Spa Water 104, Clear, No Foam, Please
November 11, 2009 at 4:25 pm | In Spa Chemistry | Leave a CommentTags: Calcium Hardness, Calcium Hardness Tests for Spas, Dirty spa filters, Foamy hot tub water, Foamy Spa, TDS, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
Yikes! You turn your spa jets on, and suddenly your spa becomes a giant foam machine–or a latte gone wild. First, you scream at the kids asking who dumped soap into the spa. But you don’t have any kids and your spa doesn’t smell soapy.
1) Now ask yourself, how long ago did I drain my spa? Why? High Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) will cause foam. If your TDS reading (which you can have tested at your local spa shop) is over 1500 ppm, it’s time to dump the water, clean your spa, and start anew again.
2) Have you cleaned or replaced your spa’s filter in recent memory? If you draw a blank on this question, go directly to your spa’s filter, check it out and if it is anything but lilly white, it’s time to clean it. You can hose it off, but I recommend purchasing a filter cleaning solution from your local spa dealer, like Leisure Time Filter Clean.
Also if your filter has been servicing your spa for over 18 months, it may be time to replace it.
3) Calcium hardness is another cause of foam in your spa. If the calcium hardness is less than 200 ppm, bring it up with a calcium increase product, like Leisure Time’s Calcium Increase.
4) Have you diligently shocked your spa’s water? If not, the foam can easily be reduced with a good shock treatment using a non-chlorine shock, which you can find at your spa dealer. Shock your water, at the very least, once a week.
5) If you are missing a container of dish soap–well, it’s time to deal with the gremilins gone wild.
Chlorinated Pools, Your Child and Allergies
October 1, 2009 at 10:40 pm | In Chlorine-Alternatives, Health Risks of Chlorinated Pools, Pool Chemistry | Leave a CommentTags: Chlorine and Asthma, Chlorine Is It Safe?, Chlorine-Free Swimming Pool, Coughing, Coughing in Pool, Swimming Pool
Chlorinated pools--worse than second-hand cigarette smoke????
I’m glad that chlorine has saved many folks from around the world from water-born infectious diseases. But, after being around chlorine for 39-too many years, I’m allergic to it. Ask my wife what happens when she tosses some bleach in with her laundry. It’s not pretty. The sheets and towels are white, and so am I–pale white from a chlorine-allergy dotted with lovely red spots up and down my body. This is one of the reasons why I think the Riptide Pool Disinfection System (TM) www.riptidealchemy.com is the all-that for pool sanitization. I can even show that it’s excellent for commercial pools too.
But this is not about my allergy, this is some recently released news about chlorinated pools and childhood allergies. Read on:
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Swimming in an outdoor or indoor chlorinated pool has more impact than secondhand smoke in increasing the chances that a child susceptible to asthma and allergies will develop those problems, according to a new study, Reuters Health reported September 15.
Dr. Alfred Bernard, a toxicologist at the Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, told Reuters Health, “These new data clearly show that by irritating the airways of swimmers, chlorination products in water and air of swimming pools exert a strong additive effect on the development of asthma and respiratory allergies such as hay fever and allergic rhinitis.”
Bernard added, “The impact of these chemicals on the respiratory health of children and adolescents appears to be much more important — at least by a factor of five — than that associated with secondhand smoke.”
The researchers found that the risk of asthma and allergy was not influenced by swimming in pools sanitized with a concentration of copper and silver and that children without allergic tendencies were not at increased risk of developing allergies in those pools.
The researchers said the current findings “reinforce” the need for further study on the issue and to enforce regulations concerning the levels of these chemicals in water and air of swimming pools, Reuters Health reported.
To read the full report, click here.
Blue, Green, Yellow, Brown–All The Pretty Spa Water Colors
August 17, 2009 at 3:52 pm | In Hot Tub Chemistry, Spa Chemistry | 2 CommentsTags: Blue Spa Water, Brown Spa Water, Calcium Hardness, Calcium Hardness Tests for Spas, Green Spa Water, Green Water, Total Alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Yellow Spa Water
All the pretty colors. Great when in a rainbow. Bad when in your spa. Spa water should be crystal clear. So when your spa water is yellow, what does that mean?
Here’s a quick synopsis of what these colors mean:
Cloudy Green
Dude, you got algae in the water.
