Question about refill procedure

[Sjde]

When I do a refill , how important is the order I do things in ?

Is it
1st- balance calcium, ALK and pH,
next add sodium bromide to build a bank, then shock/oxidise and lastly add the floater?

 

[Oly]

Test your fill water or tap water before you start and post the results.
No need to test CYA or FC yet.
This will give you a heads-up on what to expect.

OK just realized this is a spa. Yes the order you list is correct. I assume your spa is fiberglass so no need for raising the calcium much.
Also assume you purged the plumbing with a good surfactant prior to draining.

 

[Sjde]

Test your fill water or tap water before you start and post the results.
No need to test CYA or FC yet.
This will give you a heads-up on what to expect.

OK just realized this is a spa. Yes the order you list is correct. I assume your spa is fiberglass so no need for raising the calcium much.
Also assume you purged the plumbing with a good surfactant prior to draining.

I will purge the plumbing but some say to shock before draining. Is that only if worried about algae?

It is not fiberglass , it is acrylic.

 

[Oly]

It's wise to raise sanitizer levels while purging with surfactant. Surfactant will assist in exposing all organics to sanitizer even those deep in your plumbing system.
Calcium levels more important with plaster and tile tubs. Check your spa manual for recommended Ca levels

 

[Sjde]

"It's wise to raise sanitizer levels while purging with surfactant. Surfactant will assist in exposing all organics to sanitizer even those deep in your plumbing system."

Thank you.

I read somewhere that " Superchlorination is a process in which the chlorine/sanitizer level in water is raised to abnormally high levels over a very short period of time, usually a few hours. “ but the same article said superchlorination is also just known as shocking, so I'm confused.

When I shock, I was told by mfr to just add enough MPS or Dichlor to get to the ideal reading of 3-5 ppm.

But this makes it sound like you have to get it up high and then wait for it to come down? Would you only do this high level on a refill?

 

[Oly]

Yes I only raise my chlorine levels to "shock" level during a purge and drain. I purge and drain my spa every 2 months but it's small and we use it a lot during the winter.

 

[Sjde]

So a purge should be done every time you drain?

 

[Lyd]

Yes, every time! What I do is raise the Bromine level to about 15 or so then add the Ahh-Some and follow the Ahh-Some directions. Use a wet/dry shop vac to remove the gross looking foam, do not let it dry on the sides, then drain.

 

[Sjde]

When you drain after shocking that high, will it kill the grass?

 

[Sjde]

One source I saw said to lower pH to 7.2 before doing this. Do you? Apparently the shock or cleaner works better then.

 

[Sjde]

Since I have a bromine spa , when I shock before adding the biofilm product, can I raise the bromine level high by using MPS? I also have dichlor on hand.

 

[dlleno]

Yes mps will raise bromine if there is sufficient reserve. Although I use bleach ...save the mps for regular use . One other suggestion is to add a stain and scale product during the fill. Its good insurance against temporary localized imbalance as the water heats (for example in the heater itself next to the element)