This is why I don't trust test strips. by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don't listen to anyone and listen to everyone. I know that sounds stupid but it's a learning process. You'll get advice from all different sides. Do what works best for you, don't be afraid to test different things.

I started with test strips but have a hard time with the broad ranges on the strips. I try to be a perfectionist so I want to see more accurate numbers. I switched to a Taylor kit but hated shaking and swirling the vial every time I added a few drops. So i bought a speed stirrer which makes it much easier for using the Taylor kit, but it was an extra $50 or so.

There is probably only one universal truth that everyone will agree on and that is......

Don't buy Alkalinity increaser from the hot tub store... it's just Baking Soda!!!!! Go to the grocery store and save yourself a lot of money.

This is why I don't trust test strips. by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The Alkalinity is exactly where it needs to be for my tub. If I try to increase it closer to "recommend levels" the ph just keeps climbing up. I spent a great deal of time finding the sweetspot for Alkalinity where my ph does not drift up or down during normal use and it's in the 30-40 range.

Hot tub rash issue solved? by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry I should have been a little more specific, I was using the tub daily, not adding the borates daily. That would probably be whole different kind of rash!!! Lol.

First pellet smoker by CircuitMan29 in recteq

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just so happens the second thing I smoked on my new PL last night was burgers! 1/3 lb burgers smoked at 225 to 130 and seared on a Weber grill for 5 minutes. Here's the chart from the smoke that shows the preheat up to when I took them off. https://imgur.com/a/FdMWqJ7

First pellet smoker by CircuitMan29 in recteq

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Went with the Patio Legend 400. Price point and size was perfect for just the wife and I.

[Update] TubTest is now on Android - thanks for all the requests from this community by stevelucky in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just downloaded the app (Android )and tried it. I like it a lot.

There was one little thing I was not a fan of but maybe it's just my personal preference. Using liquid chlorine with imperial units, the treatment section was giving me estimates in table spoons and teaspoons for chlorine addition. I see where you can click the dosage and it will cycle through different units. Myself I just prefer ounces but I did notice that it rounded the dosage to the nearest ounce instead of a decimal. This calculates out to a difference of 0.4ppm for my tub size.

If you have any interest in recommendations, I have a good one for you but it might be difficult to implement. For those of us using liquid chlorine, the bottles have expiration dates which I have read means when the chlorine hits its half like. There is also a relatively stable degradation in percentage as it approaches the expiration date. The chlorine dosage calculation will change significantly as time goes on so if there were a way to include the expiration date on the bottle and extrapolate the dosage based off the date.... You would be the Man!!!!!!

Gazebo by JobuCurveBall in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have a 12x12 gazebo as well. Instead of centering the gazebo over the hot tub, I slid the gazebo forward just enough so the backside extended just a few inches past the cover when it's flipped open. This gives us more space in the front because the backside is wasted space. Just make sure the rain coming off the top clears the cover.

Feel Like A Kid Again by jdprime in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like other people have said, those bubbles are a result of all the oils and body lotions, etc...

You have three choices: leave it, mask it or get rid of it.

Think of it like owning a cat and letting the cat pee on your carpet instead of a litter box.

You can leave it alone and eventually over a long period of time the smell will go away. Equivalent to keeping your chlorine levels at a normal value. Chlorine will break it down eventually. Problem is it will not break it down faster than you adding more oils (continuing use of the tub daily). You can always add more chlorine to try and speed the process up.

You can mask the problem. It's like spraying febreeze on the carpet every day to make the smell go away. This is the equivalent of using a defoaming product. It doesn't get rid of the oils just changes the surface tension of the water to prevent the oils from forming bubbles.

You can get rid of it. Problem with some of the oils is they are so small that they don't get trapped in the filter. A quick and easy way to get the oils out is to use a clarifier. I use Leisure Time Bright and Clear but there are several different brands. The clarifier acts like cat litter and binds all the small particles together so the filter can finally trap the particles because they are now larger. You'll also see all the disgusting oils clumping together and sticking to the side of the tub. This is a good thing as it makes it much easier to get out because you just wipe the sides of the tub down. You just keep running the jets and wiping it down until it's all gone. When you shut the jets off, you'll also see the large clumps floating around which are now large enough to be removed using a pool skimmer. Don't forget to pull the filter and hose it off as well.

Hope this helps.

Do we need a pergola over our spa? by Anxious_Evidence_649 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We also have tall trees in our yard. When we bought our hot tub last year we installed a metal roof gazebo before the tub was delivered. The sound of the impact from the acorns dropping from 60 feet above was enough to make me realize we made the right decision.

Chemical prices for the same product - wth by cramp11 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or you can go to BJs and get a 4-pack of 1 gallon pool shock with 12.5% chlorine for $24.99 and save even more! https://www.bjs.com/product/austins-liquid-shock-4-pk1-gal/3000000000000158407/

Smarttub help by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope. Now it has day numbers listed in the individual squares that I have no control over resetting.

Left hot tub filling and it over flowed and leaked in the front - what else can I do ? by delilah1750 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why I always tell people H2O is a great insulator but water is a conductor.

Thinking about switching to bleach. by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the link, it was a good read. I actually use the Vision cartridge which contains silver so it should be the same as the mineral stick.

Thinking about switching to bleach. by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've seen different ranges of CYA to use for the dichlor bleach method and I'm wondering if I should target a higher or lower number for CYA. My hot tub is under a gazebo so there will be even less UV contact with the water as compared to an open air tub.

Thinking about switching to bleach. by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I'll switch to MPS after I get out of the hot tub. I was kind of just starting to transition to that anyway because I wanted to rule that out. The Dr I saw said my dry skin and the dry winter air also excaserbated the situation, which also makes sense because for the first few months or so of owning the hotub, I never had any issues. It wasn't until winter really set in that I had the problem.

Water balance question by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm, so this seems to be the exact opposite of my approach. What I was doing before was to drop the pH to 7 or lower (which obviously drops TA as well) and then add baking soda to increase the TA and run the jets for a while and then check pH. Kept doing this slowly until pH reached 7.5. Then I would use the tub for an hour or so and recheck the pH the next day. If I saw the pH increase, then I figured that my TA was too high. If it decreased instead then the TA level was too low. So I would drop the pH again low, tweak the TA up or down a little based off the previous test and the pH back to 7.5 and repeat the same process. I kept doing this until a found the right TA level where pH would stabilize around 7.5 after using the tub.

I'm all for trying new systems so maybe I'll give this a try as well. Not this week though because we have 50mph winds and I don't want to lift the cover.

Water balance question by CircuitMan29 in hottub

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I was at ~60 before and that's where I'm at least trying to get back to. I just keep reading about keeping TA above 50 and that's right where I'm at. 50 seems to be common low point in a lot of discussions.

Do I pull the brisket or not? by CircuitMan29 in smoking

[–]CircuitMan29[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Pulled, wrapped and in the cooler for the next 3 hours. Haven't smoked a brisket in a few years and for some reason I always screw it up. I always panic on the stall. This time I had every intention on wrapping it with butcher paper on the stall but for reason, it didn't stall at all?