Hello,

We just got a tub with Leisuretime chemical kit.

I'm having difficulties getting the test strip to read proper values:

1) Test Strips: How long after immersing them in the water should I wait before taking a proper reading?

2) The Total Alkaline and pH are on the high side. I've added a full 2 ounces (over 12 hours) of "Spa Down" to the tub, but it's not going down. Do I keep adding it at hour intervals until it comes down to the right point?

3) How do I know when to remove the bromine tablet floater from the tub? When it reads the right level?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Hi Steve,

1)Your test strip bottle will tell you when to read - there are different ones.
2)You do want to keep putting in the decreaser to bring down the pH & Alk. - the Bromine tabs are very acidic by themselves - I recommend testing twice a week if using tabs.
3)The bromine floater should be left in unless your sanitizer level is very high - you want to gauge how far to open the floater. You test the water twice a week and keep track of your usage - if level is always high close the floater a little - you will get it to the right point.

I Hope this helps.

Pete
HotSpring Tech

Thanks Pete.

I'm having difficulty getting the pH down. Should I just keeping adding pH down until it gets there?

My Bromine level is still reading virtually nothing, even though I've had a floater in the tub for days and it smells of bromine around it. Could the high pH and TA levels be prohibiting a proper reading of Bromine?

Thanks again,

Steve

Sorry I haven't posted. I would drain & refill - it makes it easier than trying too much to adjust.

Pete

Hi Steve,

Make sure your test strips haven't expired.

Keep in mind, that when putting Spa Down (or any other pH / TA decreaser) into your spa the pH level won't really read "true" until the TA is within range. So I recommend you don't worry about the pH for now (yes, it is important), and concentrate on getting the TA down - you'll see that to lower your pH from 8.0 to 7.2 you may need only a couple of ounces, but to lower the TA, you'll need several ounces.

The TA acts as a buffer for pH "bounce", and until you get the TA right, your pH reading is in effect, "false". That's why sometimes you have to use so much pH decreaser to lower the TA, but then use pH increaser to bring it back up. It sounds kinda contradictory "put something in it to lower it, just to raise it up" ~ but if you remember that TA has to be in check first, it makes more sense - and you'll see that putting in just the 1/2 - 2 ounces to adjust your pH will work correctly.

Hope this helps (and made sense).

Tom