New tub 2 months old, flushed tub because of CYA, balanced water, now CYA 40 using liquid chlorine and rash!!

[Spameister]

Hi All, just finished flushing 2 month old tube because I didn't realize I was pumping CYA into the tub every time I added dichlor....after reading here and realizing that tub testing was an important part of owning my tub, water was already somewhat unbalanced and full of CYA...... fortunately my well water is very close to balanced so a water exchange and refill was fairly painless even in -4*C temps. Within 48 hrs I had my water balanced and brought my CYA up to a bit higher then I wanted but was at 40 over the next week. Went to liquid chlorine at that point and everything has been perfect EXCEPT I now get an itchy rash on my lower back and upper chest......If I stay out of the tub for a couple of days it goes away, but does return if I go back in. I keep the FC at 2ppm when I get in just in case its the chlorine and add after we get out and it goes to 8ppm....... Oh and wife has no issues and ODDLY enough for the first 2 months I had no issue with dichlor either????!! These are my numbers below and they are very stable and water is now 2 weeks old. Just wondering if I have a reaction to the chlorine and if a switch to bromine would it solve my issue.....Don't want to be hasty and make that change to quick!!!! No shock chemicals used, just liquid chlorine in the water right now and water is crystal clear.

CH-140ppm
TA-60ppm
PH-7.6
CYA-40
FC-2ppm when I get
Using liquid chlorine 10.25%
Temp 104*

 

[ccbill]

What kind of liquid chlorine are you using? How do you let the FC drift down from 8 to 2?

 

[Mdragger88]

@ 40ppm cya the minimum fc level to prevent nasties from proliferating should be 3ppm. FC/CYA Levels
When you get in with 2ppm it is likely used up rather quickly- especially if it’s more than 1 person possibly allowing fc to go to zero.
I suspect your problem isn’t too much fc , it is too little.
This sounds like hot tub rash.

Also when you say u flushed the tub - did that include an Ahhsome purge before draining & refilling? If not that should be a priority.
You don’t list cc’s - have you tested for them?
Take the tub to slam level for your cya (16ppm) until there are cc’s of .5 or less.
If no cc’s- just 1 time may do the trick.
It is safe to use the tub w/ fc anywhere between minimum & slam level for your cya.
Please don’t be leery of properly sanitized water - under sanitized water causes problems.
Most who manually chlorinate raise to or close to slam level after soaking so there’s plenty of fc to consume the current bather waste & enough residual to get to/through the next use without going below min.
Your testing before & after use will guide u to know how much that needs to be.

 

[Spameister]

I'm still getting comfortable with the k-2006 and when I did the CC test after FC it just turned pink and 1 drop cleared it, But I would suspect that because the tubs only been used 5 times after refill. I didn't CLEAN the tub because it is only 7 weeks old and there wasn't an issue with us previous just that I noticed CYA climbing past 100 and wanted to remove that. The reasoning for 2ppm getting in was a test to see if I had any itching(suspecting the chlorine) after getting out, wife has NO issues. I would suspect the CYA being at 40ppm is why I can wait for the for it to drop to 2ppm, FC may not be as stable as I thought being the waters only 2 weeks old! Using PUROX liquid chlorine

And the whole idea here is to do a little investigative work before I empty AGAIN and clean in -20* winter weather...... Don't want to do all that work and find out I'm still getting an itchy rash from the chlorine!!

 

[Mdragger88]

Even new tubs can have biofilm accumulation (protective film that protect bacteria & pathogens from chlorine) as they are all wet tested at the factory. The water doesn’t all get evacuated & things grow while the tub is in transit to you. This was possibly only made worse as your cya rose & your tub was under chlorinated.
A purge is necessary to remove these biofilms so chlorine can do a number on the nasties
2 people can use the same tub & one will get a rash while the other does not.
My husband is more prone to rashes/skin infections than i am. Also be sure to remove your suits/ rinse them & shower after using the tub.
I don’t understand what you mean by the cya of 40 allowing you to go to 2ppm fc?
Cya binds some of the active chlorine making it less effective the more cya you have in the water. Thus the reason for the ascending scale of the FC/CYA Levels.
If you’re referring to cya making fc last - that is only true for protecting it from sun consumption- it doesn’t apply to a covered spa.

