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Need some help with chemical balance - according to the test strips - the PH is low - the chlorine is high with a STRONG chemical smell like ammonia?. What did I do wrong and what can I do to fix it? - (I am considering just empty and start over)
Any ideas?
Take a water sample to a hot tub store, they will test the sample and tell you exactly what and how much to add to adjust the PH. If your chlorine level is high it will gradually dissipate. Leaving the cover open for a bit can help.
What you are smelling is probably chloramines...by product of chlorine and the waste (ammonia/nitrogen) in your water from sweat, dirt, etc... A strong smell of cholramines often means not enough chlorine, rather than too little. When is the last time you changed the water? How much use does it get? How much chlorine are you adding?
We rarely use it - the water was changed about 6 months ago - what chemical should I use to remove the cloramines? Or just change the water and start again?
Thank you
Six months is a very long time, even with little use and expert maintenance. I change ours every 8 to 10 weeks, on average, sometimes I can go longer. "They" will tell you every 3 to 4 months, but I have found that, with our usage pattern (a lot) and the sanitation approach I use that I can't get that before I lose control of the water balance without throwing egregious amounts of chemicals at it...which becomes a vicious cycle anyway. when balancing the water (based on a good drop test kit like Taylor) becomes real work, rather than an easy maintenance bump, I dump the water.
Six months is way outside the norm...I know a few people who can manage that safely, but they are really on top of things and make a near career out of water chemistry .
Yeah, if you don't use it often, bromine would be easier than chlorine to manage. I manually dose chlorine because the tub is inside, we use it nearly every day and I prefer chlorine. If it were outside and I couldn't check on it every day, I'd use a bromine floater. Still can't go six months though.
Just a future FYI if you come across it again... Baking Soda is a good way to raise the pH.
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and what can I do to fix it? - (I am considering just empty and start over)
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