Dry Skin + Hard Water = No Fun

[troublefreefun]

In my previous home I had a stand-alone Bullfrog spa. It was a great experience except for afterwards in which my skin would be extremely dry to the point of using lotion several times a day for several days to get "back to normal".

The area in Arizona is known to have hard water. I thought about putting softened water in it from the water softener system but I recall reading something in the manual not to do that.

I'm building a home right now and in the preliminary design phases for the pool/spa and I'm seriously considering a stand-alone spa but if I simply can't use the spa because of it making my skin dry then I can't do stand-alone.

BTW: Pools don't do this to my skin. Even hot tubs that are integrated into pools don't do this to my skin. Just the stand-alone spa did.

 

[Newdude]

High PH, CCs and/or improperly sanitizing are the 3 biggies for skin issues. In a hot tub, all 3 are frequently mismanaged without a proper test kit and knowledge of how to balance it all. Many find that those issues disappear once they get a grasp of the TFP methods.

We have oodles of fellow Arizonians using their tubs without issue.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

ALL of Arizona has hard water. The faucets here basically deliver cement slurry.

#1 - You absolutely must have a whole house water softener installed in your home. Do it now while your home is under construction.

#2 - (related to #1) Absolutely have an additional line, with shutoff valves, run to the exterior of the home so that the pool autofill can be hooked up to softened water supply.

#3 - make sure your kitchen area has both an untreated and softened water line run to it AND have a point of use RO water tap installed. Have the RO line run back to wherever the refrigerator will be so that your fridge water and ice maker are supplied with RO water. This will give you good cold water to drink as well as beautifully clear ice cubes.

#4 - wherever your hot tub is situated make sure there is a soft water line spigot run to that area. You ABSOLUTELY CAN fill a tub with softened water and then either add back a small amount of calcium using CH increaser (50ppm is typically adequate) or when you fill you can use a mixture of soft water and untreated water to achieve a lower CH level.

#5 - hot tubs are hard on ones skin no matter what. Limit soaking times to no more than 30-45mins and reduce jet pressures as mechanical abrasion can cause lots of skin problems. Moisturize after soaking because any tub, jetted or not, will strip the beneficial oils out of your skin.

 

[Mdragger88]

To add to what is said above here’s the guide for a standalone tub

How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

If you have a question about any information within this Sticky, please start a new thread for yourself where you will receive very quick responses to your specific questions. Thank you! Introduction There are two main things to consider when maintaining your hot tub water, Water Balance and...

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Pool Care Basics