Treatment: Shock your water with chlorine.
See-Through Green or Emerald Green
Acidic Water. The metals in your heating elements are being stripped. The average cost for a replacement heating element–$200-$250 big green dollars (includes labor).
Treatment: Try a product like Metal Gon by Leisure Time–then balance your chemistry.
Total Alalinity 80-120, pH 7.2-7.6, . If this fails, drain and start all over.
Yellowish
Indicates low total alkalinity and low pH. It’s also the precursor to damaging the spa’s heating element.
Treatment: Balance your total alkalinity and pH. Also check your calcium hardness — should be over 250 ppm.
Treat with calcium increaser.
Blue
Blue rarely happens in above ground spas. But in-ground gunite spas– with gas-fired heaters–can experience bluish/turquoise water, as well as the same color stains on the plaster.
Treatment: Get the total alkalinity pH, and calcium hardness balanced. Also check total dissolved solids (TDS) –not over 1500 ppm– because that can also begin striping your heater.
Brown
Rare, but happens. Usually indicates iron in the water.
Treatment: Metal Gon should cure it. If it continues, drain, refill and add a bottle of Metal Gon when you refill.
International Coastal Clean up
August 14, 2009 at 8:50 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: Waterway clean up
The pool and spa master challenges his readers to sign up for an International Coastal Clean Up day, September, 19, 2009. You don’t have an ocean? There are river clean ups too! They all flow to the sea.
Sign up is easy http://www.signuptocleanup.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Projects.Main&CFID=5418733&CFTOKEN=28407602
Be sure to check out my wife’s blog: www.Neptune911.wordpress.com
Hot Tub Cover Weighs a Ton
July 24, 2009 at 3:22 pm | In Hot Tub Covers | Leave a CommentTags: Heavy Spa Cover, Smelly Hot Tub Cover
Dear Mr. Pool and Spa Master: My hot tub cover weighs a ton. It used to be easy to lift with one arm. Now my wife can’t lift it, and I have to give it a good heave-ho. What’s wrong? Richard in Boulder City
Richard, Your hot tub cover is toast–a big slice of closed-cell foam that is water saturated.
1) It can’t be repaired–it’s not like a sponge and squeeze-dried
2) It’s probably harboring nasty bacteria. I’d bet the cover reeks
3) Say hello to mold. (Got more yucky smell?)
4) It no longer properly insulates your spa’s water temp–and now you’re paying more to heat the water
5) A sprained back is in someone’s future as they try to lift the beast
Your options?
1) Live with the 5 negatives listed above or
2) Replace it with a new cover.
Yes, that’s an expensive proposal, but your only choice. I recommend that you order it through your local spa dealer mainly because they should be purchasing covers from a reputable manufacturer that provides a year’s warranty, and they will also assure that you get the right size cover for your spa. It will likely be custom-made for you. Why? There are thousands of spa sizes, shapes and styles. It’s too risky for a spa dealer to keep every size in stock.
To assure you get the right cover, do the following:
1) Measure the length and width of the cover and the corner radius
2) Measure the skirt length (the part that hangs down)
3) If you know your hot tub’s manufacturer, bring that.
4) AND some hot tubs have a serial number. That slam-dunks the right cover.
There are alternatives to the standard cover. They cost more, and don’t have the features that, say the Sunstar manufacturer provides:
- UL Classified.
- Full 3-Year Warranty.
- Marine Grade Vinyl. Treated with mildew and UV inhibitors for year-round beauty.
- Vapor Lock Seal with Antaeus 2000™. State-of-the-art equipment is used to heat seal cores with Antaeus 2000, a scientifically formulated plastic developed exclusively for Sunstar to inhibit moisture absorption.
- Twenty-Eight Points of Internal Reinforcement. Every stress point is reinforced, including the hinge, handles, straps, corners and skirts.
- Tough ’N Sturdy Hinge. Four layers of vinyl add strength to this high stress area.
- Super-Strength Padded Handles. Five layers of added strength were it’s most needed.
- Premiere Skirt. An additional seal to keep heat in and dirt out.
- Tie Down Straps. Triple-reinforced straps secure the cover to the spa or hot tub with locking fasteners.
- Secure-Loc Fasteners. Lock with a key for extra safety.
