Fresh fill - cloudy water?

[Mdragger88]

Spa is back up and running. They replaced a power board (hope I understood correctly). Couldn't fully install the heat pump because they sent different pipes that were too small, so they'll still have to make another trip.

Good news is that my fill water is now crystal clear. That should teach me to clean the filter more often!
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Did the acid/aeration dance for a good two hours yesterda. I estimate TA is now around 90 so I still have a bit to go. Using muriatic acid 10% this time around.

We also had the cover lift installed...man, does that make life easier!

I sooo wish I had a cover lift!
I have a round tub & it’s at the corner of my patio right where the support pole is so I haven’t found a good solution
So this is how it sits when I am using the tub, kinda leaned up against the pole & the tub.


I flip it open then get in & push it over the edge. When I’m done I tilt it & pull it back over while I’m in the tub. My husband basically throws the whole thing in the yard then its a pain to deal with.

 

[TheCatLady]

That looks like a really nice spa! Btw, is there a section for spa side oasis pictures like the one for pools?

For me getting the cover back on was near impossible so I just opened it half way and used it like that when alone

I was really worried about picking a double lounger spa. I kept reading they were hit or miss and some people really regretted having a lounger. We also didn't have the option to wet test, but both of us wanted more to lounge in the spa than sit.
I have to say we're really, really pleased with it tho. There's a smaller lounger which is perfect for me and a longer/deeper one which is great for husband. I do float in the larger one if the jets are at max, but I also can't handle the pressure so it's mostly fine at lower pressure/no jets.
The foot jet is pretty nice as well. Was expecting some buyer's remorse because we couldn't wet test, but I'm really glad we ended up liking what we picked.

 

[Mdragger88]

That looks like a really nice spa! Btw, is there a section for spa side oasis pictures like the one for pools?

For me getting the cover back on was near impossible so I just opened it half way and used it like that when alone

I was really worried about picking a double lounger spa. I kept reading they were hit or miss and some people really regretted having a lounger. We also didn't have the option to wet test, but both of us wanted more to lounge in the spa than sit.
I have to say we're really, really pleased with it tho. There's a smaller lounger which is perfect for me and a longer/deeper one which is great for husband. I do float in the larger one if the jets are at max, but I also can't handle the pressure so it's mostly fine at lower pressure/no jets.
The foot jet is pretty nice as well. Was expecting some buyer's remorse because we couldn't wet test, but I'm really glad we ended up liking what we picked.

Mine is just a round roto molded plug n play tub off Wayfair - nothing fancy.
I am too short & feel like I’m being drowned in a lounger & I don’t care for a million jets. This was kind of supposed to be a starter tub but we really like it. It checks all my boxes so far! I have had it for 5 years.
It fits on my patio really well & is easy to move when empty. Its like a giant cooler & since it’s round I could roll it if I had to.

 

[TheCatLady]

Oh, I've never actually seen one of those here. It looks very sleek!

I've been wondering about something in the last few days. Since the amount of CYA in the water influences the amount of free chlorine need, does a higher CYA lead to more wear on the swg, since it needs to maintain a higher chlorine level? Not necessarily worried about costs, these are just things that go through my head

I know chem geek recommended a CYA of 20 for spas. What would be the downside of going with 20 instead of 30? Again, not necessarily planning on doing that, just want to understand things properly.

 

[Mdragger88]

Oh, I've never actually seen one of those here. It looks very sleek!

I've been wondering about something in the last few days. Since the amount of CYA in the water influences the amount of free chlorine need, does a higher CYA lead to more wear on the swg, since it needs to maintain a higher chlorine level? Not necessarily worried about costs, these are just things that go through my head

I know chem geek recommended a CYA of 20 for spas. What would be the downside of going with 20 instead of 30? Again, not necessarily planning on doing that, just want to understand things properly.

20-40 (around 30) is the suggestion for a couple reasons- 20 is often unmeasurable with the recommended turbidity test so 30 is easier to test & aim for. 40 or so is about as high as you can go without things getting complicated (ph testing).
Also, The hotter you run your tub the faster cya will degrade. I keep mine @104/105 degrees so I aim for between 30& 40 so I can let it ride for a while otherwise I am always having to remember to check & replenish cya because it degrades quickly to an unmeasurable level. I have accidentally run very low on cya whilst still maintaining higher fc levels & it had some unpleasant effects on my cover & my turbo jet trim. Cya buffers the harshness effects of fc on people, surfaces, & equipment.
You’re supposed to dose to your target with liquid chlorine & allow the swg to maintain standby loss basically. Large bather loads are to be compensated with liquid chlorine.
This means the swg isn’t there to “make up” the entire fc demand in the tub- just maintain, so the wear on the swg plates should be no different at different cya levels as the demand should be no different.
The swg is too slow to make up for all bather loads anyway unless you have it set higher or only have small bather loads.
I know I can get away with quick (30 minute) 1 person soaks without dosing with liquid chlorine but if I set my swg to maintain much more than that I will end up with much higher fc than truly necessary at several parts of the day especially if there’s been no use because my spa is small. It’s a meet in the middle kind of thing. For instance in the summer we use the tub less than daily so I turn the swg down or I’ll come back to it with fc being shock level. Same with vacation. I also don’t want to have to change it’s settings constantly.
Btw- The freshwater cartridges almost never last as long as they say they will anyway, no matter what you do, so be prepared for that.
Many people have ditched that system after growing tired of replacing the expensive cartridges & instead added a drape over swg like the saltron mini (what i have) or a controlomatic. If your filter compartment is large enough they can be hidden in there.