good Luck

[Guest Sarah]

Did the place you took your water too (if you took your water to them) do a test to see what your chlorine levels were? The strips may show no chlorine, but there may be chloramines, in which case a heavy shock is in order. If you switch to bromine, you won't have the same problem, but the problem isn't hard to fix. Some people prefer bromine, but it also has it's downsides. Every system will be different for every person, and you may be fine with chlorine.

Anyways, back to your question.

You need to find out your total chlorine and free chlorine readings though, strips normally test only for free, and you can have no free chlorine, but high total chlorine, in which case you have a chloramine issue. Depending on the reading, your dealer should be able to help you figure out how much shock you need. Take them a water sample. If they don't test water, find another dealer. Go to www.bioguard.com and do the dealer locator, because if there is one in your area, you can bring them a water sample and they should have a computerized water testing station that they will usually test your water for free on. The printout will actually show you your readings; and depending on what they are and the amount of gallons of your spa, it will also calculate how much shock you need.

Hope this helps.

Sarah