New Hot Tub Owner - Taylor Test Kit

[PoolStored]

Yep, if FC is down to 4 tomorrow add enough to get to 6, that will add more cya. Rinse and repeat until your CYA is 30.

After tonight your CYA should be around 20. Until you get to 30, your target is 6.

When you get to 30 CYA, then follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

After you get to 30, dose above range with liquid chlorine so that you are IN RANGE when you test...rather than testing in range, letting it drop, dosing to get back in range. This will avoid algae.

When you get to 30 CYA, you are safe to spa with FC up to 12.

Check your CYA weekly, If you are low, use dichlor until you are back to 30, then continue with LC.

 

[mwhitney]

Yep, if FC is down to 4 tomorrow add enough to get to 6, that will add more cya. Rinse and repeat until your CYA is 30.

After tonight your CYA should be around 20. Until you get to 30, your target is 6.

When you get to 30 CYA, then follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

After you get to 30, dose above range with liquid chlorine so that you are IN RANGE when you test...rather than testing in range, letting it drop, dosing to get back in range. This will avoid algae.

When you get to 30 CYA, you are safe to spa with FC up to 12.

Check your CYA weekly, If you are low, use dichlor until you are back to 30, then continue with LC.

Excellent. Thanks again!

 

[mwhitney]

That is correct. Should raise your FC to 6 and add 3 to your CYA.

Drop is due to organics in the pool from your dip.

Are you using the paid version of Pool Math? ($8/ YEAR) Allows you to save and track your testing and additions. Really helps to see how your tub behaves.

Cheers. Just upgraded on the app... feels like a must-have tool.

 

[PoolStored]

I cannot see your pool math logs.

Make sure you are using the same username/login as TFP.

Go to the upper right gear.

Scroll down, and enable sharing with TFP, then we can see your logs and help.

 

[mwhitney]

That is correct. Should raise your FC to 6 and add 3 to your CYA.

Drop is due to organics in the pool from your dip.

Are you using the paid version of Pool Math? ($8/ YEAR) Allows you to save and track your testing and additions. Really helps to see how your tub behaves.

Cheers. Just upgraded on the app... feels like a must-have tool.

I cannot see your pool math logs.

Make sure you are using the same username/login as TFP.

Go to the upper right gear.

Scroll down, and enable sharing with TFP, then we can see your logs and help.

It should show up now...

 

[Newdude]

Its there now.

 

[Mdragger88]

You can also use effects of adding for your doses of dichlor. I do this on a fresh fill and just use dichlor as my sanitizer adding what effects of adding says for my dose of dichlor to the CYA each time I add more dicolor. I change the cya level each time I had dichlor, as a separate test added after the dose.

I do it this way too

 

[mwhitney]

UPDATE:
OK - feeling positive for the first time as I geek out with my chemistry set, here.
To recap, I added 7.5g Dichlor last night as per the app.

Today, FC measured at 5ppm. Combined took 1 drop so .5ppm (using the 10mL water sample).
The buzz is seeing the CYA come up. I filled the TT up to the 30 mL mark and could 'just' see the black dot (holding at waist level). My guess is 5mL more would have obscured it, so maybe 25 as an estimate.

In the app, I just left the CYA field blank. The recommendation is 2.2g of Dichlor.... off to add that now.
Is it weird to get excited about this?

 

[mwhitney]

P.S. the water actually smells / feels good. The chlorine smell before draining was super strong and our skin was dried out.

 

[wireform]

P.S. the water actually smells / feels good. The chlorine smell before draining was super strong and our skin was dried out.

So you agree there's something to this madness

 

[Mdragger88]

Is it weird to get excited about this?

Nope, not around here
Welcome to the club!

 

[Mdragger88]

P.S. the water actually smells / feels good. The chlorine smell before draining was super strong and our skin was dried out.

Always keep fc above minimum for your cya at all times and it will stay like this
If you wont be around to check for a few days raise to slam level or close to it. After testing regularly for a bit you will get a feel for what your average daily standby losses are and your general bather load losses so you can more accurately dose accordingly and preemptively.

 

[mwhitney]

Always keep fc above minimum for your cya at all times and it will stay like this

Thanks. So if I can keep it at 6ppm FC (middle of target range), I'm golden?