- Plastic Drain Grommet. Aids the release of moisture trapped under the vinyl. Will not corrode or scratch spa.
- Double-Ply Poly-Laminate. Industrial grade vinyl with durable polyester fabric reinforcement. Mildew resistant.
- Tapered Foam Core. Standard covers come with 3 1/2” – 2 1/2” taper to keep heat in and allow rain to run off.
- Steel Reinforcement. Non-corrosive, strengthens center of Spa Top™
- Commercial Grade Nylon Zipper and Protection Flap. Heavy-duty nylon zipper is corrosion resistant. Protective flap for easy replacement of core.
- Hidden Zipper Pull Protection. Protects zipper pull. Adds quality finished appearance.
- GHSG™ Super Heat Seal Gasket. A revolutionary insulating hinge seal that saves heat and prevents moisture loss. Critical to long-term energy savings. Pays back through energy savings typically in less than 12 months, according to independent testing. Also protects bottom from abrasion.
Summertime Swimming Pool Video Humor
June 30, 2009 at 8:08 pm | In Summertime | Leave a CommentTags: Funny Swimming Pool Videos
It’s summer. Here’s some funny videos. These pool blunders speak for themselves.
Now, The Pool And Spa Master’s All Time Favorite Swimming Pool Clip
Evaporation Biggest Cause of Swimming Pool Energy Loss
June 17, 2009 at 10:29 pm | In Energy Cost of Pools/Spas | Leave a CommentTags: Bubble/Solar Blankets, Swimming Pool, Swimming Pool Heat Loss
- Standard blue “bubble cover” available at most pool stores
Did you get your heating bill for the first month of summer yet? No, not for the house. For that other money-sink, your outdoor swimming pool.
Billions, yes, billions of dollars are annually spent heating America’s swimming pools. While swimming is one of the best exercises ever, (and my wife says the pool she had when the kids were youngsters, saved her sanity by making the kids so tired that they would actually go to bed on summer nights), these holes with water are expensive to operate. A 400,000 BTU gas heater will cost you about $7.24 per hour to heat your pool. Compare that cost to your home’s 100,000 BTU central gas furnace at about $1.88 per hour.
There are environmental costs too.
Evaporation is the largest cause of energy loss in a swimming pool. While it takes just 1 BTU to raise one-pound of water up one-degree, consider that each pound of 80-degree water that evaporates consumes—are you ready for this—1,048 BTUs of heat out of the pool.
Your only prevention of this loss is to cover the pool when it is not in use. You could save up to 50 to 70-percent! A simple application of a bubble/solar cover can also reduce chemical consumption. It will also prevent debris from entering the pool. (Think less pool vacuuming.)
Not every pool can accommodate or retrofit an automatic cover. So, your alternatives are a bubble/solar cover—that being the least expensive; a vinyl cover; and then an insulated cover. Most of these covers can be
attached to a reel. Check with your local pool store to see if that is a likely resolution to your pool’s evaporation issues.
I know I’ll get a thousand of the following question after you all go out and purchase a new bubble/solar cover: “Which way do the bubbles go?” The bubbles go in the water.
BTW: Always remove any cover you have on your pool before entering. ALWAYS! NO EXCUSES!
Yes, I’m cyber-yelling because sometimes folks think that a half removal of the cover is okay. It is NOT! Remove the cover COMPLETELY!
I’ll continue next time discussing solar heat, energy efficient heaters and other water/energy saving tips. Meanwhile, you can call the Energy Efficient and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse at 1-800-363-3732 for more information. www.eere.energy.gov
Flex PVC Leaks. Wrong Glue?
June 10, 2009 at 2:43 pm | In Spa Leaks | Leave a CommentTags: Flex PVC, Leak in spa, Spa Repair
The right glue makes the difference with flex pvc.
Mike sent in this query:
I have a 12-year-old Cal Spa with 2 4hp motor/pumps. The 2″ flex hose keeps springing leaks due to age. I have repaired it a half dozen times, but now it’s leaking where its too hard to reach. Is it worth the effort to replace all the 2″ flex? I replaced the pumps and motors a few years back.
Mike,
Flex PVC has a history of this kind of behavior–springing leaks. Part of the problem is usually from incorrect glue. Flex takes a special kind of glue. You must use specially designed primer and glue for flex PVC.
