Hi Everyone,
Quick summary of my setup before my questions - 500gal Masterspa hot tub with Ozone (ozone runs with jets only, 2 hours 2x/day, plus whenever jets are run during a soak). Typical bather use is 2 adults, 3-4x per week for 30-60 minutes each time.
Initial guidance from the hot tub store was to use Dichlor to maintain 3-5ppm FC, and to shock with MPS once a week or after heavy usage. I didn't trust the accuracy/precision of the test strips that the store supplied, so I got a DPD test kit from Leslie's (I've since ordered the K-2006 kit, but it hasn't arrived yet). In general, I needed to use about 1T of Dichlor every other use. Hot tub store said the shock wouldn't hurt anything, so used about 1-2T after each use (more on this later).
I got a rash after about 2 weeks of use, but my wife didn't. We would both use the hot tub the same amount and shower right after. Hard to say how soon after using the hot tub I had a reaction since we were using it most nights since it's new. I took a week or so off the hot tub and it cleared up, then used it again and got another rash within a few hours of getting out (I had again showered right after). Wife had no problem again. Went to the doctor and they're not convinced it's due to bacteria (wife had no reaction 2x, and how fast it came on the second time), but gave me a course of antibiotics in case it is.
Spent some time reading up on hot tub chemistry and found my way here. I'm fully onboard with the TFP methods after reading the rest of the website. Now, onto my questions:
1) The DPD test kit I had been using measured TC, not FC. There wasn't any chlorine smell that I've heard you get with high CC, so I can't confirm that my FC was in the 3-5ppm range suggested. I've also read that the MPS can show up as chlorine on test kits. Does the DPD test register MPS as total chlorine (meaning I may have had very low FC)? I've seen that there's a separate chemical to test FC/TC with MPS in the water, but also read here that it's not so reliable (also doesn't seem to be in stock anywhere right now).
2) The Ozone - How effective is it really only running 4 hours per day? I've also read that they have fairly short lifetimes, so it could fail and I may not know. Should I just consider the ozone as a bonus and maintain chlorine level recommended without ozone?
3) I've also read a bit about allergies to MPS (here and elsewhere). Assuming that's the case, does the MPS that I've been adding go away, or do I need to drain it if I want to get it out of the water?
4) If I go with the TFP methods (dichlor and then bleach), should I ever use the MPS? Or just shock with chlorine as needed?
5) When is a shock truly needed, should I do it on a schedule, or when a test kit shows CC over some limit?
I'm sure I'll have more questions once my test kit arrives.
Thanks in advance!
Quick summary of my setup before my questions - 500gal Masterspa hot tub with Ozone (ozone runs with jets only, 2 hours 2x/day, plus whenever jets are run during a soak). Typical bather use is 2 adults, 3-4x per week for 30-60 minutes each time.
Initial guidance from the hot tub store was to use Dichlor to maintain 3-5ppm FC, and to shock with MPS once a week or after heavy usage. I didn't trust the accuracy/precision of the test strips that the store supplied, so I got a DPD test kit from Leslie's (I've since ordered the K-2006 kit, but it hasn't arrived yet). In general, I needed to use about 1T of Dichlor every other use. Hot tub store said the shock wouldn't hurt anything, so used about 1-2T after each use (more on this later).
I got a rash after about 2 weeks of use, but my wife didn't. We would both use the hot tub the same amount and shower right after. Hard to say how soon after using the hot tub I had a reaction since we were using it most nights since it's new. I took a week or so off the hot tub and it cleared up, then used it again and got another rash within a few hours of getting out (I had again showered right after). Wife had no problem again. Went to the doctor and they're not convinced it's due to bacteria (wife had no reaction 2x, and how fast it came on the second time), but gave me a course of antibiotics in case it is.
Spent some time reading up on hot tub chemistry and found my way here. I'm fully onboard with the TFP methods after reading the rest of the website. Now, onto my questions:
1) The DPD test kit I had been using measured TC, not FC. There wasn't any chlorine smell that I've heard you get with high CC, so I can't confirm that my FC was in the 3-5ppm range suggested. I've also read that the MPS can show up as chlorine on test kits. Does the DPD test register MPS as total chlorine (meaning I may have had very low FC)? I've seen that there's a separate chemical to test FC/TC with MPS in the water, but also read here that it's not so reliable (also doesn't seem to be in stock anywhere right now).
2) The Ozone - How effective is it really only running 4 hours per day? I've also read that they have fairly short lifetimes, so it could fail and I may not know. Should I just consider the ozone as a bonus and maintain chlorine level recommended without ozone?
3) I've also read a bit about allergies to MPS (here and elsewhere). Assuming that's the case, does the MPS that I've been adding go away, or do I need to drain it if I want to get it out of the water?
4) If I go with the TFP methods (dichlor and then bleach), should I ever use the MPS? Or just shock with chlorine as needed?
5) When is a shock truly needed, should I do it on a schedule, or when a test kit shows CC over some limit?
I'm sure I'll have more questions once my test kit arrives.
Thanks in advance!