If you wont be around to check for a few days raise to slam level or close to it. After testing regularly for a bit you will get a feel for what your average daily standby losses are and your general bather load losses so you can more accurately dose accordingly and preemptively.

I'm still not clear on what slam level is. In the app, if I set Current Free Chlorine to 6, Current CYA to 30 (guessing this is where I'll get to) and the 'Target Level' for FC to 6, and hit the 'slam' radio button, it changes the value to 12 with a recommendation of adding 117 mL of liquid chlorine. Are you suggesting to follow this protocol if I'm gone for a few days, or day, leaving for a week (we have a Mexico trip coming up for one week).

Yes - looking forward to learning what bather load losses look like and just daily losses so this all becomes more intuitive. Logs and more logs. I have a running notepad going.

 

[PoolStored]

Today, FC measured at 5ppm. Combined took 1 drop so .5ppm (using the 10mL water sample).

Thanks. So if I can keep it at 6ppm FC (middle of target range), I'm golden?

Ok, so you lost 1ppm. Dose to 7, so when you test you are at 6.

Ignore the SLAM button. That is for when you have/get algae. Link-->SLAM Process

 

[Newdude]

So if I can keep it at 6ppm FC (middle of target range), I'm golden?

Yes. But understand a hot tub has wild consumption swings from maybe 1ppm a day when idle to a couple of ppm an hour in use, and also more consumption for the day after use as it oxidized the residuals. If you dose after a soak and close back up at 6, it may be gone in the morning.

The target ranges are really more for pools which barely swing at all with use, and have mostly constant UV loss for any point in the season.

So look less at target range and more at min FC and wanting to stay free and clear of it by your next test.

I'm still not clear on what slam level is

Slam is the FC level needed to fix a swamp, which in a hot tub may or may not be algae. . It's also the high threshold where it's still safe to swim/soak. So if you're going to be busy and not testing everyday, you can 'pre treat' if you will, and have better odds that you'll stay above min until you get back to test again.

Experience will teach you pretty quickly how long you can usually go, and adapt as necessary.

 

[wireform]

The target ranges are really more for pools which barely swing at all with use, and have mostly constant UV loss for any point in the season.

Exactly the point, 2 -3 people in the hot tub is very different then the same in a pool. I'd say target 10 till you learn the swings of normal daily loss without people and the daily loss per hour per person if 2 or 3 people soak. You can get the saltron small SWCG for the tub and @Mdragger88 about them.

 

[mwhitney]

Ok, so you lost 1ppm. Dose to 7, so when you test you are at 6.

Ignore the SLAM button. That is for when you have/get algae. Link-->SLAM Process

Tested again this evening and it's at 2.5 ppm (still on DiChlor). I didn't bother testing for CYA.

As per your recommendation, I added 10g Dichlor (recommendation was 9.7 in the app). I'll test again around the same time tomorrow.

 

[PoolStored]

You lost 3.5 today.

You are demonstrating that you have variable demand. What we are saying is that you should dose above range, even up to 10, so that you are never get below the low end of the range WHEN YOU TEST.

You are close enough to 30 CYA that you can /should dose up to 10FC...then when you have a 3.5 demand day, you end up with 6.5...right at range.

9.7g will get you to 7. Add another 6g to get you to ~10.

You are likely getting close to 30 CYA. How much total dichlor / CYA have you added? Just about time to go to liquid. Add it up and report.

 

[mwhitney]

You lost 3.5 today.

You are demonstrating that you have variable demand. What we are saying is that you should dose above range, even up to 10, so that you are never get below the low end of the range WHEN YOU TEST.

You are close enough to 30 CYA that you can /should dose up to 10FC...then when you have a 3.5 demand day, you end up with 6.5...right at range.

9.7g will get you to 7. Add another 6g to get you to ~10.

You are likely getting close to 30 CYA. How much total dichlor / CYA have you added? Just about time to go to liquid. Add it up and report.

OK - I just added another 6g.

In total, since last Sunday I've put in 65.2g of Dichlor.

 

[PoolStored]

You should be right at 30.

Test your CYA so you get the visual on 30.

Switch to liquid chlorine.