hotub newbie ?

[dcjcdc]

just got my hottub hooked up yesterday by an electrician...ready to go
added water..temp is now 104.......
my question is
after daily use..do you turn your hottub off completely..in my case the shutoof breaker..and when want to use next time..maybe have the spa running an hour fefore you want to get in for higher temp....
thanks

 

[erivette]

My hot tub stays on 24x7x365. It has an economy setting to lower the temp during the day when no one is home to use it though. The electrical bill increase from it running non-stop is negligible. I wouldn't turn it off except when you're draining and won't be using for an extended period or the water will get nasty.

 

[chem geek]

Welcome to TFP!

 

[dcjcdc]

Thanks guys....
well couple of more ?'s
well hottub came 2 weeks earlier than expected...so while here ordered Aqua Finess
Hot tub spa water care system
..still awaiting it in the mail...
but we could not wait as we had the hottub running from Saturday to now Monday with no chemicals....when aqua finesse arrives anyday now...could I just add to existing water...or would you suggest drain and add aqua finess......

thanks

 

[harleysilo]

From the Aqua Finess webstite....

Which sanitiser is best to use with AquaFinesse?
AquaFinesse is normally supplied with a chlorine tablet and a slow release dispenser, however this can be substituted for chlorine granules or bromine dependant on personal preference and the spa manufactures recommendations.

So my question is, why are you going with AquaFinessee?

You still have to add Chlorine in some form. I couldn't find the chemicals in their solution you are buying, do they disclose that info?

 

[dcjcdc]

found this
AquaFinesse Hot Tub Water Care Starter Kit











$59.99



Product Description


Hot Water Care Starter Kit

Includes everything required for one month of spa maintenance.

Contains a 1L bottle of AquaFinesse solution, 2 filter cleaner tablets, sanitizer and instruction manual. Available with Dichlor powder

How to use AquaFinesse in your spa.

AquaFinesse is a simple, one-step system that makes it easy to keep the water in your spa clean, crystal clear and silky soft.

ONE minute. ONE time per week.

AquaFinesse makes it easy to keep the water in your spa clean, crystal clear and silky soft. Its all-natural ingredients reduce the need for harsh chemicals by up to 60%. Spend less time maintaining your spa and more time enjoying it with AquaFinesse.

Before you use AquaFinesse for the first time, you’ll need to take a few minutes to prep your spa. After that, one minute, one time per week is all it takes – so you can spend more time enjoying your spa, and less time maintaining it.

Preparing your spa for AquaFinesse.

It takes a few minutes to prep your spa before you use AquaFinesse.

Step 1: Remove and clean the filter in your spa. Use an AquaFinesse Spa Clean tablet in order to purge all the lines for deep cleaning of your spa.

Step 2: Drain your spa and fill it with fresh water.

Step 3: As always, keep the water balanced.

That’s it! Once your water is balanced, you’re ready to get started.

Weekly maintenance.

After each use add 1 teaspoon of granular chlorine (this will be long gone by your next use so you are always soaking in chlorine free water), add the proper dosage of AquaFinesse weekly, and then test once a month (yes that is correct once a month) to double check you pH.

 

[harleysilo]

The last sentence is troubling.

Have you read this? how-do-i-use-chlorine-in-my-spa-or-pool-t10095.html

 

[chem geek]

It's your spa and you can do what you want, but at another hot tub forum there were quite a few incidents of hot tub rash/itch/lung so I kept track of them along with the methods of sanitation. Some of the incidents were "alternative" systems including Aquafinesse while many were chlorine but with insufficient dosing or were Dichlor-only after several months so had Cyanuric Acid (CYA) build-up.

 

[dcjcdc]

just realized still have spa aquarius Bromine sanitizer which are 20 g tablets....have this from the soft tub we had used in the past....our hottub is •Water capacity: 1,098 L (290 USG)
so maybe will go Bromine way at first and see how it goes instaed of chlorine....little slow here,,how many tablets would you think would have to use at start
total newbie...
thanks

 

[chem geek]

If you go with bromine then read Using Bromine in a Spa. You would normally start out adding sodium bromide to establish a bromide bank and would use an oxidizer after each soak to create enough bromine to handle the soak. The bromine tabs would be used for a background level of bromine in between soaks, especially if you aren't soaking every day. An ozonator (if present) will create more bromine from the bromide bank.

 

[dcjcdc]

?
do you shock the hottub first or use chemicals than shock
thanks

 

[chem geek]

I'm not sure I understand your question. If you are asking whether you add sodium bromide first after a fresh refill to establish a bromide bank, the answer is yes. If you were to add an oxidizer to the spa before adding the sodium bromide, then you won't be producing bromine. If you are asking about whether to balance the spas pH and TA first, I'd first do the bromide and add oxidizer to make bromine, then go about adjusting other water parameters such as pH, TA and CH (if you want to reduce foaming, you adjust CH to 120-150 ppm).

 

[dcjcdc]

appreciate the responses,,learning a lot
how often should one use the test scripts....every day..every couple of days,,weekly
thanks

 

[GuinnessPhish]

appreciate the responses,,learning a lot
how often should one use the test scripts....every day..every couple of days,,weekly
thanks

the test strips are just about useless if you want accuracy.

 

[chem geek]

Yes, the test strips are pretty much useless. Get yourself a proper test kit, either the TFTestkits TF-100 or the Taylor K-2006 if you go with chlorine. If you go with bromine, you can still use those kits or you can get the Taylor K-2106 but that will only test for bromine and not chlorine (and doesn't have the CYA test which isn't needed when using bromine).