More difficult than I expected. (noob here)

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In Hot Water

Member
Apr 13, 2023
14
Dallas, TX
Hi everyone,

We are new/1st timer owners of a hot tub that we got 3 weeks ago. It's a Clarity Spas Balance 8, 465g tub. It is on our covered patio. I haven't been able to get consistently clear water. The chemical directions on the sheet they gave me when they delivered it are different from what the folks at Leslie's Pro told me when I've taken in samples there. I ditched the test strip last week and bought the Taylor 2006 kit and have been trying to drop test. It's my wife and I, and our two kids (14 and 10) and we like to use the tub almost nightly and in the mornings as well on weekends.

Anyway, the more I try to look into maintaining balanced water, the more confusing I get on what to do. Yesterday when I tested with the Taylor kit, my Total Alkalinity was 90, the Free chlorine was around .6, and the CYA was at 50ppm, and the pH was 7.4. The water is more cloudy than I would like and I added more of the dichlor granules that came with the tub when it was delivered. The Pool Math app told me to add .7 ounces so I did that last night. I haven't had time to retest or check on it this morning. I'm thinking about switching to the dichlor/bleach method but all the discussion on it that I could find is from 15+ years ago. I know chemistry hasn't changed much but I didn't know if there are new/better products that are more recommended now. I'd rather have something that's a little less maintenance than having to add bleach to it daily as I travel a good bit. Nothing too extensive but we are gone for a week at a time sometimes.

I'd love to hear any advice. I'm thinking of dumping some of the water and using baking soda until my total alkalinity is at 80 and the CYA is around 30, then using liquid bleach to maintain free chlorine in the pool. Does that sound like what I should be doing?
 
How are you measuring 0.6 ppm ? Drop kits go in 0.5 ppm increments

Anyway. Your CYA is where it needs to be, stop adding DiChlor - DiChlor adds both Chlorine AND CYA. That is why the Di Chlor then bleach method exists. You add DiChlor until you get your CYA to where you need it, then you switch to bleach so you do not drive your CYA too high

TA and pH look good for you.

What are your CC numbers ?

When you got the tub, did you purge it (with AhhSome)?

You should be using bleach at this point. Add enough to bring your tub up to shock level, then let it drift down. With four people in the tub, make sure you add bleach when you are done.

A hot tub is like making people soup. You want to contribute as little to that soup as possible. If you have sunscreen, body lotions, lots of hair care products, sweat, or other stuff on you body (or your family does) they should shower/rinse off before getting in. It is a hot tub, not a bath tub. The less you bring in with you the better.

Also, and this may sound counterintuitive, limit how much you wash your bathing suit. Detergent residue can also contribute to both foaming and cloudiness.

If you do decide to dump and refill, you should do an Ahhsome purge first, to make sure your plumbing is squeaky clean. New tubs are NOT clean, they wet test them in the factory, and then they get a chance to grow a bunch of things as they are shipped.
 
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Thanks for the reply.

The Taylor 2006K kit that shows to add drops to a 25ml sample where each drop is multiplied by .2. So 3 drops to turn the mixture from (light) pink to clear should mean .6ppm FC if I understand it correctly.

Not sure what my CC numbers are but I can test tonight and report back.

I did not purge with Ahh-Some when I got the tub. I was completely ignorant of that at the time. I ordered a jar of AhhSome today. Do you think I should just purge and start over from scratch?

I understand trying to bring as little residue/oils/sweat/lotion/etc. into the tub. I don't know how feasible that really is going to be. My wife likes to get into the hot tub immediately after working out. She may kill me if I tell her she has to shower before getting in the tub but we'll see.

Thanks for your help. I'm going to pick up a jug of liquid pool chlorine from Lowe's today on my way home from work here in a bit.
 
In Hot Water said:
Thanks for the reply.

The Taylor 2006K kit that shows to add drops to a 25ml sample where each drop is multiplied by .2. So 3 drops to turn the mixture from (light) pink to clear should mean .6ppm FC if I understand it correctly.

Not sure what my CC numbers are but I can test tonight and report back.

I did not purge with Ahh-Some when I got the tub. I was completely ignorant of that at the time. I ordered a jar of AhhSome today. Do you think I should just purge and start over from scratch?

I understand trying to bring as little residue/oils/sweat/lotion/etc. into the tub. I don't know how feasible that really is going to be. My wife likes to get into the hot tub immediately after working out. She may kill me if I tell her she has to shower before getting in the tub but we'll see.

