Spa pool. Who has got one?

[davebullet]

Interesting thread, I have been mulling over building a deck for the purpose of placing a spa pool, Though the running costs look to be a worry. Someone mentioned the infinity?, hows that work...are you going to fill it up and empty it every time you use it? Anyway, My oldboy spent up big on a super flash model, Pretty much the same experience as everyone else, it made so much noise that the jets were only used for a few minutes and then it was just a case of kicking back in the calm. When he replaced it he bought a cheap model.

We don't empty it each time. The fill up with the inifinity is to get it up and running quickly (45 minutes from empty to nice hot spa). We keep the water between 6 - 8 weeks (depending on usage) and clean the filter mid term.

We use about 1 teaspoon of chlorine per day to keep it clear. 1 cap of "floculator" (sp.) mid term to bind fine particles and help the filter trap them. About 1 cap of buffer to kick it off (keep the pH stable) then about 5 teaspoons of pH increase (water supply is on the slightly acidic side). Mid term I put another 4 - 5 teaspons of pH increase in (as skin / oils make the water acidic).

The above is for a 1,000 litre pool.

I even keep a record of chemical use and measurements (talk about OCD!)

[Swoop]

Has anyone look at solar water heating for their spa pool with a view to reducing power costs?

I looked at it for my house, but the cost of retrofitting it meant that I was unlikely to ever see a payout.

A guy at work has looked into solar hot water and recons the government should support all houses being fitted with it. Long term economic gains, etc, etc.

His main point was that NZ does NOT do the required maintenance on the solar unit that is needed. Apparently European countries have far more servicing done and this vastly increases the lifespan of the equipment.

[BMWST?]

A guy at work has looked into solar hot water and recons the government should support all houses being fitted with it. Long term economic gains, etc, etc.

His main point was that NZ does NOT do the required maintenance on the solar unit that is needed. Apparently European countries have far more servicing done and this vastly increases the lifespan of the equipment.

true but it is very expensive to do a whole system.Most systems i have looked at only have warranties of about 10 years,it prolly wouldnt have paid itself of till after that.

[Mully]

A guy at work has looked into solar hot water and recons the government should support all houses being fitted with it. Long term economic gains, etc, etc.
.

I think you get a whopping $1000 from the Gummint to go towards the cost of it.

We're looking at building a house next year - if we don't install solar, we're going to install the guts of it at least so we can retrofit easier later.

[Jackal]

Just got out of the new spa. AWESOME!!! Picked it up last week and had to wait a few days for the sparky to turn up to hard wire it in for me. (Don't trust electricity) Ended up buying a smaller three person one from Four Seasons. 28 jets, Ozone, and LED lights. Nothing too fancy. Wish I had paid attention a bit more in science class many years ago as the water chemical part of things was doing my head in today. I hope that side of it gets a bit easier with time.

[davebullet]

Here's my SPA recipe (works for a 1,000 litre spa). Yes ours has ozone fitted as well.

Filll her up
1 cap full (about 6 - 8 teaspoons) of buffer (stabilises pH)
Most water systems are slightly acidic - so 4 teaspons of pH increase go in
4 teaspoons of chlorine.

Test after 2 days.
Typically - i put in about 1 teaspoon of chlorine per day average
another 4 teaspoons of pH increase after about 4 weeks. pH is bad for metal / motors so keep her on the neutral or slightly alkaline side of 7
Take out and clean filter (I use some special filter cleaning stuff)
another 4 weeks of use then drain and change water. Cleaning the inside of the spa (get rid of any grime ring at the top).

The above keeps the spa crystal clear. I also have some "floculator" which helps bind small particles so may put in a small capfull after about 4 weeks (mid cycle).

Chlorogene in Petone is a great place to get all you need for spas. Reasonably priced as well.