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Pool and Spa Questions Grants Pass: Q1
How often should I drain and refill my family’s spa?
Technically, it depends on the bather load of the spa. Generally, though, the accepted rule is every 2-3 months for a small family spa and every 3-4 months for a larger family spa. I’m often asked if it can be longer if the spa is seldom used and I’ll say this: yes, but.. if you’re sanitizing with bromine or chlorine tablets, you need to check your water balance regularly. The water can get very acidic in a short amount of time and begin to damage the spa. More regular drain and refills will prevent it from getting too bad.
Partial drains and refills are also an option.. only drain half of the spa water at a time. You’ll need to do this more often, but depending on when it’s done, you may not miss a day of hot water.
Commercial spas don’t apply. Water needs to be changed much more regularly.
Pool and Spa Questions Grants Pass: Q2
Should I use chlorine or bromine in my spa?
These products are more similar than they are different. They are both naturally occurring halogen gasses listed on the periodic table. Both are found most often as tablets or granules.
*Note: Tablets are very corrosive. Using either of these in tablet form will be destructive to your pool or spa surface and equipment if you don’t actively monitor your pH, alkalinity, and calcium levels. This happens when water with low pH desperately eats away at your spa, trying to become neutral.
Chlorine: Comes in tablets, granules, as a liquid, and more recently in a dispensing cartridge called SmartChlor made by Frog and @ease. All chlorines are most effective at lower pH and temperature. Stabilized chlorine granules and tablets contains cyanic acid (CYA/Stabilizer) at a rate of 1:1.
Bromine: Comes in tablets, granules, or as oxidized sodium bromide. Bromine is a combination of sodium bromide and an oxidizer, usually chlorine. Effective with stability in both high or low pH and at high temperatures. Many spa bromine products are a high percentage of chlorine, which negates the benefits of bromine apart from chlorine. It is available without stabilizer or chlorine using the sodium bromide program.
My preference for most situations is chlorine. Most all-in-one bromine products have a high percentage of chlorine anyway. The price of bromine is even higher than the rising price of chlorine and so far has been more readily available. The preferred way to use bromine is as a tablet, which as I’ve said most spa manufacturers don’t recommend and could void the warranty. Add to that, combined bromine (bromamines) and combined chlorine (chloramines) both have a noxious odor, similar to ammonia or vinegar. In my opinion though, the smell of bromamines is much worse, unbearable even. And that’s the final straw for me. I recommend spa chlorine (sodium dichlor granules), liquid chlorine, or SmartChlor. Don’t use tablets or cal hypo in spas. They are cheaper, but will cause damage over time, especially unchecked.
Pool and Spa Questions Grants Pass: Q3
How often should I change the sand in my pool’s sand filter?
There are different schools of thought. One pool pro will tell you it should be changed every 2-5 years. Another will tell you it never needs to be changed. My opinion is this: it depends, but I believe it usually can be avoided.
I have seen filter sand get packed up with oils and lotions and gets as hard as a rock causing “channeling” or “tunneling” to occur. Here, the water creates unfiltered pathways through or around the sand. It sometimes looks like an ant farm; spidering tunnels throughout, from top to bottom. Otherwise, filter pressure gets extremely high because water can’t force its way through the sand. This is very bad for the pool equipment and also the water clarity and quality.
Much more often, though, sand is changed more often than it’s needed. During the process of a sand-change, damage to the filter is much more likely to occur. Laterals (slitted plastic tubes inside the filter) are very brittle, especially as they age, and are easily cracked. Finding matching laterals can be difficult as is replacing them. In my own pool, I would rather replace the filter and the sand at this time. Damaged parts are seldom isolated incidents in any pool or spa. When something fails, chances are all similar parts are going to fail soon as well.
My recommendation is to clean/purge the filter sand every 2-5 years with a filter cleaner or enzyme treatment. It’s a simple, non-invasive procedure that can be done by homeowners with little cost or effort. Just make sure to switch the filter’s multi-port valve to “backwash” before restarting the equipment. You don’t want the filter sludge to return to the pool water.
Pool and Spa Questions Grants Pass: Q4
Are there alternatives to chlorine or bromine?
The next most common option as a pool or spa water sanitizer is biguanide. The most common brands are Baquacil, BaquaSpa, Aqua Silk, Leisure Time Free, BioGuard Soft Swim, and SpaGuard Soft Soak. Each of these product lines are sold as multi-part systems including at least a sanitizer (biguanide), oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide), and a scale and waterline preventer. Also included are algaecides, filter cleaners, and other specialized products. I know many customers who use and love this product. In fact, almost everyone who goes on using them can’t understand why everyone else doesn’t. These aren’t usually added per each use, but once per week or so. My personal results, though, haven’t been as good. I tried switching once 15 years ago or so, but found it very frustrating and switched back immediately. More recently, based on all the good testimonials and lots of advice I tried again, this time with what I feel was a more accurate expectation. I used all the products in the system and followed the instructions to a tee. I did have better results, and I used it over the course of several months. And I admit I could have continued to use it, but I found that it was more difficult to achieve good results. I tended to struggle with a slimy waterline and plugged up filters; and I used my spa less because of this. It also ended up being quite a bit more expensive than chlorine or bromine.