Thanks for your help. I'm going to pick up a jug of liquid pool chlorine from Lowe's today on my way home from work here in a bit.
Click to expand...
You can try to raise the fc to slam level for your cya
FC/CYA Levels
with liquid chlorine, keep it there & see if it clears up, after a few rounds of that if it doesn’t & cc’s aren’t .5 or less I would just purge with Ahhsome, drain & start over. Especially since you haven’t purged yet.
With the method outlined here

How do I use Chlorine in my Spa or Hot Tub?

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...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

The dichlor adds cya every time you use it (nearly 1ppm cya for every 1ppm of fc) so time to stop that.
For testing fc & cc You can use a 10ml sample & every drop counts as .5, that is accurate enough & will help conserve your reagents.
The key with a hot tub is moderating the people soup with adequate fc.
You never want the fc to fall below minimum for your cya lest nasties will grow.
This means testing & adding fc before & after use & even during if it’s a high bather load/long soak.
This also means adding enough fc to make up for standby loss daily.
It takes attention. Your frequent testing will show you how much your normal use/bather loads use along with what your standby use is & it will become 2nd nature.
 
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You gots expert advice X2, but since you asked, yes (you probably should dump it after purging). why

Congrats on the new tub and welcome to TFP!

I'm going to make one additional suggestion, some folks throw in something to soak up oils that float to the surface, tennis balls or the like. Couldn't hurt...

Those links above are a really great read :)
 
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Thanks everyone. I’ve read those links and it all makes sense in theory.

I just tested everything I could with the Taylor kit and here are the numbers.

TA - 100ppm
FC - .5 ppm
CC - 1 ppm
CYA 75-80ish (I have a little trouble telling exactly when the dot disappeared.
pH was 7.4
CH was 180-190

Seems like my TA is higher than I want it but not terrible? Pool Math has me adding 5.1 Oz of liquid chlorine to target 9ppm FC. I’ll do that and check again later.
 
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Ta is the least of your problems.
That’s alot of cya - you always round up if between so it’s 80ppm.
It’s really not maintainable as fc above 10ppm make the ph test invalid & you need to have fc in target range (9-11) before getting in so you don’t dip below 6ppm.
Slam level to knock those cc’s out is 31 ppm -
Carry on keeping above minimum for your cya until you can purge & refill which is hopefully soon.
 

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The best chemical you can add after n Ahhsome purge and rinse is water! Most newbies have difficulty in the beginning, screw up the water and find it easier as they go along.

Test your incoming water chemistry so you know what your starting out with and go from there. Use dichlor until you get to about 30 PPM ( 1 PPM chlorine = approximately 1 PPM) stabilizer and then turn to regular unscented bleach (with nothing added to it at al - getting harder to find) or pool chlorine.

Use pool math to help with the other chemistries and you should be good to go. Have bathing suits that are only used in the tub and get washed very infrequently (if ever).

It gets easier as you gain experience and knowledge.
 
Mdragger88 said:
Ta is the least of your problems.
That’s alot of cya - you always round up if between so it’s 80ppm.
It’s really not maintainable as fc above 10ppm make the ph test invalid & you need to have fc in target range (9-11) before getting in so you don’t dip below 6ppm.
Slam level to knock those cc’s out is 31 ppm -
Carry on keeping above minimum for your cya until you can purge & refill which is hopefully soon.
Click to expand...

Chart

For 70 min is 5, 80 it's 6. SLAM to knock down CC about 30. SLAM min is 20 on Ben's "2.0" chart from 2010 (no idea how or why he updated it from the 1990's version but I have his original copied somewhere - maybe try 20 first and see what happens? ).

Note you targeted ~5 and 3 hours later it sits there still mostly unconsumed, thus proving the validity of what the chart was designed to accomplish.

Below or at the minimum level your CHL is chemically "bound" to the CYA which does little to nothing to protect your health from whatever nasties colonize (probable) growing biofilm in you plumbing...

It's your health, but if it were me I'd get one or both under control, CYA and/or CC. I suspect the only reason nobody has developed a rash is you probably hit shock level a few times with the dichlor additions. Luck...
 
Don’t forget to purge until nothing else is released.
PURGE STEPS:
* get fc up to target levels
FC/CYA Levels
* remove any debris in the tub
* remove filters & throw them in
* turn on the jets & open all air valves
* add the amount of Ahhsome gel directed on jar (more is not better- use the directed amount or a scootch less)
* remove & throw any detachable items in the tub (head rests/jet packs etc.)
* scoop out gross foam & wipe sides with a damp rag/paper towels as you go
*once the foam dies down (usually 30 minutes or so later) add 1/2 the initial amount of Ahhsome & repeat 🔁 wiping & scooping
⚠️Do this as many times as necessary until no more gunk is released before draining (some people find they need to do several rounds on the first purge)
* once all clear & foam dies down, drain, rinse, wipe - i try to squirt the hose in my jets since they aren’t removable
- tip, the foot well can be hard to fully drain so refill it & drain it again to be sure your diluting/rinsing the Ahhsome out.
Hope this helps 😊Happy Purging! 🫧
 
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I seem to recall you already ordered/received the Ahh-Some! order? Anyway, it does work and if you did it certainly couldn't hurt!

