Chemicals needed, what am I missing??

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M

motubbin

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Oct 9, 2018
15
Kansas City MO
I am working on figuring out what I need to purchase for beginning basic water balancing and treatment. I have been reading tons of info now feel like I'm in overload mode. So this is what I feel like I have taken away from all the various sites, articles, walk through's etc..

So here are my untreated water test results from my 230gal tub:

CH: 80ppm = this is low so needs raised to: ?? (some info says 130-150, some info says 70-90, some info says 220-320. Depends on what app, website, or guide you look at)
TA: 90ppm = seems to be ok, maybe a little low?, I'm reading 80-150ppm is the target range.
pH: 8.0 = this is high, needs to be at 7.4
Chlorine & CYA weren’t tested as there are none in the water yet.

Based on the above when I go to the Leslie pool store on Saturday morning to pick up what I currently need I am planning on the following:

Chlorine granules (specific brand or type recommended?)
Calcium Chloride
Dry acid (is there specific product name for this?)
pH decreaser
pH increaser
Metal remover

What else do I NEED to have on hand right out of the gate?

I am just planning to pick up enough to get me started so I can balance and sanitize the water before and after running a few rounds of ahh-some purge. Once I know what all I need for the long term, I will order online as I will have more time. So this is just to get me started this weekend.

Thanks in advance!
 
I will let someone else chime in on the calcium levels, as my well water us within parameters, plus as I understand it, there is no need for a higher number in an acrylic tub as there is in a plaster pool...someone please correct me if I am wrong!
TA: I prefer a TA of around 50 in the tub as the lower number helps keep the PH from rising. You can manually lower the TA by gradual acid additions or by small additions followed by aeration until your preferred # is achieved in one day (my preferred method).
Ph: should settle in around 7.4-7.8 once all other balances are made.
Chlorine granules: this is called dichlor, it is a combination of chlorine and stabilizer (cya). You can use this until your stabilizer level rises to about 30, but will then need to switch to a non stabilized source of chlorine (liquid chlorine/household bleach....same thing just different strengths). You can also just start with straight cya to 30 ppm and liquid chlorine/bleach.
Dry acid and ph decreased is one and the same, Muratic acid gets the job done and is much cheaper! Also, no build up of sulphates.
Ph increaser: you already have it: aeration from jets.
Metal control: do you know you have iron in your water? If you don't, this is not necessary. If you do, as I do, then it is. Just know on a new fill, it will cloud the water once it is added and will take some time to filter out. Usually takes mine about three days.
Hope this helps, sorry for brevity as I am on a cell and it is happy hour! Enjoy the new tub!
Once your basic balancing is down, we can talk borates to keep your ph almost rock solid!
 
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You NEED a proper test kit! One of these. Has to have the FAS-DPD test. Most cheaper tests only have the DPD (color match) and don't read high enough. Test strips or pool store testing is a no-no. Pool School - Test Kits Compared

Review this thread on how to use chlorine in a spa. Covers water balance and such: Spas and Hot Tubs

I too am on my cell phone and heading out to work. Any questions feel free to ask, I'll have more time and a keyboard tonight.
 
Thanks for the reply Tstjohn14, I appreciate your input! You mentioned using dichlor only until the CYA level gets to 30 then switching to liquid chlorine/bleach. Are these the only methods? I can't just keep using the dichlor? When you read all the recommendations from the tub manufacturers I don't recall seeing this being an issue. My understanding of this method is because you don't want the CYA level any higher or the sanitizer isn't able to do its job. So what does the industry say to do once you get to that point? Change the water?? I don't know what the metal levels in the water are, I just added that to my list thinking most people need it in some form. I don't recall seeing that being a part of the k-2006 test kit. How do I test for metals?

Thanks for the reply jseyfert3! I do have the Taylor k-2006 test kit, those numbers I posted were obtained using that kit. I have also read, reread, printed & reread the how to use chlorine post which has lots of good information for balancing (and where I got most of my list above for things I need), but I don't think I want to mess with the bleach method just yet. I was just planning to use the straight chlorine for now so I could get through the ahh-some purge and then the refill for use, then figure out what I wanted to do for the long term.
 
