Having a tough time with chlorine & best practices

[SomeGuy16]

I've read the stickies and skimmed through forum posts but I can't seem to wrap my head around what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm sure this is a common question and I could benefit from some direction.

I've owned this spa for a number of years and am quite happy with it. I've been using chemicals from the local pool store to maintain pH, Alkalinity and FC but I've never felt that the store has been providing me with the best advice. I feel like I am draining by tub far too often in order to keep everything clean and sanitary. Long story short, I really want to know the best sanitation method for hot tub maintenance for my particular setup - or perhaps my setup is wrong and I need to adjust what I do.

The tub is generally used by 2 people perhaps 3-6x a month March-November. I have an ozonator, and was recently gifted a Nature2 Spa Stick Mineral Sanitizer. I tend to turn the tub down to the lowest setting (59 degrees) when I know that there will be low periods of use. I just learned that the Nature2 doesn't work at low temperatures, but it's not installed.

Here's my question - given that I'm using the tub infrequently, have an ozonator and the Nature2, what's the proper chlorination procedure? I have no idea if I should shock every time I bring the temperature up to 104 (typically a 4 hour wait), if I should continue to chlorinate when the tub is cold (or let it get to 0), or what ppm of chlorine I should maintain given then ozonator (knowing that the ozonator reduces FC). I feel like if someone can point me in the right direction for FC ppm and frequency (i.e. constant, weekly, only during use etc), I can use the tips and tricks posted throughout the forum to maintain it.

Thanks!

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Do all your current and future friends a favor and throw away the Nature 2 spa stick mineral sanitizer. Minerals will build up in the water with the potential for staining light colored hair and swimsuits. Have you read this article yet? It is a long read but it has good information.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

+1 to How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?. I have been maintaining my tub using this method for several years now and it works great!

 

[SomeGuy16]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Do all your current and future friends a favor and throw away the Nature 2 spa stick mineral sanitizer. Minerals will build up in the water with the potential for staining light colored hair and swimsuits. Have you read this article yet? It is a long read but it has good information.

Welcome to TFP!

+1 to How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?. I have been maintaining my tub using this method for several years now and it works great!

Yes, I have read through that and I've already purchased a Taylor test kit to replace my test strips.

I'm tossing the mineral stick, but I'm still unsure about the ozonator. Should I shut it off? What about long periods of inactivity and low temperatures, do I still need to maintain FC?

 

[pooldv]

Yes, still need to add a little bleach when inactive. If you know you won't use it turn the temp down to 90ish and raise the FC up to shock level, [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA], and you won't need to check so often. You'll get a feel for how long shock level will last after a few times. It is also temp dependent. The ozone is fine in a hot tub, it will help reduce chlorine demand.

 

[SomeGuy16]

Yes, still need to add a little bleach when inactive. If you know you won't use it turn the temp down to 90ish and raise the FC up to shock level, [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA], and you won't need to check so often. You'll get a feel for how long shock level will last after a few times. It is also temp dependent. The ozone is fine in a hot tub, it will help reduce chlorine demand.

Thank you!