Do I need these chemicals?

[joecooler]

So I got all this stuff from the spa store when I got my spa last November but some of them don't seem to do much, and neighbors with spas say I don't really need them. I haven't used them much but want to be sure I'm doing the right thing here. Do I need any of these?

• Clarifier - didn't seem to do a thing even when the water got cloudy after heavy use
• Stain and Scale Preventer - guess it would take a while to tell if I am having issues w/this; suggested dose on bottle is 4 oz/week for my 420 gallon spa. Seems excessive and a lot of chems to be adding
• Phosphate remover - haven't tried it, do I really need to?
• Gentle Spa - recommended in the "How to use Chlorine" guide - haven't tried it. Does it really make a difference?

 

[mknauss]

First and third absolutely not.
Second - if your water has iron. Do you have staining?
Fourth - Borates. Not sure of the price vs boric acid from Duda Diesel. Try it for one tub and then do not add for the next. See if you tell the difference.

 

[joecooler]

Water report from the city, dated 2017, doesn't note the iron content of the local water. Where would I see staining? I assume you mean rust? Tub is brand new as of last November. Don't notice any staining but not sure if I would so soon?

 

[mknauss]

If you had iron in your water you would see staining. At higher FC levels or higher pH the stains appear.

Water companies do not have to report iron content. It is not an EPA required item for them to monitor or test for.

 

[joecooler]

Where would I see the staining ... at the water line?

 

[mknauss]

All over the tub shell. Plastic parts like the jets, etc. Even your filter would get stained brown (rust).

 

[joecooler]

I must be safe from that then ... definitely no brown stains anywhere. My filters get a little brown but it washes off - I assume this is just the build-up of organic matter they are filtering out of the water.