Dichloor-Bleach methode and 8days vacation
- Thread starter Edwin45
- Start date
If you can lower your spa water temperature (say to 80ºF), then you can elevate your chlorine level to 10 ppm FC and if it loses 20% per day you'd end up at 1.7 ppm after 8 days. That assumes there is no ozonator.
Chem Geek,
Thanks, yes i have a ozonator.
I try to pump up my chlorine and put the Temp to 80F (26 Celsius), i check it when i,m home.
And when it is not good i change my wather, i think that is the best i can do.
Thanks, yes i have a ozonator.
I try to pump up my chlorine and put the Temp to 80F (26 Celsius), i check it when i,m home.
And when it is not good i change my wather, i think that is the best i can do.
Since you have an ozonator, you'll want to either turn it off (if you can) or cut down your pump runtime since the ozonator only runs when the pump is on. That will help have the chlorine last longer. Otherwise, if your daily chlorine demand is 50% due to the ozonator, the 10 ppm FC will only be 0.04 ppm FC so essentially zero after 8 days. In fact, it will be down to 0.6 ppm FC after just 4 days.
Since your spa is smaller in water volume, you could decontaminate it (Ahh-Some is best for that, but I know you don't have that where you are) and replace the water when you get back. Another possibility would be to use a copper/silver combo product since ozone should not affect that. It's slower to kill bacteria, but the combination should at least inhibit (slow down) their growth so that you don't have a problem when you return. I don't know what products are available to you in your area so can't recommend any specific one.
Since your spa is smaller in water volume, you could decontaminate it (Ahh-Some is best for that, but I know you don't have that where you are) and replace the water when you get back. Another possibility would be to use a copper/silver combo product since ozone should not affect that. It's slower to kill bacteria, but the combination should at least inhibit (slow down) their growth so that you don't have a problem when you return. I don't know what products are available to you in your area so can't recommend any specific one.
Chem geek,
Thanks, i can,t stop running the pump there is a small pump running 24 hours a day.
The only way is cut off the power but then it is completly off, i try to raise my chlorine and when i,m back home i check the water (but i think i change it), it is simply the best.
And indeed we have no AHHSOME, but i use tube clean, it is the best i can get in the Netherlands.
Thanks, i can,t stop running the pump there is a small pump running 24 hours a day.
The only way is cut off the power but then it is completly off, i try to raise my chlorine and when i,m back home i check the water (but i think i change it), it is simply the best.
And indeed we have no AHHSOME, but i use tube clean, it is the best i can get in the Netherlands.
What about floating 1" trichlor pucks in a spa floater? They will last a week and keep residual FC up...will also add some cya and might lower ph a tad. You'd at least avoid having to change the water or worry about zeroing out your FC.
Trichlor usually dissolves too quickly in hot spa water. It's also acidic so if you overdose you can get the pH too low. If one has a significantly dialed down feeder then it's possible and I believe AquaFinesse has such a feeder for their chlorine tabs, but it's not common.
^I use this one, with it dialed down to leave only about an 1/8th or less of an inch opening...in which case the 1" tablets (it takes 7) will last a few weeks...it had been recommended by my spa repair guy because it lets you dial down so low.
Amazon.com : Pentair R171090 335 Chlorine/Bromine Floating Dispenser, Beige and White : Swimming Pool Pressure Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden
Best to experiment first to see how much it pushes down ph for that amount of time...if you start high you should stay in the 7.2+ range. It will add cya though, so you'll want to dilute the water when you get back, and/or raise your residual until you change your water again. But at least you wouldn't zero out and need to sanitize the pipes
(I am a big fan of never zeroing out...many years ago a gentleman from my community died from legionnaires disease after soaking in his son's poorly-maintained hot tub during a visit. The health board identified the spa as the source of legionella. You can imagine how that entire family felt.)
For this reason, I don't mind adding ph up or diluting water frequently (due to cya) in order to rest assured I never zero out. But I do test daily and I do have the recommended FAS/DPD kit to get good CYA readings If you don't have access to such a kit in your country (the Taylor2006) then maybe this route isn't for you.
Amazon.com : Pentair R171090 335 Chlorine/Bromine Floating Dispenser, Beige and White : Swimming Pool Pressure Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden
Best to experiment first to see how much it pushes down ph for that amount of time...if you start high you should stay in the 7.2+ range. It will add cya though, so you'll want to dilute the water when you get back, and/or raise your residual until you change your water again. But at least you wouldn't zero out and need to sanitize the pipes
(I am a big fan of never zeroing out...many years ago a gentleman from my community died from legionnaires disease after soaking in his son's poorly-maintained hot tub during a visit. The health board identified the spa as the source of legionella. You can imagine how that entire family felt.)
For this reason, I don't mind adding ph up or diluting water frequently (due to cya) in order to rest assured I never zero out. But I do test daily and I do have the recommended FAS/DPD kit to get good CYA readings
If you don't have access to such a kit in your country (the Taylor2006) then maybe this route isn't for you.Little update,
I,m back home, and i have measuring the chloor it was 0,1 (low, but not 0,0).
The water is clear and don,t smell.
I have put in some more chloor (little bit more dan normal) is it save to use. (aproxematteli after 8 ouhrs from putting in the chloor)?
I,m back home, and i have measuring the chloor it was 0,1 (low, but not 0,0).
The water is clear and don,t smell.
I have put in some more chloor (little bit more dan normal) is it save to use. (aproxematteli after 8 ouhrs from putting in the chloor)?
Great. It's very hard to maintain chlorine for more than a few days with an ozonator.
I fought with this for 8 years with my tub to the point I would drain it before leaving. A $279 inline swg ended my problems. And thanks to Mr. Chem for setting me straight with the chemistry...
Some hot tubs have options for plumbing a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) in the circulation plumbing, similar to where adding an ozonator or UV system would be done. There are also external SWGs available such as the ControlOMatic Technichlor though that is probably not available in Europe. The SWG requires a higher salt level, usually around 2000 ppm for spas, and some spa manufacturers void their warranty with such systems because they use inferior quality metal that can corrode too easily at higher salt levels.
If you were going to be mucking around with the interior plumbing in your spa, I'd figure out how to disconnect the ozonator since that would be the easiest way to have the chlorine last a lot longer, especially at lower temperatures. For sure you could last one week and with a higher FC and cooler temp (less frequent circulation pump on-time since that tends to heat the water), you could go 2 weeks. With 15% loss per day, 10 ppm FC would end up at 1 ppm FC after 14 days.
If you were going to be mucking around with the interior plumbing in your spa, I'd figure out how to disconnect the ozonator since that would be the easiest way to have the chlorine last a lot longer, especially at lower temperatures. For sure you could last one week and with a higher FC and cooler temp (less frequent circulation pump on-time since that tends to heat the water), you could go 2 weeks. With 15% loss per day, 10 ppm FC would end up at 1 ppm FC after 14 days.
Since you have the 24 circulator pump, you could add the chlormaker IL. Like with pools, it generates chlorine from salt. Pretty simple to install and it works. When you want to shock the tub, you press the boost button and walk away. I am going on a couple months and I have yet to add chlorine....