If your water is coming from a municipal supply and not from a well, metals probably won't be a problem. You'd already have a good idea anyway... you'd have rust stains in toilet tanks and the water would taste funny and you and your neighbors would all have water filters or get bottled water delivered.

The reason you stop with the dichlor/trichlor is because as CYA increases, so does minimum FC. And the higher the FC, the faster it degrades. And when the minimum gets above 10 FC, your pH readings will always be suspect.

Your spa is pretty small. Draining and refilling it and rebalancing it is a matter of a couple hours and a few cents' worth of chemicals. So don't get too obsessive about it.
 
motubbin said:
Thanks Richard! Yes I get my water from the city. I just assumed from what I had read the metals was an issue for everyone. Thanks for the clarification!

When everyone talks about muriatic acid in place of dry acid, is that the same as what you can by at say home depot???
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-Green-Muriatic-Acid-GKGM75006/202690263
Click to expand...

I get mine directly from Lowes and it even says on the label for use in swimming pools.
My Hot Tub is only 325 gallons and the doses required with 31% MA are super small so make sure you have a measuring cup that can accurately measure down to .25 oz.
 
That's the stuff. Just read the label and make sure the ingredients are only muriatic acid and nothing else. When they claim "90% Lower Fumes" what that really means is 100% less acid. It's sold in 31% dilution and 14ish%. The "less fumes" version is likely the 14. It does have less fumes and is easier and somewhat safer to handle. Just know what you're getting and judge the cost of it accordingly. Sometimes the lesser dilution stuff is nearly the same cost per gallon as the 31% stuff.

You'll also find it in the pool department, and at pool stores, of course. I get the best value of the 31% at Leslie's, because me Lowes only sells the 14%.

While others here are more cavalier in handling MA, I use gloves, eye protection and a respirator. MA can cause permanent damage to soft tissues (eyes, lungs, etc) if mis-handled, so you have to be careful with the stuff. It only takes one errant drop in your eye to prove my point. One member here described how a drop splashed back at her and shot right through the space between her glasses and her face. Others here pour it right out of the jug into the pool with no safety gear. Make up your own mind what your level of safety should be...
 
Certified thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely have to find a way to measure liquids that small! Forgive me though what measurement does "MA" stand for ?? I don't recall seeing that one.

Dirk, thanks for the tip on the Acid safety. I'll be sure to take proper precautions. I'm planning to get what I need to get started at Leslies so I will just get it there based on your recommendation! (I was already going to get all my chemicals there so that saves me an extra stop at home depot!)
 
To answer your original question:
A Good test kit from TFTestkits.net
A liquid source of chlorine (Home Depot or Lowes)
Stabilizer (CYA) (Home Depot or Lowes)
Muratic Acid (Home Depot or Lowes)


Please don't go to Leslie's. They will just try to sell you stuff you don't need and create confusion. Go to Home Depot or Lowes.
 

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Hahah yea I just realized that after rereading through this thread!

Im looking at both Home Depot and lowes’ websites and no stores in my area carry any liquid chlorine. So I don’t think that option is going to work.

so far it looks like my shopping list is:

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Liquid chlorine:[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Chlorine[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Stabilizer[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Muriatic acid[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Calcium increaser[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Granule chlorine:[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Dichlor granules[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Muriatic acid[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Calcium increaser[/FONT][/FONT]
 
I use leisure time spa down to lower my PH. I have a 550 gallon spa and it only needs 2 or 3 teaspoons to get it down from 8.0 to 7.5. I use the muriatic acid for the pool. For the tiny amounts needed for the spa, I find it much easier and safer to use the spa down. A 2.5 lb bottle will last you a long time.

For your TA, You can get a big 12 lb bags of baking soda at Ace hardware for about $10.

When you get tired of dosing your spa with liquid chlorine. They make salt water generators. They keep a level amount of FC, just shock it after long soaks or high bather load
 
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