Replacing all the flex PVC is waaaaaay too labor intensive. However, you can cut where the flex is leaking and replace it with schedule-40 regular PVC pipe. Be sure where you attach the schedule-40 to the flex that you use the specially designed glue I just mentioned.
Cloudy Spa Water Is Like a Cloudy Day-Depressing
May 27, 2009 at 4:33 pm | In Hot Tub Chemistry, Spa Chemistry | Leave a CommentTags: Spa Chemistry, Spa Chemical Directions, Spa Sanitizer Reading, Spa pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Cloudy Spa Water, Dirty spa filters
Cartridge filters require regular maintenance
Stan from Philadelphia asks: No matter what I do, my spa water is cloudy most of the time, even after I have added bromine to it. I’m getting depressed with my spa. What am I missing?
Cloudy water means turbid water—opaque or murky. You spa’s water should be clear and glistening.
So I’m assuming that your bromine reading is 2 to 3 ppms. If it’s below that, double the shock and bring the bromine reading up to 2-3 ppms. Inadequate disinfection is a common cloudy water cause.
However, I’d bet that you haven’t taken a peek at your cartridge filter for a while. I’m not psychic, but after near 40-years of hearing “My water’s cloudy no matter what! You need to fix my water now,” I’m betting on your filter’s health.
What does that mean? The filter strains your spa’s water. It traps organic wastes like your hair, skin, and other yucky body stuff. If it isn’t regularly cleaned the filter becomes your water’s most likely pollutant.
If your filter harbors a grey or brown tinge, soak that disgusting thing in a cartridge filter cleaner (a product you can find at your pool and spa store designed specifically to deep clean polyester filters) to remove the debris that is entrapped in the filter’s fibers.
Good filter maintenance requires at least a monthly soak in a cartridge filter cleaner. Rinsing your filter with a hose is okay, but not sufficient.
Your filter could also be worn out. Most filters last about two years with regular caretaking. So, if your filter’s fibers are the first thing you notice, it’s time for a new filter.
Now, if your filter maintenance rates an A+, then you need to check your TDS (total dissolved solids). 1500-ppms means drain the tub. High TDS will not allow your bromine to properly disinfect. Most hot tubs require frequent draining. It depends on the size of the tub and how often it is used.
If you have crossed off the funky filter and high TDS, then be sure to check the standards: total alkalinity and pH. See TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS AND YOUR UNRULY TEENAGE MOMENTS: TOTAL ALKALINITY & pH posted below.
Also be mindful of regular shocking.
If your spa is new to your household, you are probably using it more than you will next year. This means that your water is under more stress and requires above average attention.
Sam Swims In Salt. Now Sam Wants a Pet Dolphin.
May 12, 2009 at 3:12 pm | In Pool Chemistry, Salt Water Pools | 1 CommentTags: Chlorine generators, Chlorine-Free Swimming Pool, Pool Chemistry, salt pools, Swimming Pool
Sam swims in a “salt pool” and he wonders if he can get a pet dolphin now that his pool is a’ natural.
Well, Sam, a’ contraire. What Sam doesn’t understand is that if he puts a dolphin into his “salt pool” that dolphin will to choke to death in chlorine!
“No way!” screams salty Sam! Yeah, way, Sam.
Sam’s salt pool is not exactly that. Yes, Sam may be dropping hundreds of pounds of salt into his pool, but that salt is funneled through a mechanism that transforms the salt into CHLORINE. Look closely at the mechanism it will read Chlorine Generator.
So, Sam, ixnay on the dolphin.
Keep the dolphin out of "salt pools."
The generator installed on Sam’s pool is generating sodium hypochlorite – or you can call it by the common label—household bleach. So Sam has invested into 50-year-old technology. It is not a new eco, green, or healthy technology. The biggest advantage is that Sam won’t have to trek down to his local pool chemical supplier to purchase liquid chlorine. His pool is producing it on the spot. He will, however, have to haul in 50-pounds bags of salt.
All chlorines are salt-based AKA sodium chloride. Sam swims in chlorine.
Meanwhile back to my shameless self promotion. With my system you will swim in mineral water and be totally chlorine free. Check out www.riptidealchemy.com BTW, the Riptide Alchemy Pool Sanitization system is on sale!
If you have more questions about salt pools, feel free to contact me.
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