New SWG Hot Tub Setup?

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dunginhawk

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Bronze Supporter
Jul 10, 2018
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Good morning. So I have a SWG Hot Tub arriving soon and I dont see (perhaps im just missing it, but ive googled, searched etc without much luck) any real clear info on how to first set up my first SWG Hot tub.
I have purchased the following chemicals in anticipation.
Aquacheck Test Strips (i have a bigger better kit coming)
Total Alk
Mineral Myte
PH Plus
PH Minus
Spa Clarifier
Hot Tub Salt/Pool Salt

So id love some help in the steps of doing what I need to do to start fresh and well with a new tub.
For instance should step 1 be adding water. Then adding some of this or that? Testing, etc?
I Want to make sure I do all the right steps in the right order to ensure this goes off without a hitch.

Is there anything out there that spells this out for an integrated SWG?

I would love some assistance here.
thank you all
 
dih,

Here is a good thread... How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?) ...about a chlorine spa in general..

I have a SWCG hot tub and never use any of those magic chemicals you listed... Basically I treat my hot tub the same as my pool.. I use regular pool salt and CYA to start and then muriatic acid to lower pH when running.. Once in a while I add a little Liquid Chlorine, but not often. I already have these things for balancing my pool.

It does help to have a small kitchen scale that measures in ounces...

And of course a real test kit....

Thanks,

Jim R.

- - - Updated - - -

dih,

And.. you should do the ah-some trick before anything else, even on a new tub.

My experience with Ahh-some

Jim R.
 
Jim... you say CYA, which I take to mean cyanuric acid. So you add that at the time of filling the pool? Is there a per gallon mixture idea for that?
Another question... Why would you need to add liquid chlorine (assume you just mean clorox bleach? or is there something else) if the SWG is generating its own chlorine...
With the Ahhsome . is that to say there is some gunk possible in the lines during testing etc? im happy to do it...


I apologize if my questions are simple to most of you, but ive never owned a HT or pool (pool comes in the spring).
thanks
 
dih,

Just like in a pool, you need CYA (Cyanuric Acid / Stabilizer) to keep the chlorine from feeling too harsh...

For both MA or CYA, I use the PoolMath app to determine how much I need..

I add Liquid Chlorine or bleach, sometimes, because the SWCG's job is to try and maintain an FC (Chlorine) level and it does so slowly... If you have a number of people in the hot tub, or you are in it for a long time, the available chlorine will get used up pretty quickly. Adding Liquid Chlorine is a quick way to bring the FC level back up. Most of the time for me, it is just two people and we are not in all that long, so no additional chlorine is required.

Something you might not realize is that you have to drain and refill your hot tub every three or four months..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Good info sir.
Yes, I do know ill have to refill it every few months... however from Dec-April is tough in my climate :).
Adding some chlorine once in a while is fine, i dont mind that. However is there an idea of how much you might add? is it scientific? or do you just pour in like 12 oz or whatever? all things ill want to figure out.
thank you
 
You base how much chemical you need on testing and then inputting your data into PoolMath.

With a spa, the amounts are normally in very small amounts. 1 or 2 oz, etc.

Put the volume of the spa into PoolMath and play with the numbers.
 
So I set up the tub...
As per Jims suggestions I Put the salt in (9lb for a 450g tub at 2400ppm) then i added 3.5oz of CYA.
This morning (about 15 hours after chemical add) My hardness is ok (was already good, our water is pretty good) PH is pretty good as well. Only issue seems to be Chlorine.
Its almost stark white, meaning not much in there.
I know it can take a couple days of running before the SWG converts all the salt to chlorine, but I would have thought id see a change by now.
Could it be that we used the tub last night and it used it all up?

What is your guys process for after use each time? Do you guys add shock each time? Add something once a week?
thanks

ps. first experience was amazing. The lounger was as good or better than expected. The waterfalls, etc.. the lights (all jets are lit) . Even if we only use it once a week in the winter its probably worth it over a number of years :)
 
A SWCG does not 'convert' the salt to chlorine. The SWCG does an ion exchange that creates chlorine gas and when it degrades in the water it goes back to salt.

Add liquid chlorine to your water to get to your target FC. Then use the SWCG to maintain the FC.
 
dih,

What Marty says, plus.. Yes, the chlorine gets used by you...

What you need to do is figure out how much is used. You want to make sure that when you get done, the FC is not below your minimum FC.. If it is, you need to add Liquid chlorine to bring it up.

After using the tub for a while you will know what to do without measuring each time.. Here is what I do..

