Chlorine Floaters...

[SatDoug]

Hello All:
I'm a new hot tub owner and it's nice to have found this forum. I have an AquaTerra (Costco) 4-person spa that I am sanitizing with Leisure Time Spa 56 chlorinating granules. It has been a week and so far so good. I do find that I need to add about a tablespoon of granules every other day or so, and a bit more the day after 3 people use the tub for about an hour.

A friend also has a tub and uses an adjustable mini floater filled with 1-inch of chlorine pellets. I am thinking when I go away for a week that would be a good way to keep decent levels (once I determine the amount the floater should be open, of course). He has used a floater for years.

When I inquired with AquaTerra, as in the manual it says to use granules only, they said that chlorine tablets would destroy the spa and are only for swimming pools and that I should not use them. Honestly I would only use it for the time I was away so it is another thing I don't have to worry about, and go back to the granules once I return.

What say the forum???

Thanks!
-Doug

 

[ChrisL]

When I go away, I lower the temperature of my spa to about 80 and shock to about 15 ppm before I leave. This seems to keep it for a week.
Chris

 

[SatDoug]

Wow that is a great idea. Thank you!

 

[tim5055]

Just like a pool, if you feed the spa a constant diet of DiChlor granules you will eventually build up too much CYA (DiChlor is almost 50% CYA). You should switch to liquid chlorine after the CYA builds up.

 

[theTikiMAN]

Chlorine tablets are not recommended because they dissolve must faster than bromine tablets due to the much hotter water in a hot tub than pool. In theory, if you left for a week, your tablets could dissolve in 2-3 days and you'd be left in the same spot as you were. Shock heavy with granulars.

Also, as Tim5055 said, the build of CYA could make the effectiveness of the chlorine difficult.

TTM