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Bleach normally clears it, but did not this time. Perhaps dichlor would have done so, but I just dumped and refilled. Since then, the water has been back to sparkly clear.

Test - - - Updated - - - Sorry, the forum system keeps throwing my responses away...loathe to write any more long answers that get trashed... So, yes to CYA - still above 30ppm. Stopped using filter cleaner a few months ago when I ran out - just cleaning with the hose. Could that be it...

If I let the FC level in my hot tub go to zero for a couple days, the water will become cloudy and become even cloudier very quickly (like a bacterial bloom). No problem - I just keep adding a bit of bleach every couple days and a bit more bleach after every use, and this keeps it in check...

I now have the TA at 50 and the (latest) pH at 7.4. Perhaps it will stabilize there - we'll have to see. So far, (other than dichlor and bleach) all I have added to the water is dry acid. Given my water parameters, do you think I should add some borax to this tub? If so, when? Only if the...

Ah...that's interesting. As always, thank you for your analysis!

Ok, I guess I'll stop fighting the constant pull to 8.0. My latest numbers are TA = 60, pH = 7.8, CH = 200, CYA ~ 30. Just weird that it seems to be pulled to 8.0 this time...only thing different is my CYA is closer to 30 than 150 with the last batch of water. Oh, and the N2 metal ion system...

I'm pretty sure these systems (Hot Spring) are designed to run the circulation pump 24/7, but I will check with them and see if it can be reduced.

Ok, that's good to know. I'm not actually keeping the TA too high - it started at 120 "out of the tap" and I have progressively brought it down to 60 with doses of dry acid. So perhaps now the pH will remain more stable if I bring it down from 7.8. The manufacturer of the spa says keep pH...

I refilled my hot tub at the beginning of February with 380 gallons of municipal water (San Diego). I gave it a first boost of dichlor to really sanitize everything - about 2.25 tbsp. The next day, my measurements were as follows: FC = 10.0, CC =0.5, pH = 7.6, TA = 120, CH = 190, temp = 98F...

Just as an update, I did a complete water change at the end of January, got rid of the metal ion system, but kept the ozonator operating 24/7. I shocked the system to over 10ppm right after fill with dichlor, and I used dichlor to get the CYA level to about 30ppm over the next couple weeks...

You may be right, and if so, that would be great! I did not disconnect the ozonator yet because it's a bit of a hassle to get to it - the tub is actually in-ground and the access requires unbolting some boards. When I dump the water, I will leave the ozone off for a few days and see what...

So, after another month of maintenance and observations, here are my conclusions. This applies only to my system - I'm not saying any of this is relevant to other hot tubs, as so many people appear to get completely different results than I have with various water chemistry/sanitizing...

CYA was 130 as measured by the Taylor kit on 12/12 and looked between the 100 and 150 colors as measured by the test strips on 12/18. I am assuming there is still plenty (too much) CYA in there. I will test with Taylor again. Yes, I will find a way to shut the ozonator off and test FC...

Put in 8 more oz of bleach last night at 10pm 6:30 am today FC is 4.0.

11:30am FC=10+/CC=1.5 4:30pm FC=4.0/CC=1.0 10:00pm FC=0.6/CC=1.0 Will bump FC back to 10 or so and see what it is in the morning. * Edit: I put the first shock in at 11:30am, not 2:30pm...used this board to determine the first time, but did not realize is shows Eastern times.

Maybe that's what it is...I will get some Ahh-Some and plan on this project for the new year. Yes, I know 1 tbsp would be insufficient if anyone had been in there, but nobody had. Over the last 7-day period, I was in there for 1 hour total (in the middle of that time) and had added 2.75 tbsp...

I absolutely need to start over - that is clear. But I am still mystified as to what is going on, because I definitely can't do what others claim they do with N2 systems. And I just don't understand what is the cause. It's almost like something is sneaking into my system from the outside. I...

Yes, that's my point: I can't leave the spa for one week, even with no bathers, with just a tbsp or two of MPS. It would be totally cloudy.

That's interesting - I have been wondering if I have "too much of a good thing" with ozone, metal ions, chlorine, MPS, and occasionally enzyme. I have read others say that the ozone system makes the metal ion system ineffective by creating metal oxides, though I personally have doubted this to...

No, the cloudiness is not related to the Splash-Less - that cycle was happening long before I switched to bleach at all. If I skip MPS and/or chlorination for several days, it will begin to get cloudy, despite the ozone and metal ions. Perhaps there is some place in the system where the...

I really don't think so...the spa is locked at 100F - maybe goes to 101F during use, but stays 100F every time I check it, day or night. And the cover literally seals up against the upper surface of the acrylic, pulls down on a bit of a vacuum, and has a skirt all the way around it. The system...

Well, the good news is, thanks to you guys and some experimentation, I'm pretty confident I can keep things under control pretty easily now. I will be changing the water over at the beginning of January, so perhaps can start fresh. What you are saying about maintaining a chemical residual is...

This is *exactly* what has been puzzling me, and what led me to post the thread in the first place. It just seems as though there should not be a chance for bacteria to really get going, yet I do see this cloudy event every now and again. You are right, once I see the water taking on that...

I just purchased the Taylor K-2006 kit based on recommendations from this forum, and I'm really pleased with it. My measurements with my cheaper kit and test strips were certainly in the ballpark, but it's good to have the confidence that the numbers are dead-on, which is what you get with...

Yes, I will update the thread over time. So far, it appears to be working well. Not just the oxidizer, but the additional chlorine via bleach. Two factors now contribute to me being less reticent to bump the chlorine levels up: 1) the stuff just does not last - I can put in 4 oz of 12.5%...

I think I'm going to just let it go another month, then. I have the metal ion system, the ozonator, the MPS additions, and the (CYA limited) chlorine, so I think I'm ok, despite those high CYA levels. I put 3.5+ oz of bleach into the tub the other evening after leaving it unused for several...

Is the problem with CYA that the levels of acid themselves are harmful to bathers, or is it more a matter of the CYA reducing the sanitizing power of the chlorine?

I now have a Taylor K-2006 test kit, which is super nice. Water parameters are as follows: CH = 200, TA = 80, pH = 7.5 This reads as perfectly balanced water. At present, MPS and Chlorine are at zero, but I will add bleach tonight. Water has been crystal clear for the past 6 days. Bather...

You may be right - two of us went in last night for 30 min, and I put 1.75 tbsp of MPS in the filter compartment as we exited. 12 hours later, the MPS test strips show "OK" (0, Low, OK, High) and the water remains crystal clear. I will report back when I have better data on the water...

No, it's definitely not air. It starts out mildly hazy/cloudy/milky and gets worse over hours/days, even after I start treating it. The jets only run when I turn them on. The difference between what it is now (crystal clear) and hazy is very easy to notice. For example, the last cycle went...