First chemical test of Spa

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Chatabox

Chatabox

0
Apr 10, 2016
64
Queensland, Australia
Hi,

Thought I would post my results:

PH - 7.6
CYA - <30
FC - 2ppm
CC - 2.5 ppm
Calcium - 75 (what's the short code for calcium?)
TA - 150ppm



Here's what I'm currently using, and hoping to switch to the bleach method when my current chemicals run out. I was expecting chlorine to be low due to what we're currently using.


Ozonator
Nature2 mineral sanitiser
Non Chlorine Ultra Shock 2x weekly (Potassium Peroxymonosulphate)
Lithium Hypochlorite dosed at each spa usage
 
c15dceebc501ce7b759de7b9ac703c99.jpg


I was a little unsure on the PH though. Opinions?
 
Awesome, that looks like a very nice test kit...

PH: looks like 7.5 to me :) right between 7.4 and 7.6
CYA: is perfect, for your spa/small pool right around 20 to 30 is what you want
TA: Use muriatic acid to drop down to 70, it will help very much with the foam and your PH rise, you can do it the fast way by dropping ph to 7 and running the spa to bring it back up to 7.4 and do it again.
CH: (calcium) it is fine for your spa

here is where it gets interesting. Most keep the FC level low (where you have it) and then raise it after use (like you do) What you are using should not be raising your combined chlorine CC like that. I will ask around and see and let you know.

That Lithium Hypochlorite is very expensive here so I am sure you will love not spending on that any more.

Chatabox said:
Hi,

Thought I would post my results:

PH - 7.6
CYA - <30
FC - 2ppm
CC - 2.5 ppm
Calcium - 75 (what's the short code for calcium?)
TA - 150ppm



Here's what I'm currently using, and hoping to switch to the bleach method when my current chemicals run out. I was expecting chlorine to be low due to what we're currently using.


Ozonator
Nature2 mineral sanitiser
Non Chlorine Ultra Shock 2x weekly (Potassium Peroxymonosulphate)
Lithium Hypochlorite dosed at each spa usage
Click to expand...
 
I'm not sure if there is any CYA in all honesty. That's why I just put less then 30, as 30 was the lowest marker the kit had. My water was completely clear and didn't cover the little picture at the bottom at all. The standard the kid came with was 50, and that turned the water very opaque. So I would be more inclined to think it's closer to 0.

I was wondering why the CC was so close to the FC. I didn't think that was normal. But I tested with the standards that came with the kit and got them matching perfectly to their numbers. So it appears my testing methods are correct. I might try them again in the morning.

I'm going to get a pool shop test done tomorrow as I'm interested to see how different they are. I'm also going to ask if they test for metals at all. I know they didn't last time.
 
cowboycasey said:
That Lithium Hypochlorite is very expensive here so I am sure you will love not spending on that any more.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed it is! I brought a container of the shock and Lithium Hypochlorite which will last around 2 months... $130. This is why I can't bear to start straight away. I can't put that much $$$ in the trash. It was painful! That's why I started looking into other methods.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Dump all of the fancy chemicals, get rid of the "mineral" system and ignore the ozonator (most breakdown after a year or so and owners rarely ever know they've stopped working).

Follow this - How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?)
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the point of me being here, as previously mentioned. However I'm not willing to dump them right now, when I literally paid $130 less then 2 weeks ago. This is why I am still in the researching stage, as I want a good understanding of the new method prior to switching over. $130 is a lot of money for me.

Thanks for the link though.
 
The lithium hypochlorite and MPS can be kept. The lithium hypochlorite can be used in place of bleach in the chlorinating process but you will still need some dichlor to build up the stabilizer level. MPS is not really needed in a properly chlorinated spa and will interfere with the DPD-FAS chlorine testing. It can be saved and used in those situations where the spa had a high bather load to help oxidize bather waste faster. Chlorine is a better oxidizer than MPS but the MPS will not go bad so simply store it in a cool, dry place.
 
As cowboycasey pointed out, it's the CC that's the concern. MPS (Potassium PeroxyMonoPerSulfate) when used will show up as CC on the FAS-DPD test for up to about a day, perhaps slightly longer. How long had it been since your last MPS addition before you tested?

Is the spa outdoors? Do you leave it uncovered at all other than when using it?
 
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I added some on Wednesday morning, then a little more on Thurs morning as it wasn't enough. The test was done on Fri night. So I might test again this morning. Being new to this process, I want to make sure I'm doing it right.

Yes the spa has covers. We actually only use it at night also. Just took this pic. The covers are insulated, so are quite thick.

(Ignore the water on the covers. The rain hasn't been evaporated yet.)

ab84714b1bf55d9d5cc1b33a7f130b2e.jpg
 
JoyfulNoise said:
The lithium hypochlorite and MPS can be kept. The lithium hypochlorite can be used in place of bleach in the chlorinating process but you will still need some dichlor to build up the stabilizer level. MPS is not really needed in a properly chlorinated spa and will interfere with the DPD-FAS chlorine testing. It can be saved and used in those situations where the spa had a high bather load to help oxidize bather waste faster. Chlorine is a better oxidizer than MPS but the MPS will not go bad so simply store it in a cool, dry place.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I can essentially start now then if I chuck the nature 2?

We don't often have spa parties, but it's good to know that I can use the MPS if needed.

So it seems that I need to buy some Dichlor and Bleach today. How many bottles would you recommend, seeing as it's not an average pool size?
 
Chatabox said:
Ok, so I can essentially start now then if I chuck the nature 2?

We don't often have spa parties, but it's good to know that I can use the MPS if needed.

So it seems that I need to buy some Dichlor and Bleach today. How many bottles would you recommend, seeing as it's not an average pool size?
Click to expand...
Some here may disagree, but the nature 2 for spas is fine to leave in. They're EPA approved to work with an oxidizer (chlorine or MPS) for sanitation, and they won't cause problems like the Nature2 pool products can. My tub is tiny though, 150gallons 2 person max. I would probably also go a traditional chlorine route if I had a tub your size.
 
Chatabox said:
Ok, so I can essentially start now then if I chuck the nature 2?

We don't often have spa parties, but it's good to know that I can use the MPS if needed.

So it seems that I need to buy some Dichlor and Bleach today. How many bottles would you recommend, seeing as it's not an average pool size?
Click to expand...

See this post for details on how much chlorine you need for every person-hour of soaking -

Shocking Spa..

You can probably get away with bucket of dichlor that's just a few pounds. It doesn't go bad so if you store it properly, it will last a LONG time.

As for bleach, you don't want to stockpile too much of it. Liquid bleach degrades over time so if you have a gallon or two around the house for laundry, that should be more than sufficient.
 
Hey there, on mobile... so... use pool math ( at the bottom ) and see how much dichlor will bring your cya to 30... that is the total amount that you will use... use only enough to keep your fc at 2 daily until your total amount is used..

Sent from my SM-G360T using Tapatalk
 

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