Goodbye for now

I'll be hottubbing for a while, so please don't expect me to reply right away. Thanks to all of you for so many interesting moments...

How to soften water in a Hot Tub?

Question:

"My water is running very hard at about 400-450 ppm and I am looking for a way to reduce this to acceptable levels. What do you suggest???"

Answer:

It is very easy to harden water, but very difficult to soften water using chemicals available for pools and spas. The water needs to be softened before it is added to your hot tub, and water softeners typically use a multi-stage process to soften the water and filter out mineral impurities before delivering it to an external source (such as the plumbing lines in your house). If your water is really that hard, you might want to look into a water softener for your home. These units can be expensive, but they pay for themselves by reducing the wear and tear on your household appliances, such as washing machines, etc.

Distilled water is extremely soft, since there are no minerals transferred during the distillation process, but diluting your hot tub's water with distilled water can be a very expensive procedure. It can also be tricky to determine exactly how much distilled water you would need to bring your water down to acceptable hardness levels where you can begin to add pH adjusters and sanitizers.

So, if you have a water softener in your home, I would suggest leaving it on during the next fill of your hot tub.

The good news is that if you end up having water that is too soft, you can easily harden it by using a Calcium Booster.

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Hot Tub Heater problem...

Question:

"A hot tub reaches 100 degrees - it shuts off - cools down - resets - starts again. Is this a heating element or control panel problem?"

Answer:

I'm going to assume that you do not have the hot tub set to an "economy" or "sleep" mode to conserve energy.

This sounds as though it is more likely a control panel problem than a heating element problem. The control panel is telling the heater to shut off when it senses that the water has reached 100 degrees. Then, the control panel senses that the water temperature is low once it has cooled off, so it starts the cycle all over again.

However, it could also be that the heating element shuts itself off when it reaches a certain point and then resets itself when it is cool enough. This scenario is not nearly as likely, but it is still possible.

My advice is to contact a service technician who is familiar with your particular brand of hot tub. These problems are rarely isolated to a single unit and tend to be inherent to the components that are used, so a pattern develops over time. In other words, if a control panel fails more often in this manner, a service technician who is familiar with your brand of hot tub will know this and spend a lot less time trying to figure out what is wrong (like I am doing right now).

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Rash from a Hot Tub?

Question:

"I'm getting a rash from our hot tub - mostly around where clothing is. Water is perfectly clear but chlorine is high. Could this be the problem?"

Answer:

This sounds like your skin is sensitive to the amount of chlorine you have in the water, but just in case, here is some information I hope you find useful.

The fact that you are telling me that your chlorine level is high and the water is clear is a good sign, however, you can have a high chlorine level, but still not have enough free chlorine - the kind that kills bacteria. Check your free chlorine level to make sure you truly have enough sanitizer. If you find that your total chlorine is high, but your free chlorine is low, shock your tub with non-chlorine shock to free up chlorine to kill bacteria (typically your tub would be cloudy). Do not get in your tub until your free chlorine maintains a 3ppm level of free chlorine.

If the rash is persistent - stay out of the tub and see your doctor because it could be folliculitis. If it is folliculitis it will only get worse the more you are in your tub.

Other causes of rashes:

Chemical Sensitivity - Obviously, if you are above the recommended range of any chemical you can experience skin irritation. Always use the recommended amount. More isn't better - especially with chemicals. Companies use different formulations. One bottle of chlorine could be 99% sodium dichlor, the next could be only 80%. READ THE BOTTLE. To dissipate a high chlorine level turn on your jets and bubbling system to help. Otherwise, you may need to wait a few days for the chlorine to go away.

Potassium Monopersulfate - I have heard that some people (especially men) are developing sensitivity to potassium monopersulfate, which is a type of non-chlorine shock. Often a rash will develop in the "soft spots" of the body - the back of your knees, your stomach etc. Sensitive people who use mineral sanitizers with a monopersulfate shock can usually convert to a chlorine-based program. This often works well with a mineral program like Nature 2 water sanitization technology because you don't have to use a large amount of chlorine - something else you can consider if you are also sensitive to chlorine.

pH - If your pH isn't balanced you can also get an acid/base burn. While typically not severe, it can appear as a rash and be sore and itchy for a day or so. Make sure your levels are around the 7.2 mark and your alkalinity is between 80 and 120.

The important thing is to accurately measure your water with hot tub water test strips regularly so you are assured that it is properly balanced, even if the water appears to be perfectly clear.

Hope this helps!!!

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Can I purchase just a Hot Tub Shell?

Question:

"We have an existing in-ground hot tub in our sun room which is very outdated. Would this be too much of a challange to purchase a new in ground hot tub to install in the same spot? And do companies normally remove the old hot tub or are we on our own? Please advise..."

Answer:

Many manufacturers will provide just a hot tub shell that you can "drop in" to an existing spot, but you will need to start by contacting them directly with dimensions. You might even be able to talk the manufacturer into taking the old unit as part of a "trade-in." If not, you can probably get the delivery team to remove the old unit as long as you notify the manufacturer ahead of time so they can make arrangements to dispose of it for you. Just don't surprise them at the last minute and expect them to cart it off for you for nothing. Recycling an old hot tub in today's world can be a little bit involved, and you just can't leave it by the side of any old road and hope for the best.