I used it once on the 2nd fill, and almost nothing came out, even added a bit more when I noted there wasn't much with no effect. Truth be told, slam levels can do the job and I suspect that is what worked on mine before I used the Ahh-Some! - still, I will do it again to see on my next refill. Not that I'm not a firm believer in using it, especially on a new tub that was wet-tested and then sat at the factory in less than dry condition thereafter, but lets face it, you get the chlorine high enough then dead is dead - but removing anything and everything you can from the plumbing is still great insurance :)

Anyway, seems like we push/peddle this stuff, but in case you felt that way I was just sayin...

I'm sorry but going to repeat myself here, again, that chart works. If you don't get CC down you don't know if what's there causing that reading is dead or growing (or both). It's you and your family's health, but I'm recommending getting CC down to at least .5 ppm before using it again. If nothing else compare the chlorine cost to a doctor's visit.

[nag-mode /off]
 
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We did not get in the tub last night and haven't in the last couple of days.

Question for you. I will be out of town next Wednesday-Sunday (5 days). Would it be worth purging/refilling tomorrow or should I just keep everyone out of the tub and then hit it with a bunch of chlorine and purge it after we get back in town?
 
In Hot Water said:
Thanks for the reply.

The Taylor 2006K kit that shows to add drops to a 25ml sample where each drop is multiplied by .2. So 3 drops to turn the mixture from (light) pink to clear should mean .6ppm FC if I understand it correctly.
Click to expand...

My bad, I assumed you were using 10ml samples. 10ml samples, which give 0.5 ppm accuracy, are accurate enough.

I understand trying to bring as little residue/oils/sweat/lotion/etc. into the tub. I don't know how feasible that really is going to be. My wife likes to get into the hot tub immediately after working out. She may kill me if I tell her she has to shower before getting in the tub but we'll see.
Click to expand...

Ask her if after she works out she would take a bath, and then work out again, and get in the same bath water, and do that again and again, only changing the water after about a month. Oh, and you and your kids get to use that same bathtub too.

Thanks for your help. I'm going to pick up a jug of liquid pool chlorine from Lowe's today on my way home from work here in a bit.
Click to expand...

You may already know this, but pool chlorine is usually stronger than bleach, so make sure you adjust pool math accordingly.
 
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phonedave said:
My bad, I assumed you were using 10ml samples. 10ml samples, which give 0.5 ppm accuracy, are accurate enough.



Ask her if after she works out she would take a bath, and then work out again, and get in the same bath water, and do that again and again, only changing the water after about a month. Oh, and you and your kids get to use that same bathtub too.



You may already know this, but pool chlorine is usually stronger than bleach, so make sure you adjust pool math accordingly.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I will try with the wife.

And yes, I saw that the pool chlorine was 10% and the Pool Math app had an input field to make that selection.

The submersible pump that is being delivered today says it drains down to 1/8 of an inch and I do have a shop vac to get the last of it out. Most of my jets are removable, so I guess I'll pull those out and clean them after purging and draining. Now I just have to decide if I do that before I go out of town next week or after I return. I'd prefer to do it before I go out of town so that my mother-in-law who is coming to watch the kids could use the tub. I could give my son instructions on how to add dichlor but I don't know that I trust him to use the testing kit and the pool math app to see exactly what to add while I'm gone.
 
In Hot Water said:
Thanks. I will try with the wife.

And yes, I saw that the pool chlorine was 10% and the Pool Math app had an input field to make that selection.

The submersible pump that is being delivered today says it drains down to 1/8 of an inch and I do have a shop vac to get the last of it out. Most of my jets are removable, so I guess I'll pull those out and clean them after purging and draining. Now I just have to decide if I do that before I go out of town next week or after I return. I'd prefer to do it before I go out of town so that my mother-in-law who is coming to watch the kids could use the tub. I could give my son instructions on how to add dichlor but I don't know that I trust him to use the testing kit and the pool math app to see exactly what to add while I'm gone.
Click to expand...

When adding the dichlor, you can get accurate CYA level off measuring how much you add and % (or use poolmath).

If you purge before you leave instructions will likely end up being confusing, otoh, using it as-is with CC higher than .5 is a risk if it gets used. You asked for my advice, I'd say it's subjective based on how it looks and responds to hitting it with SLAM levels. You seem gun-shy (radio-silent) about hitting it with 20-30 CHL, so I'd say best to dump it, but leave instructions.
 

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