Spas

The basics: If you know all of the following words, you are already ahead of the game. These are the minimum things people need to know in order to properly maintain their spas. If this is too much information, consider hiring a pool or spa professional to maintain your pool or spa. It costs a little more, but the peace of mind of knowing the water is in safe clean condition and your spa is being maintained properly can make owning a spa a joy instead of a job. Remember, these are just the basics. There is a wealth of additional chemicals, testing supplies, accessories, and enhancements for spas available, but listed below is the minimum for maintaining a spa. There are also 100's of brand names. We do not a have a preferred brand name for chemicals because there are too many. Most people buy their chemicals from the convenient pool/spa store. Our advice is not to by a chemical "brand", instead look for the chemical "Active ingredient". For example, there are many different types of chlorines, many different forms of chlorines, and many different brand names. It can be very confusing. Instead, try to remember the active ingredient. That way you can buy different brands and still know what the chemical is doing for you. Spa chlorine usually comes in a dry granular form with many names, but the "active ingredient" is always "Sodium Dichloro -s- Triazene", or "Dichlor" for short.

How important it is to just TEST THE WATER!. Even weekly is good. We have seen it too many times. We go to a repair call for no heat or a leak. The spa cover is opened, and we have to hold our breath. (that's a normal instinct for us now.) When the cover is opened, the smell from the water tells the story. Once in a while it is a fresh clean smell and the water looks great. We wish it were more often. Usually, the water is cloudy (no chlorine) or yellow (too much bromine). Some times the water has a terrible sour smell, and we all choke on the smell. Its funny how people don't realize it when they are in the spa. Standing outside of the spa, they say "Wow, what's that smell?". How can people use the spa without knowing the water test result. Its like going to a neighbors house and jumping in their toilet. Don't go in your own spa unless "you" know what is going on.

Clean fill water - It starts with the fill water. If you have poor quality water out of your tap, we can help. We are water specialists and can treat your well water so it will not stain your pool or spa. You will need to decide what to do with either your spa water as it sits once filled, or what to do with the problem water coming out of your tap. Either way, there are solutions for both that work. How old is the water? It's amazing that most people do not know the last time their spa was drained and refilled. Spa water is at its best when it is first filled. Did you know you can use the spa that first time after refilling it, and you don't need to have a drop of chlorine. Its just like filling your bath tub and taking a bath. Here is the difference. With a spa, the water is re-circulated again and again, through a filter, and with the help of chemicals. Eventually, there is too much STUFF in the water, and a drain and refill is the only answer. For some, that could be every 2-3 months. For others, it may be 6 months. It depends on how much it is used, and how much STUFF has been added to keep the water clean. It never hurts to be safe, and start over with fresh water. 

Test kits / strips - Nothing is as important as a good way of testing your water on a weekly basis. Some people never test their water. We have been in the business of testing water for 15 years. We can almost tell you what is wrong with your water just by looking at it. A good test kit is an insurance policy for two reasons. First, it keeps you from getting a skin rash, infection, or worse. Second, it will keep your spa equipment from falling apart. It's amazing how many times we ask people for their test kit or test strips, only to find out they don't test the water at all!

Chlorine should be present for most systems, but is not part of proper water chemistry. Proper water chemistry is maintained to prevent water quality problems, scale or corrosion. Chlorine is strictly a disinfectant only, and is not needed for proper "water chemistry". Sanitizer should be tested according to the water body type and bather preferences. Always maintain some type of sanitizer to prevent bacteria growth, even with the newer "non chlorine" systems. Ozone units work well but they do not provide a 100% constant source of sanitization. If you want the best of both worlds, install a new ozone unit, and maintain a minimum of 3 ppm of chlorine at all times. Chlorine demand, which is the amount of chlorine you will need to use to properly sanitize the water, will vary greatly depending on many factors, and is different for pools and spas. The chlorine demand of a spa with an ozone unit is 80-90% less than a spa that does have one. In a swimming pool, three people could swim for a couple of hours for days, and you may not even notice a change in the chlorine level. But in a spa, the chlorine level can go to 0 with just a few uses. The trick is to use just enough chlorine to keep the correct amount of chlorine in the water, depending on the variables at hand. A spa that is never used may only need chlorine added every week, a spa that is heavily used will need a great deal more.

Please refer to our Langlier Index for proper water balance....

Listed below are the minimum water tests and the ideals levels for each.

So there are basically 3 different test. Chlorine, p.H. and alkalinity. There are many different chemicals available for treating pool and spa water. You need to be sure you are using the correct type of chlorine for pools and spas. Pool chlorine is extremely strong, and made to treat a 10,000 gallon pool. You would not want to put that into your 500 gallon spa.

We hope all of this information has helped. If you need test kits and chemicals, just email us. We sell everything for pools and spas.....