Creepy Crawlies are in your Hot Tub!!
Hot Tub Folliculitis
Happy Halloween!!!!!
This Halloween, keep the creepies out of your tub!!!!!
Recently we have been hearing a lot of questions about hot tub folliculitis. The not-so-rare break out of what is sometimes called “hot tub rash”. If you haven’t heard of it, it is typically a breakout of 10-100 small red bumps that are caused by poor water chemistry. Low PH levels or the lack of sanitizer is usually to blame. Many times the break out is found on the skin beneath a swimsuit. It starts with itchy dry skin and eventually progresses into a number of small tender boils on the skin (if you live in the south, it’s a lot like a fire ant bite, except 50 times worse!).
Symptoms will often go away within a few days on their own, but sometimes a good antibiotic is needed to eliminate the infection. If you find that the rash is spreading or not going away, seek medical care.
There are several steps to take if you want to avoid this embarrassing little rash.
First and foremost, keep your spa’s PH levels between 7.2 and 7.8. Not only will this keep your spa water properly balanced, but it will help your spa equipment to live a long and prosperous life.
Secondly, maintain proper sanitizer levels in your spa. Low bromine levels and hot water become a fabulous breeding ground for bacterium.
Thirdly, be sure to keep your spa filters clean and change your spa water regularly. Your spa skimmer and filter are made to absorb your sweat, body oils and pretty much anything else left behind during a good soak. Water should be changed every 3 months or so. There is only so much mixing and balancing of your water chemistry that your spa of 300-500 gallons can take. Eventually, the water becomes unmanageable; unable to breakdown any more chemicals.
Pretty simple, keep your water balanced and change it regularly. You’ll be glad you did!
Do Hot Tubs Cause Infertility?
“Eat well, sleep well and take good care of yourself.” Sounds like a good mantra to live by right? Well, if part of the definition includes a nightly dip in the hot tub, be warned. Studies have shown that being exposed to “wet heat” for prolonged periods of time may cause infertility.
Most of us envision the hot tub as part of a romantic evening. But if conceiving is part of the plan, don’t spend your time sitting in a hot tub. Studies done by the University of California have determined that as little as 30 minutes a week can significantly lower a man’s sperm count and motility. In other words a man winds up with super lazy swimmers. The same holds true for dry heat exposure like that of a sauna.
Okay, enough of the doom and gloom. The good news is that in most cases these effects are completely reversible within three to six months.
If you are a “daily dipper”, there are some things you can do to avoid any drop in motility. First, turn the temperature setting on your hot tub to ninety-nine degrees or lower*. This will complement your body temperature and keep your swimmers from slowing down. Secondly, take the ultra tight Speedo off. Tight clothing will interfere with sperm production. And thirdly, be nice to your wife. You can never go wrong with a kind word and she will always appreciate it.
Sitting in a hot tub is supposed to be a relaxing, stress relieving experience. Hot tubs are designed to achieve an all around mental, physical and emotional well being. Fact is, we use them because they relieve stress, bring back pain relief, increase circulation and help us to sleep better. But moderation is the key to everything in life. A hot tub may seem relaxing and the perfect thing for a romantic evening for two, and it is if you follow the simple guidelines in this article.
Take time out today to be good to yourself, have a soak. You will be glad you did!
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The Truth About Ozone and Your Hot Tub
The Truth about Ozone and your Hot Tub
Ozone generators have been factory-installed on hot tubs for about 25 years, and in the last 12 years ozone has been standard equipment on 90% of all spa brands. Why? Have you ever thought about what’s IN your spa? Water, heated water, that’s right. When customers buy a spa, surely they don’t think, “oh, I can’t wait to struggle with water chemistry!” Hot tub manufacturers realized that installing ozone generators on their hot tubs would greatly reduce consumers’ stress when dealing with their hot tub water chemistry. They wanted to provide a powerful sanitizing component for their hot tubs as a first line of defense, protecting their consumers from viruses and bacteria, wihle making the water chemistry components much easier to deal with. Ozone does not eliminate the need for small quantities of back up sanitation, but greatly reduces the need for bromine or chlorine down to 1 PPM.
Ozone KILLS. It’s organic, biodegradable, 100% natural, AND 3,000 times FASTER than chlorine at killing anti-microbials (which is a fancy word for viruses and bacteria).
What is ozone?
