Hello, I finally pulled the trigger on a Sundance spa Berkely series, a small 4 person spa for just me. I have added it to my back porch while remodeling my back porch area. My question is While I was given all of the appropriate chemicals and test strips as well as some fragrant air type freshener to put in the water, I was curious if there was just a simple "one pod/pack" that you could throw into the hot tub maybe once a week and it would do everything? I don't want to sound lazy but I'm certainly no chemical engineer and it would be easier to just drop a packet in once a week rather than trying to use the test strips and adjusting the up and down PH as well as adding chlorine... I was hoping there was a one stop shop deal, I don't mind spending some money. thank you for your input

No. There is no do it all pack.

For a hot tub, use bromine instead of chlorine as the heat breaks the chlorine down.

On initial fill, get your alkalinity and pH right and then your bromine.

After each use, put a little sanitizer in to eat up whatever came off your body while you were sitting in it.

Keep up on the bromine. I use a floating thing and put a couple 1” bromine tablets in. When they get half size, I put another tablet in.

You have to use the strips to see where the levels are at and make adjustments as needed.

I have a 7 person Masterspa, owned/enjoyed for 5 years now. Early on, we used test strips and added this or that chemical, as though we were treating a pool (we had one at our last house) but we could never get the balance right. What was funny is the water was always crystal clear, and never had any "common" issues we've heard of from other hot tub owners, so on a whim, we stopped using everything except adding 2 tablspoons of chlorine daily. We change the water twice a year (it's just the two of us) and that's it.

I think getting the water filtered before it goes in the hot tub is the key; we have a three stage water filter on our house and use it to fill and re-fill the hot tub. I think by filtering out the minerals and whatever else is in the water supply made the difference.

No "silver bullet" for hot tubs. All water differs so there's no way to account for that. I've had my tub for 12 years this fall. I use the bromine frog system in mine. Biggest things I've learned over the years is that adding balancing chems will not give you immediate results. Put it in a little at a time and see where it stands the next day or 2. We have really hard water here so if I get lazy and don't do the chemicals within 2 weeks of filling I will get scale all over the shell. Stain and scale cleaner is a must for me. It comes off but it's not fun trying to scrub that stuff off. I am to the point now where I only test the water a few times in the first couple months after filling it. I try to do chems weekly for about the first 2 or 3 months mine is filled. Once the water is balanced it doesn't need as much attention. In addition to the frog system and reloading cartridges, I use bromine concentrate, shock, stain and scale, and foam down the most. I only run mine from October through May, and drain it for the summer. I soak my filters in a cleanser once a year, and run a flush solution in May to clean out the pipes. I power wash and scrub every thing up before I refill in the fall.

Frog system, I wish I would have bought a pile of these when they were $23 back in 2012
https://www.amazon.com/FROG-Se...%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-12

I forgot about the filter. I rinse that with a garden hose every two weeks.

Nailed it..

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
No. There is no do it all pack.

For a hot tub, use bromine instead of chlorine as the heat breaks the chlorine down.

On initial fill, get your alkalinity and pH right and then your bromine.

After each use, put a little sanitizer in to eat up whatever came off your body while you were sitting in it.

Keep up on the bromine. I use a floating thing and put a couple 1” bromine tablets in. When they get half size, I put another tablet in.

You have to use the strips to see where the levels are at and make adjustments as needed.

Third hot tub here. This time a salt system. It takes the fun out of ph-up ph-down, bromine floaty things, shocking and other maintenance tasks. Clean the filters and you're good to go.

I used the spa mineral sticks for the several years I had one. Only had to do minor chemical additions between full refill cleaning.

I have an in ground but when I move I’ll buy an above ground fiberglass unit. There are people out there running them with just H2O2.

I have to use the hydrogen peroxide in my hot tub, I have been happy with it, it costs a little more and you have to be certain that the tub you get is compatable with it, but overall I would say it is worth it. 10 minutes of work once a week when running.

I bought the frog serene floaty, we shall see how that helps,

I am curious as the H2o2 method ???