Non-chemical options for one-person tub?

[87seph]

I’m using a heater pump from an inflatable hot tub, and running one inch tubing to a 100 gallon stock tank for a one-person hot tub. It’s working great, and keeping the water at 104.

I’ll be changing the water regularly, since I can just empty the water into my yard. Are there non-chemical options I can use to keep the water sanitary for about a week at a time?

Thank you,
Mike

 

[87seph]

Here’s a photo. I’ll be tidying it up once I get every worked out.

 

[Oly]

Are you filling your spa with well water, surface water or from a municipal water system?

 

[87seph]

Are you filling your spa with well water, surface water or from a municipal water system?

Softened well water. I run a hose off the kitchen sink.

 

[Mdragger88]

Unless u are going to dump it every day u need to put some bleach in it

 

[Mdragger88]

If u just use bleach w/ no cya it won’t last long with exposure to the sun.
maybe a sprinkle of trichlor or dichlor (like a 1/2 tsp = 2.5 grams a day)
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts to adhere to the FC/CYA Levels
You must sanitize the water daily unless u like skin infections..
there’s a reason people don’t save their untreated bathwater.

 

[Dirk]

You could (should) use chlorine to sanitize the water. Here's a couple ideas that might work:

Once you stop adding the chlorine, it will dissipate out of the water in a day or two, or mostly, and be OK for your garden. The "city" water a lot of us use has some chlorine in it, which we use to water our gardens and lawns, so plant life can tolerate a bit. If you can't wait however long that takes, you could transfer your "used" water into another tub, and allow the chlorine to dissipate while you use the first tub. So two tubs, one sanitized for your use, then a second that is off-gassing the chlorine. The chlorine you use in the first tub for sanitizing won't last a week in the second tub, so your once-a-week schedule will work. You could use your little pump to make the transfer. Or just swap yourself. Use one tub for week, then the other the next week, sanitizing only the one you use, the other allow to off-gas. That's an "organic" way to deal with this.

Or, you could try a chemical that neutralizes chlorine, which would be fast, so you'd only need the tub you have. Many municipalities require its use before a pool owner can drain their pool into the street, so that chlorine doesn't enter natural bodies of water downstream (lakes and rivers). You'd just need to study up a bit to find one that is not harmful to plants. Google "neutralize chlorine" and a bunch of info comes up. Or maybe someone else here has some experience with this...

You can buy an inexpensive pool water test kit to monitor the water for either method, which will tell you when the chlorine is gone and the water is OK for your garden.

 

[Mdragger88]

Here’s some fun reading about small tubs

A Spa Is Not A Small Pool

 

[Dirk]

Here’s some fun reading about small tubs

A Spa Is Not A Small Pool

Definitely need to sanitize a spa!! Yikes.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Interesting... I'm trying to think outside of the box and speaking TFP blasphemy, but is this one of those cases where Ozone and/or UV may actually work? Unlike a pool, the water would pass through the sanitizer quite often if ran it enough. You still probably need some chlorine for residual sanitization especially when the pump is off, but it just may work. Thoughts?

 

[Dirk]

Interesting... I'm trying to think outside of the box and speaking TFP blasphemy, but is this one of those cases where Ozone and/or UV may actually work? Unlike a pool, the water would pass through the sanitizer quite often if ran it enough. You still probably need some chlorine for residual sanitization especially when the pump is off, but it just may work. Thoughts?

$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Donldson]

For a single person tub, if you can get a good UV light and are able to turn over the water in a matter of minutes then yes, this is one area where a chemical-free option CAN work. You'll also need an oxidizer: either MPS, ozone, or just use a small amount of chlorine after using the tub.

This is only an option because there will only be a single person in the water (so person to person transmission isn't a concern) and the water would be passing through the UV chamber often enough to be of use. In a larger tub with more than one person this is 100% not an option. Personally speaking, a little chlorine after using the tub would be easier, cheaper, and work better though.