Ozone is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms. Take oxygen, or O2, and split it in half. Now each oxygen atom, O1, freaks out and attaches to another O1 passing, becoming O2. They become ozone, O3, when a third O1 attaches itself. What makes this unique is its oxygen’s INCREDIBLE desire to NOT be O3; three’s a crowd and they hate it. They just want to be oxygen. So, as ozone gas is introduced to the water it looks for an organic victim to crash into, which releases the extra oxygen atom, O1, so it can find another O1 and live happily ever after as O2 again.
How Long Does Ozone Last?
Some say ozone lasts milliseconds, some say minutes, some even say 22 minutes. The truth is this: as soon as ozone finds an oxidize-able substance (virus, bacteria, mold, fungus, yeast, body oils, other sticky stuff), ozone does its job and is gone. So, if the spa is dirty, ozone’s probably done it’s job in milliseconds. If the spa is clean, ozone gets a little bored and might travel into the spa. All spas are different.
You don’t want to SMELL ozone, per se, when you lift the cover. That can be an indicator that ozone is not IN the water where it should be. After all, isn’t that what you’re trying to clean? If you do smell strong ozone off gas from the surface bubbles, there are a few steps you can take with little effort to try to improve the off gas situation. Read below for tips.
Tips on how to tame the ozone bubbles burping into the spa
First, ensure your spa is equipped with a Mazzei Injector. They are proven to get ozone IN the water with a high dissolution rate. Most spas in the last 12 years are ozone ready, and come with a Mazzei.
Second, DEL has orifices that can be placed over the air intake nipple of the ozone generator (not the inlet with the ozone hose, but the other one). There are 3 shapes and sizes available. For an MCD-50, use 9-0839-01. Remove the cover of the MCD-50, knock out the second-to-right knock-out on the bottom of the unit, and slip the tubing with orifice through the knock-out and over the electrode nipple.
When an ozone generator is installed on a portable spa or hot tub, the water smells good, looks clear, and feels soft. That’s due to ozone’s natural ability to pull yucky stuff out of the water and let water be water.
Ozone cleans the water by pulling little particles out and into the filter (this process is called micro-flocculation, which is a fun word to use at parties). Ozone also de-oils the spa. Now the spa is easy to keep up and you enjoy your water so much, you eventually buy another spa (good for the economy). Other folks, you know the story, I bought my spa 5 years ago. For the first few, we used it all the time. Then, slowly I started needing more and more chemicals. It didn’t feel good to soak in anymore.
Another benefit of ozone is the confidence you get from knowing your spa is healthier and safer than spas without ozone. Ozone kills 99.99% of ALL viruses and bacteria upon contact, leaving nothing but pure, rich oxygen in its wake. Ahhhh.
Most spas already have an ozonator when you leave the showroom floor with your new investment (the spa).
If you have a spa that is five years or older, there’s a big chance the ozone generator has lived its useful life and is now in need of a replacement.
Replacing your ozone generator is pretty easy to do. We are ozone pros at SpaPartsNet.com so please contact us if you need help figuring out:
- Is there already an ozone generator (aka ozonator)?
- Do you need 120V, or 240V? If you don’t know, we have Dual Voltage Spa Eclipse for you.
- What kind of a plug do you need? Some are white and flat with four pins and 3 wires; this is an AMP. Some are pink and kind of look like a face without a smile. The list goes on.
- How many gallons is your spa?
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Is My Spa Leaking???
Water is a funny thing. While we all enjoy soaking in hot water, bathing, playing and even drinking it, no one likes a leak. Leaks will cause stains, slippery surfaces and as it pertains to a hot tub, an unwanted commitment to cleaning up and consistently refilling the spa.
Leaks Must Be Dealt With
Before going crazy trying to find a leak there are a few places every spa owner should check. In most cases, a leak can be easily identified and resolved.
- Check the heater unions – These unions are usually only hand tightened and may come loose from vibration. Check for water and tighten as needed.
- Check the spa pump unions – Again these are typically hand tightened. Check for water and tighten as needed.
- Air Control Valves – These valves are knobs found on the flange of the spa that increase the pressure coming out of the jets. If you have turned too many spa jets off, the force of the water will need relief and will try to escape out through these valves. If you find water beneath an ACV, make sure all the spa jets are in the “open” position.
Can’t Find It?