I run my FC a little higher than my target.. When the wife and I get out of the tub, the FC is normally still above my minimum, so all I do is throw in (or turn on) the SWCG and let it run for 8 hours. The next night I just repeat the process.. I test about once a week looking specifically for my CC level. As long as the CC's are less than 1.5, I do nothing. Once in a while the CC's will get up to 1.5, I then add enough Liquid Chlorine to bring the tub up to "Shock" level per this chart.. [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].. I then open the cover to the sun for few hours to allow the CC's to burn off. I also open the cover a couple of times a week for an hour or so, to help keep the CC's down.

I drain and start over every 3 or 4 months..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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Jimrahbe said:
dih,

What Marty says, plus.. Yes, the chlorine gets used by you...

What you need to do is figure out how much is used. You want to make sure that when you get done, the FC is not below your minimum FC.. If it is, you need to add Liquid chlorine to bring it up.

After using the tub for a while you will know what to do without measuring each time.. Here is what I do..

I run my FC a little higher than my target.. When the wife and I get out of the tub, the FC is normally still above my minimum, so all I do is throw in (or turn on) the SWCG and let it run for 8 hours. The next night I just repeat the process.. I test about once a week looking specifically for my CC level. As long as the CC's are less than 1.5, I do nothing. Once in a while the CC's will get up to 1.5, I then add enough Liquid Chlorine to bring the tub up to "Shock" level per this chart.. [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].. I then open the cover to the sun for few hours to allow the CC's to burn off. I also open the cover a couple of times a week for an hour or so, to help keep the CC's down.

I drain and start over every 3 or 4 months..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Ok, so its starting a make a bit more sense.. With everything ive read nothing quite explained it that well (like the last 2 posts, thanks guys) that the SWG is only intended to maintain a chlorine level, not get there from zero necessarily (although it could with enough salt and time i presume).
Im still trying to figure out how to get my tub to run for more than a cycle at a time haha (manual says any more than 4 hours can overheat the pumps etc .. true or false?) . thats on me haha.

so this chart
CYA (Stabilizer)Minimum FCTarget FCShock FC
60*​
3​
4​
24​
70​
3​
5​
28​
80​
4​
6​
31
​

based on this, I am somewhere between 60-70 on CYA so to get to where I want to be ill want to shock to 26. Fair enough..
However with that said, does the fact that I added 9lb of salt for 2400ppm in my tub have Any impact on how much shock i would add?
If im understanding correctly (and being literally brand new to spa/pool thats a high ask) the amount of salt in the water wont matter a ton when im at level.. if it needs to use it, it will, if not it will stay dissolved, really just making it feel softer and a bit saltier to the taste.

Am i on the right path? I should send you guys a bottle of ur favorite booze for your help :)

ps. kind of a pain to have to add something every time you use it... when im all warm, get out of the tub in 20 degrees, last thing i want to do is spend time outside getting chemicals in the tub haha
 
Round up your CYA to the next whole number, so use 70 ppm.

Salt has no bearing on any other parameter.

Keep the salinity in the range needed by the SWCG.

On the booze part ---------- tempting but please become a TFP supporter instead! See the link in my signature.
 
Done... bronze supporter.

Ok, so hopefully one of the last questions.
when it says shock of 28. 1. what product is that. 2. how do you reach said number
My spa came with some chrlorinating granules and some oxidizing shock (which has no chlorine) so i assume the latter is worthless.
The granules are sodium dichloro, which is the same as the buckets of shock you buy, so I assume thats good for me now.
So the bottle says to add 1 oz for every 500 gal (tub is 450) but it doesnt say what level that gives me.
The manual i have for my tub says shock to 20ppm, which the chart says 28 (i trust you guys over the manual).

This is part of my issue is that there is so much conflicting information haha.
Should i just do the 1 oz now and test? BTW, still waiting on my test kit (coming tues?) so im stuck with strips at the moment.
 
The 28 is FC free chlorine
Granular is fine but will also add cya.
You can use regular bleach, but make sure just plain unscented bleach.

Get the app "pool math" it's a couple bucks and worth every penny. Plug in your gallons and test numbers and it will tell you how much chemical to add. It also keeps a log of your test results.

Every time me and my wife use our spa for about an hour I add 2 tablespoons non chlorine shock. Very simple. I bring it out in when we go soak. When we're done, I add the chemical and run the jets for 20 minutes. This gives it time to offgas and is not so harsh on the cover. Then we go in I get dressed and come close the cover. It becomes routine.
 
Be careful using non- chlorine 'shock'. It messes with your FC/CC testing.

Thank you for becoming a Bronze Supporter!!!

Take care.
 
Here is my test strip i just ran after I shocked the tub.
My eyes have always had a tough time distinguishing shades that are very close together...
I know this has been discussed, but is there a truly good digital testing unit (money is no object) that can read accurately?
any advice on these numbers would be great.

FAE80088-E103-4E1B-AE69-DDD6785F26D6_zpselnrissr.jpg
 

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