 

[87seph]

For a single person tub, if you can get a good UV light and are able to turn over the water in a matter of minutes then yes, this is one area where a chemical-free option CAN work. You'll also need an oxidizer: either MPS, ozone, or just use a small amount of chlorine after using the tub.

This is only an option because there will only be a single person in the water (so person to person transmission isn't a concern) and the water would be passing through the UV chamber often enough to be of use. In a larger tub with more than one person this is 100% not an option. Personally speaking, a little chlorine after using the tub would be easier, cheaper, and work better though.

This was a super helpful breakdown, and explanation on why just using a chemical approach makes sense - thank you!

 

[87seph]

Here’s some fun reading about small tubs

A Spa Is Not A Small Pool

Thank you! Can I use Poolmath to calculate all my chemicals - or are they different?

 

[Mdragger88]

Thank you! Can I use Poolmath to calculate all my chemicals - or are they different?

yes- grams is an option in poolmath effects of adding- thats how i came up with the suggestions
You can also google the conversion between oz & tsp

 

[scdaren]

You could (should) use chlorine to sanitize the water. Here's a couple ideas that might work:

Once you stop adding the chlorine, it will dissipate out of the water in a day or two, or mostly, and be OK for your garden. The "city" water a lot of us use has some chlorine in it, which we use to water our gardens and lawns, so plant life can tolerate a bit. If you can't wait however long that takes, you could transfer your "used" water into another tub, and allow the chlorine to dissipate while you use the first tub. So two tubs, one sanitized for your use, then a second that is off-gassing the chlorine. The chlorine you use in the first tub for sanitizing won't last a week in the second tub, so your once-a-week schedule will work. You could use your little pump to make the transfer. Or just swap yourself. Use one tub for week, then the other the next week, sanitizing only the one you use, the other allow to off-gas. That's an "organic" way to deal with this.

Or, you could try a chemical that neutralizes chlorine, which would be fast, so you'd only need the tub you have. Many municipalities require its use before a pool owner can drain their pool into the street, so that chlorine doesn't enter natural bodies of water downstream (lakes and rivers). You'd just need to study up a bit to find one that is not harmful to plants. Google "neutralize chlorine" and a bunch of info comes up. Or maybe someone else here has some experience with this...

You can buy an inexpensive pool water test kit to monitor the water for either method, which will tell you when the chlorine is gone and the water is OK for your garden.

My city water measures close to 2 ppm FC with no CYA, and my landscape tolerates it just fine. So if dumping the water is the concern wanting it to be chemical-free, that would work ok. Won't take much bleach to keep at at 2 ppm. If it's just an aversion to chlorine, well... I guess that's another matter, and probably an unpopular opinion around these parts.

 

[jseyfert3]

Once you stop adding the chlorine, it will dissipate out of the water in a day or two, or mostly, and be OK for your garden. The "city" water a lot of us use has some chlorine in it, which we use to water our gardens and lawns, so plant life can tolerate a bit. If you can't wait however long that takes,

Not sure if that was their reservation to chlorine, but I backwash my pool filter onto my yard. Not only has the grass shown no ill effects, the grass there is actually nice and green from getting watered by the backwash, while the majority of the rest of the yard is somewhat brown during the peak of summer heat here since I don't typically water my yard. Here's what I mean, unwatered grass past the tree, watered (by pool backwash) grass by the hose. Ignore the grass to the left by the filter, that was killed by the bobcat and I haven't yet gotten around to replanting.

 

[scdaren]

Not sure if that was their reservation to chlorine, but I backwash my pool filter onto my yard. Not only has the grass shown no ill effects, the grass there is actually nice and green from getting watered by the backwash, while the majority of the rest of the yard is somewhat brown during the peak of summer heat here since I don't typically water my yard. Here's what I mean, unwatered grass past the tree, watered (by pool backwash) grass by the hose. Ignore the grass to the left by the filter, that was killed by the bobcat and I haven't yet gotten around to replanting.
View attachment 160679

If your pool water has any phosphates or nitrates in it, that’s basically fertilizer.