I will continue to use chlorine in my personal pool and spa. In my experience, it’s easier to use and easier to achieve good results while being quite a bit less expensive. Also, early studies have shown that spas using biguanide are more likely to develop leaks, which . But if you have a sensitivity or allergy to chlorine and bromine, this is a viable solution; and admittedly it would have been much easier to adopt for myself had I not already become proficient with the chlorine system.
*One caution: You cannot simply switch from using chlorine to using biguanide and then back again if it doesn’t work as well as you hope (and it’s one reason many don’t try it). Normally when switching to sanitizers between bromine and chlorine, you should alway first drain your spa and refill with fresh water. When switching from biguanide to bromine or chlorine, always do a spa system purge/scrub/flush to remove residue from plumbing lines before draining, clean filters with a filter cleaning product (according to product directions) prior to rinsing them and putting them back in the spa, and after adding fresh water, maintain a high ppm of sanitizer (over 10ppm) along with granular oxidizer or spa enzyme to break down/oxidize any remaining biguanide residue. If the water stays clear and the sanitizer levels are maintaining after 24 hours, your system is now converted.
Pool and Spa Questions Grants Pass: Q5
When is salt water not a good option in a pool or spa?
Before I answer this, it needs to be said: Salt alone is not a sanitizer. The addition of salt may make it more difficult for bacteria growth, but it won’t kill bacteria, pathogens, or algae. Most people who say they have a salt system actually have a Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWG).
I love Salt Water Chlorine Generators (SWG’s) for many types of pool and spa systems, but not all. They work great with a few caveats: Mainly, saltwater is more corrosive to your pool than freshwater, especially to metals and plaster. Also, since salt expands several times as it dries, a small crack at the waterline or water feature that has saltwater splashing into it will expand and grow.
So if, as a best case scenario, you have a fiberglass or vinyl liner pool with few metal parts and either solar heat or a heat pump (such as Pentair’s UltraTemp Heat Pump), you will have great results. If using a gas or electric heater, you will need to spend the extra money to get a version that uses titanium instead of copper (Pentair UltraTemp ETi Hybrid Heater).
But if, as a worst case scenario, you have a plaster pool with a large rock water feature and a gas heater (with a copper heat exchanger), I wouldn’t recommend saltwater. There are several sanitizing and oxidizing alternatives that would be much better options such as UV, ozone, AOP, manual liquid chlorine feeders (like the HASA Liquidator) or automatic liquid chlorine feeders (like Pentair IntelliChem). I have used all of these systems with great results.
I will continue to use chlorine in my personal pool and spa. In my experience, it’s easier to use and easier to achieve good results while being quite a bit less expensive. Also, early studies have shown that spas using biguanide are more likely to develop leaks, which . But if you have a sensitivity or allergy to chlorine and bromine, this is a viable solution; and admittedly it would have been much easier to adopt for myself had I not already become proficient with the chlorine system.
*One caution: You cannot simply switch from using chlorine to using biguanide and then back again if it doesn’t work as well as you hope (and it’s one reason many don’t try it). Normally when switching to sanitizers between bromine and chlorine, you should alway first drain your spa and refill with fresh water. When switching from biguanide to bromine or chlorine, always do a spa system purge/scrub/flush to remove residue from plumbing lines before draining, clean filters with a filter cleaning product (according to product directions) prior to rinsing them and putting them back in the spa, and after adding fresh water, maintain a high ppm of sanitizer (over 10ppm) along with granular oxidizer or spa enzyme to break down/oxidize any remaining biguanide residue. If the water stays clear and the sanitizer levels are maintaining after 24 hours, your system is now converted.
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Our hot tub stopped working and we thought we were going to have to get rid of it and buy a new one. Instead of pushing a new one on us just to make a sale, Luke repaired ours and now it's working great. He also taught us the proper way to care for it, we had no idea that we weren't using the right chemicals. He's very knowledgable, honest and friendly. I highly recommend working with him.
I could not ask for better service! Luke was amazing he showed me everything there is to know about taking care of my hot tub. He was very patient With me. He went above and beyond cleaning my hot tub and taking the time to get everything working and looking beautiful. I recommend anyone needing help with their pool/hot tub to call Luke! It’s hard to find people you trust to take care of your stuff the way you would. Thank you again for everything!