I suppose you could try putting it out in front of your house with a sign that says, "Free for the Taking" but if it stays more than a week I suspect that you will have to pay somebody to haul it away for you.

In any event, you should be able to find exactly what you are looking for, especially from one of the custom built hot tub manufacturers.

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Affordable Hot Tubs and Spas?

Question:

"My question is about two different spa companies. Viking and Reflections. Reflections is part of D&B Industries which makes Vita Spas. I know that these are lower end spas, but would like to know if you have heard any complaints or know of any problems with these hot tubs. I've already gone on several websites to see if I could get any information on them. There is some, but very little."

Answer:

Sorry, but I do not pass judgment on various spa manufacturers' products. There are so many variables in choosing and using a hot tub, that it's impossible for me to comment on them all. Even if I have heard complaints, there is no way for me to determine whether or not the complaint is valid.

A lower end spa may be perfectly suitable for occasional use, but if you give one to a college fraternity and let them do anything they want and it breaks after a non-stop party that lasts all year, is it the fault of the manufacturer or is it just a lower end spa that has been abused? And if somebody then complains in an online forum, who am I to say whether the spa is at fault, or that their expectations were just way too high.

The only thing I will say is that, "You get what you pay for." In other words, almost any car will occasionally take you from place to place, but it may not look great and you may have to take a hammer under the hood to get it to start up (I know - my first car was like this). So, if you want reliable transportation on a regular basis, you should spend the most that you can afford.

The same is true for hot tubs. You can get an inexpensive model that will hold a bunch of hot water, but it may not have many jets, and it may not last very long, but what exactly are you looking for? An occasional dip in hot water, or extensive warm water therapy?

Only you can answer that question and make that decision. In any event, I hope that you buy the best hot tub you can afford. You won't regret it!

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Our hot tub hasn't run in a long time...

Question:

"We just bought a house and it has a hottub in the addition room of our new home. What steps do I need to take to start my hottub for chemicals and so on. It has water in it, but it hasn't been run in a long time. What should I do after draining the hot tub? And cleaning the inside before filling it up?"

Answer:

Welcome to the wonderful world of hot tubs! You are right to drain the hot tub if it has been sitting idle for some time so you can start it out right with fresh water (who knows what's still swimming around in there).

But, before you drain it, you should run some jet line cleaner through it to flush the gunk out of the plumbing lines. There are several manufacturers of this type of product, and you can find it sold online. This important step will ensure that any bacteria in the plumbing lines is flushed out, and it is much easier to do before you drain the tub.

After the plumbing lines are clean, you can drain it and let it dry out. Then, you should probably clean and polish the shell, but first check with the manufacturer of the hot tub to find out what they recommend for cleaning products. For example, if the shell is made of acrylic you can find special hot tub acrylic polish and cleaner that will add luster to the shell and protect it.

Don't use regular car wax! It cannot withstand the higher temperatures that are found in hot tubs and you will soon find yourself sitting in hot water with melted wax floating on the surface!

The fresh water that you refill the hot tub with will need to be chemically treated, but this will depend upon the water source at your location. You do not need to go overboard with the chemicals, but you will definitely need something to kill off the bacteria.

Some simple hot tub test strips will tell you if the water needs to be hardened or softened, and whether the sanitizer that you are using is doing its job. These test strips can also be found online, and although it may seem a little troublesome at first, but you will quickly learn what is needed to keep your water crystal clean so you can enjoy your hot tub at a moment's notice.

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Mice wrecked our foam insulation! Please help!

Question:

"We have discovered mice/rats have made a mess of our foam insulation in our jacuzzi spa. We removed all foam sections. They were loose and encased in plastic. We need to replace the insulation but aren't sure what to use.
Please help! Thank you so much."

Answer:

Wow! I can only imagine the mess, so I hope you have been able to get rid of the critters once and for all...

I would start by contacting the manufacturer because they should be able to tell you what insulation they use. They may be able to recommend a source for the type of foam that they provide, or may even be able to sell you replacement pieces if they are pre-molded.

There are many types of spray-on insulating foam on the market, including some that you can buy at your local hardware store, but you really should talk with your manufacturer first. Spaying foam directly onto the underside of a hot tub can be an incredibly messy job, and can also create a huge problem later when a fitting starts to leak. Finding the source of the leak usually means ripping out the sprayed-on foam, which can cause even more damage to the hot tub's components (and make more of a mess than the mice made). You should also beware of the expanding types of foam, because they can cause a lot of damage when they expand if you put too much into a confined space.

A better alternative is to insulate the outer walls of the cabinet and create a trapped pocket of air inside, which will further insulate the hot tub. You can buy flat sheets of hot tub insulation and cut them to fit just inside the cabinet walls. High-quality hot tub manufacturers take this approach, so it is definitely worth investigating.

Hope this advice helps and gets you back into your hot tub soon, and good luck!

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