Now its time to check the plumbing, but before we get started remember that water has a tendency to “run downhill”. Just because you see water at the front of the spa doesn’t mean thats where the water is coming from. It may be coming from the back of the spa and running to the front. It will be important to try to find out where the starting point is. Once located, it will be important to find the source.
You will need a flashlight, a dry towel and a dry hand. Search the spa plumbing with a flashlight for any water on the plumbing itself. If that does not provide a clear direction, slowly run your hand over and around each spa jet and plumb line until your hand gets wet.
Remember to start high and work your way down and around the hot tub. Keep your hand completely dry. Eventually, the leak will be found.
If At First You Don’t Succeed…
Some leaks are very elusive. If after checking everything else, the leak has not been found, try looking under the spa cover. That’s right, under the spa cover!
Water is constantly steaming off the water’s surface and condensing on the bottom of the spa cover. The water collects and sometimes drips onto your topside control or spaside keypad. Since the keypad does not have a waterproof seal to the spa shell, it can run under the topside and into your spa cabinet. Sometimes right onto your equipment which will cause your breaker to trip.
If after a complete inspection the leak has not been found. Call your friendly SpaShopper.Com technician. They live for this stuff and I’m sure….You’ll be glad you did!
For Help Finding Any Leak…Call Us 1-866-829-3660
Hot Tub Diet?
“My hot tub makes me feel good!” Sounds like a great marketing slogan, but in actuality the number one reason people use a hot tub is for the way the spa makes them feel. Hot tubs help to reduce stress, induce healthy sleep patterns and relieve the body of aches and pains caused by diseases like bursitis and arthritis.
A very little known fact is that hot tubs can help to reduce weight. In studies published in the “New England Journal of Medicine” initial studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrated a decrease in blood sugar levels, a decrease in blood pressure and weight loss.
Weight loss? Not so fast. The study shows decreases in insulin by 18% for those with diabetes, lower blood pressure and modest weight loss. Great for the diabetic, not so great for someone trying to actually lose 5 pounds or more of ice cream filled love handles.
It’s all about the blood flow. There are several things happening to your body when sitting in a hot tub. When the body hits the water, the body reacts. The heart begins to speed up to handle the additional heat and as the body acclimates to the elevated temperature of the water, the blood vessels expand. This turns the body into a blood pumping machine. This type of circulation allows the healing process to speed up exponentially and we haven’t even turned the spa on yet.
Once the spa has been turned on, the jets begin to spin and churn the water. As the jet pressure builds up onto the body, the blood is pushed from those areas receiving direct pressure from the jets. As this happens, the blood is mobilized to these areas of the body. The benefit is the removal of lactic acid and harmful buildup on the joints and tendons.
As far as I know, there are no legitimate get rich quick schemes, there is no such thing as the fountain of youth and hot tubs do not provide permanent weight loss. The notion of sitting in a spa to burn off thousands of calories is a fantasy. Spending some time in the gym and soaking in the spa afterwards will provide quicker recoveries and reduce the chance of injury. Be good to yourself!
If you’re looking for a mechanics-related wealth of knowledge for your hot tub, visit this blog, and Like us on Facebook for advice, feedback, and deals! Be good to yourself!
Foam in Hot Tub
Foam in a hot tub can be annoying. What causes this? What can you do to eliminate it?
There are several different factors that can cause foam in hot tubs. Probably one of the biggest causes is soap, lotions, hairspray, oils and dead skin from your body. When entering the hot tub these products wash off and enter the hot tub water causing the foam. One of the best ways to combat this is by showering before you enter the hot tub. These products and by products over time cause a build up of total dissolved solids in the water. This is what causes the foam. Oxidizers like chlorine (dichlor) and non chlorine shock can help get rid of some of these products but eventually the build up is so extreme that the water is permanently cloudy and the only solution is to drain the hot tub and start with fresh fill water.
Filling the hot tub with soft water will also increase the foam activity.. take care to bypass water softeners before filling the tub.
Any time you are losing the battle with foam, its time to drain and refill with fresh water.
Wiring a GFCI Breaker
Wiring a GFCI breaker is a little different than a normal 2 pole breaker
Notice the 3 positions on the bottom
The GFCI breaker is unusual because of the white curly pigtail attached.
Where the heck does THAT go?
