Hot Tub Help - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

MJM · 10-22-2009, 12:25 PM

So I now have a Hot Tub in the house I moved into. It's all ready to go (just have to fill it with water), but I have no clue how to operate/maintain this thing or what chemicals I need for the water before use.

Does anyone know of any courses offered in the city, or where I could go about learning this stuff? I really want to start using this thing!

Much appreciated!

underGRADFlame · 10-22-2009, 12:27 PM

Link

Jordan! · 10-22-2009, 12:31 PM

I'd just go to a hot tub retailer and talk to someone there. It can't be difficult enough that you'd need a course on it..

MJM · 10-22-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I'd just go to a hot tub retailer and talk to someone there. It can't be difficult enough that you'd need a course on it..

I meant like one of those things where you pay the dealer to come show you how to do it. I've heard they do this as they want you to buy their chemicals.

Jordan! · 10-22-2009, 12:41 PM

Yeah, my bad. I actually just came to delete that post because I realized how useless I was.

Frequitude · 10-22-2009, 12:43 PM

Is it your mom and dad's old house?

Bill Bumface · 10-22-2009, 01:31 PM

I went through the same thing in July, and it's way easier than I thought. Takes a few weeks to figure it out, then you're laughing.

Buy Bromine tables (cheapest at Rona) and Chlorine shock.

Buy a floatie for the bromine tablets.

Get test strips. The ones that do Cl/Br, pH and alkalinity are good enough.

Depending on what part of the city you're in and where your water is coming from, that's all you'll need.

Clean the shell of the hot tub with Windex and rinse it well. Fill er up. Dump a bromine tablet or two into the intake basket, use the test strips to measure. Once you've got the correct levels, throw the floatie in. It'll take a bit of guess work to figure out how far to have it unscrewed.

Give it a few days and make sure you have it balanced for when people aren't in there (or at least not much).

Then, when you use it you'll notice the Br/Cl level will drop off for no reason some times. Take a tablespoon of shock and chuck it in and leave the lid off for 30 mintues. That should restore your levels. If it doesn't, put more in. If you put too much in, leave the lid off and run the jets for a while until the levels come down.

Done and done.

yads · 10-22-2009, 02:01 PM

I just hired a guy from a tub place to come, clean it and give me a crash course. Then I found out the pump and one of the jets leaks so it's unusable, unless I want to waste half a tub full of water a week.

MJM · 10-22-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yads

I just hired a guy from a tub place to come, clean it and give me a crash course. Then I found out the pump and one of the jets leaks so it's unusable, unless I want to waste half a tub full of water a week.

If you don't mind, where'd you get that person from and what did it cost?

Muta · 10-22-2009, 02:12 PM

I was just going to say insert hot, scalding water from your stove into the hot tub, climb in and voila... MJM al dente.

MJM · 10-22-2009, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I went through the same thing in July, and it's way easier than I thought. Takes a few weeks to figure it out, then you're laughing.

Buy Bromine tables (cheapest at Rona) and Chlorine shock.

Buy a floatie for the bromine tablets.

Get test strips. The ones that do Cl/Br, pH and alkalinity are good enough.

Depending on what part of the city you're in and where your water is coming from, that's all you'll need.

Clean the shell of the hot tub with Windex and rinse it well. Fill er up. Dump a bromine tablet or two into the intake basket, use the test strips to measure. Once you've got the correct levels, throw the floatie in. It'll take a bit of guess work to figure out how far to have it unscrewed.

Give it a few days and make sure you have it balanced for when people aren't in there (or at least not much).

Then, when you use it you'll notice the Br/Cl level will drop off for no reason some times. Take a tablespoon of shock and chuck it in and leave the lid off for 30 mintues. That should restore your levels. If it doesn't, put more in. If you put too much in, leave the lid off and run the jets for a while until the levels come down.

Done and done.

Thanks, very useful and similar to what a guy at work was telling me. I don't even what the correct levels are so I may try and get someone to come give me a crash course from where the hot tub was purchased.

yads · 10-22-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJM

If you don't mind, where'd you get that person from and what did it cost?

The guy was from Sun Spa. From what I recall, they were one of the only ones that charged by the hour, rather than a minimum charge + hourly most others charge. It was something like $125 iirc.

Bill Bumface · 10-23-2009, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJM

Thanks, very useful and similar to what a guy at work was telling me. I don't even what the correct levels are so I may try and get someone to come give me a crash course from where the hot tub was purchased.

Those test strips are golden. They tell you right on the canister.

If you have lots of time, just start slowly adding chemicals and burning through test strips like there is no tomorrow. You'll figure it out for much less than $125 in test strips.

T@T · 10-23-2009, 12:52 AM

After you get the treatments down pat, the advice I'll offer is never let someone in with a cotton t-shirt, the cotton fibres that fall off will attach to the bromine and give you false readings plus plug your filter.

I use to be gentleman and offer shirts for the girls at partys...now it's "show me your t!ts" baby or stay dry.

Hack&Lube · 10-23-2009, 12:56 AM

Where do you get the girls to put in it?

MJM · 10-23-2009, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Where do you get the girls to put in it?

The Roadhouse. Or if you are feeling lazy, across from the Spaghetti Factory on 3rd Avenue

yads · 10-23-2009, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Those test strips are golden. They tell you right on the canister.

If you have lots of time, just start slowly adding chemicals and burning through test strips like there is no tomorrow. You'll figure it out for much less than $125 in test strips.

Well to be fair, the price also included him cleaning the tub since it was full of bugs and nasty water.

icarus · 10-23-2009, 09:07 AM

Mitch Hedberg:

Quote:

I like the hot tubs at the hotels. I like to go there when there's a guy in there already, I say "hey man, you mind if I join you?" He says no. Then I go and I turn the whirlpool heat up, then I go by and I add some carrots and onions. Then I say "hey man, just simmer for a whil- I mean, sit there."