 

[Spameister]

Going to run the FC up to 16ppm, how long would it normally take for that to dissipate/settle down to 5-6ppm........ Odd I didn't have any itching or rash for the first 2 months right up to the last day before I emptied it, only after I refilled and went with the liquid chlorine...... struggling with things that don't make sense?.....but if it continues I will get some ahsome, clean and refill using the dichlor/chlorine method....and the comment about the CYA was in regards to CCBILL asking how I got the FC down to 2ppm

 

[ccbill]

the comment about the CYA was in regards to CCBILL asking how I got the FC down to 2ppm

I guess I could have been clearer, I was asking because I was curious how long it took to get the fc down from 8 to 2, trying to gauge how long you let the water sit below minimum fc. I don't have a spa but letting fc go below minimum in heated water doesn't sound like a good idea.

 

[Spameister]

Only a couple hrs before getting in, then brought it up to 8 after.....FC has never been to 0 since I purchased the tub.....I have been diligent with the chlorine testing but not with the rest, thought I had it figured out until I came here and realized I wasn't doing it right........Hoping I don't have to clean and refill again but I will do what I need to........ Love my tub, old guy that loves snowmobiling but my body doesn't

 

[Spameister]

Okay...........FC now at 16ppm and CC one drop almost turned it clear but second drop for sure so between .5 and 1 CC

 

[Mdragger88]

I hope that helps with your issue until u can purge/refill as it really is a necessity - even though it’s not that pleasant to exchange water in cold conditions. It should be preformed before every drain/refill (every 4-6 months)
With moderate/average use & proper sanitation most can go 6months between purges/water changes. I generally time mine around march/April & then oct/nov so the weather is pleasant & i’m not fooling with the pool too much since its right before opening & right after closing.
If you want the fc to come down faster after shocking leave the top off & let the sun help - you can also put something organic in (such as yourself & someone else )
I don’t really have any issues with the fc if it’s under 10ppm so long as i have 20-30 ppm cya in the water. Obviously the higher levels are little harder on the bathing suits.
I have a smaller tub (250 gal) so I need to start my soak with about 5ppm so I don’t fall below min for my cya in an average session. Those with larger tubs can get away with a smaller margin upon starting due to the bather load ratio.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You should also minimize the amount of time you spend sitting in front of an intense therapy jet. Hot tub rash is caused by a pathogen (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ) that will cause folliculitis but a rash can also be caused by mechanical abrasion of the skin from the jets. So one thing you could try is sitting in the warm tub but not using or limiting the jets. That could help reduce the rash you are experiencing.

 

[Spameister]

You should also minimize the amount of time you spend sitting in front of an intense therapy jet. Hot tub rash is caused by a pathogen (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ) that will cause folliculitis but a rash can also be caused by mechanical abrasion of the skin from the jets. So one thing you could try is sitting in the warm tub but not using or limiting the jets. That could help reduce the rash you are experiencing.

Yes while raking my brain I have thought about that also, that's right where the rash is the most prominent and I always sit with pump/air on high so I've turned my air and pump down and moved to another position.

 

[Spameister]

I hope that helps with your issue until u can purge/refill as it really is a necessity - even though it’s not that pleasant to exchange water in cold conditions. It should be preformed before every drain/refill (every 4-6 months)
With moderate/average use & proper sanitation most can go 6months between purges/water changes. I generally time mine around march/April & then oct/nov so the weather is pleasant & i’m not fooling with the pool too much since its right before opening & right after closing.
If you want the fc to come down faster after shocking leave the top off & let the sun help - you can also put something organic in (such as yourself & someone else )
I don’t really have any issues with the fc if it’s under 10ppm so long as i have 20-30 ppm cya in the water. Obviously the higher levels are little harder on the bathing suits.
I have a smaller tub (250 gal) so I need to start my soak with about 5ppm so I don’t fall below min for my cya in an average session. Those with larger tubs can get away with a smaller margin upon starting due to the bather load ratio.

Yes I've already figured I would do a 4 month cycle to avoid the worst months, Nov, Mar, July although the winter months will be the heaviest use, may have to rethink.......... I just did an empty/refill in a mild Jan -2*C day and its not all that bad. Thank You....awesome site here!!!!

 

[Mdragger88]

When you do the Ahhsome purge theres some scooping of foam & wiping going on that requires u to get your hands wet but the tub water is warm so it’s not terrible. Here’s a video of the process