The GFCI Breaker should be in the off position before wiring it, and the all power to the sub panel terminated. Install the load wires, line one, line two and NEUTRAL to the spaces indicated at the base of the breaker.
The curly pigtail goes to the neutral bus bar.
NOTE the LOAD NEUTRAL DOES NOT GO TO THE NEUTRAL BUS BAR BUT TO THE POSITION LABLED NEUTRAL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BREAKER!!!
If you locate the load neutral to the neutral bus bar, the breaker will trip immediately upon energizing!
This information is provided for you to use at your own risk!
Testing Your Hot Tub Heater
This test is best done with the heater installed and water in the hot tub. If the element is not wet, the test to ground can fail and make you think that the heater is okay!
Please evaluate your skill level before attempting this test. All tests performed by you are at your own risk
Power Off At Breaker
Disconnect heater element from any wires attached to it. Be careful when unscrewing the nut holding the wires in place on the element, you do not want to twist the “cold pin” that leads to the element. There is usually a fixed nut below the removeable one that will allow you to secure the cold pin.
It is not necessary to remove the heater assembly! You want water in the heater manifold during this test!
Continuity Test:
With your meter set on the most sensitive ” ohms” setting (the OMEGA symbol on the meter) put one probe on one element lead and the other probe on the other lead.
If you meter does not change,it is showing no continuity, the element is bad
If your meter measures resistance then it is showing continuity which indicates the filament inside is intact, but the heater could still be bad!
Ground Fault Test
Move one probe to a metal part on the heater casing leaving the other one on one pole of the heater element . If there is any flicker of continuity from one element lead to the heater casing (ground) the element is bad, even though you may have tested good continuity above! This is a ground fault situation and is what your GFCI is picking up and saving you from!
If you have an intact filament and no fault to ground, the heater element should be good and you may have a different problem.
Since gfci’s are very sensitive, you could still have a bad element and your meter sensitivity may not be allowing you to pick up the fault.
Okay it’s bad, now what do I do?
Now you need to replace the element (if replaceable) or the entire heater assembly.
The most common replacement element is the flow through element. If your heater manifold is a stainless steel straight flow through tube, this is the element you’ll need.
Even if that doesn’t look like one you need, clicking on the image will take you to our page with all heater elements, popular manifolds and complete heater assemblies. 
Chlorine Use In Hot Tubs
Chlorine Use In Hot Tubs
My favorite sanitizing chemical for hot tubs is Sodium Dichlor. I’ve outlined the reasons in other posts and the spa care guide, but what about other chlorine compounds? I’ve noticed some recent searches lately that brought to my attention the fact that some folks want to know about the possibilities of using other chlorine compounds like Calcium Hypochlorite, Sodium Hypochlorite, TriChlor,and Lithium Hypochlorite.
- Calcium Hypochlorite: Cal-Hypo as we call it in the industry is loaded with calcium and has a high hH. Now if you were filling your hot tub with soft water from a conditioner (which you should try to bypass) You could use Cal-hypo to bring up your calcium a bit. Continuous use however will raise your pH swiftly and your calcium levels as well and could cause scaling on your hot tub walls and your equipment, mainly heater elements. As an emergency sanitizer or one time use, it probably wont hurt. It just shouldnt be the chlorine you use all the time. If you do use it, you should test your water frequently and adjust for ph levels that will increase!
- Sodium Hypochlorite: You know this chemical as “Bleach.” It too can be used in emergencies but also has an extremely high pH which over time will cause scaling and possible staining. Using Sodium hypochlorite requires monitoring pH levels closely and correction will be required.
- Tri Chlor: Typically used in tabletized chlorine for swimming pools, tri chlor has an extremely LOW pH and a very high available chlorine content. It will bring down your pH and Total alkalinity quickly and should not be used for hot tubs.
- Lithium Hypochlorite: This chlorine compound is not as readily available as others but it has a neutral pH and is totally soluble. It is fine for use in hot tubs but more expensive than dichlor.
- Sodium dichlor: Dichlor has a neutral ph and is also stabilized. It is the perfect sanitizer for hot tubs. some people may argue that the stabilizer builds up over time, but if you drain your spa on a regular schedule it should not be an issue.
Hope this helps clear up the confusion on this often searched issue! Using the right chlorine compound in your hot tub is critical to both your enjoyment and the condition of your equipment!
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