CalderaSpas Utopia Series - Spa Water Maintenance Troubleshooting Guide

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WATER QUALITY AND MAINTENANCE
Corrosion: The gradual wearing away of metal spa parts, usually caused by chemical action. Generally, corrosion is caused by low pH or by water with levels of TA, CH,
pH or sanitizer which are outside the recommended ranges.
DPD: The preferred reagent used in test kits to measure the Free Available Chlorine.
Halogen: Any one of these five elements: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
MPS: Monopersulfate is a non-chlorine oxidizer.
Oxidizer:The use of an oxidizing chemical is to prevent the buildup of contaminants, maximize sanitizer efficiency, minimize combined chlorine and improve water clarity.
Ozone: Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent which is produced in nature and artificially by man. Ozone forms no by-products of chloramines (ozone actually oxidizes
chloramines) and will not alter the water’s pH.
Pathogen: A microorganism such as bacterium that cause disease.
pH: The measure of the spa water’s acidity and alkalinity. The recommended pH for the spa water is 7.2 to 7.8. Below 7.0 (considered neutral), the spa water is too
acidic and can damage the heating system. Above 7.8, the water is too alkaline and can result in cloudy water, and scale formation on the shell and heater.
ppm: The abbreviation of “parts per million”, the standard measurement of chemical concentration in water. Identical to mg/l (milligrams per liter).
Reagent: A chemical material in liquid, powder, or tablet form for use in chemical testing.
Sanitizer: Sanitizers are added and maintained at recommended residuals to protect bathers against pathogenic organisms which can cause disease and infection in
spa water.
Scale: Rough calcium-bearing deposits that can coat spa surfaces, heaters, plumbing lines and clog filters. Generally, scaling is caused by mineral content combined
with high pH. Additionally, scale forms more readily at higher water temperatures.
Shock Treatment: Also known as “super-chlorination” when chlorine is used. Shock treatment is a process of adding significant doses of a quick dissolving sanitizer
(sodium dichlor is recommended) to oxidize non-filterable organic waste and to remove chloramines and bromamines.
Total Alkalinity: The amount of bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides present in spa water. Proper total alkalinity is important for pH control. If the TA is too high, the
pH is difficult to adjust. If the TA is too low, the pH will be difficult to hold at the proper level. The desired range of TA in spa water is 80 to 180 ppm.
SPA WATER MAINTENANCE TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
PROBLEM PROBABLE CAUSES SOLUTIONS
Cloudy Water
• Dirtyfilters
• Excessiveoils/organicmatter
• Impropersanitization
• Suspendedparticles/organicmatter
• Overusedoroldwater
• Cleanfilters
• Shockspawithsanitizer
• Addsanitizer
• AdjustpHand/oralkalinitytorecommendedrange
• Runjetpump(s)andcleanfilters
• Drainandrefillthespa
Water Odor
• Excessiveorganicinwater
• Impropersanitization
• LowpH
• Shockspawithsanitizer
• Addsanitizer
• AdjustpHtorecommendedrange
Chlorine Odor
• Chloramineleveltoohigh
• LowpH
• Shockspawithsanitizer
• AdjustpHtorecommendedrange
Musty Odor
• Bacteriaoralgaegrowth • Shockspawithsanitizer–ifproblemisvisibleorpersistent,drain,
clean and refill the spa
Organic buildup / scum ring around spa
• Buildupofoilsanddirt • Wipeoffscumwithcleanrag–ifsevere,drainthespa,useaspa
surface and tile cleaner to remove the scum and refill the spa
Algae Growth
• HighpH
• Lowsanitizerlevel
• ShockspawithsanitizerandadjustpH
• Shockspawithsanitizerandmaintainsanitizerlevel
Eye Irritation
• LowpH
• Lowsanitizerlevel
• AdjustpH
• Shockspawithsanitizerandmaintainsanitizerlevel
Skin Irritation / Rash
• Unsanitarywater
• Freechlorinelevelabove5ppm
• Shockspawithsanitizerandmaintainsanitizerlevel
• Allowfreechlorineleveltodropbelow5ppmbeforespause
Stains
• Totalalkalinityand/orpHtoolow
• Highironorcopperinsourcewater
• Adjusttotalalkalinityand/orpH
• Useametaldepositinhibitor
Scale
• Highcalciumcontentinwater–totalalkalinityandpH
too high
• AdjusttotalalkalinityandpH–ifscalerequiresremoval,drainthe
spa, scrub off the scale, refill the spa and balance the water