www.whatsthebest-hottub.com is a great source of information for the first timer. Your biggest hassle will be learning how to make the chemicals work. In the beginning it will be frustrating getting clear water that is not too high or too low in PH. Places that sell chemicals will have you using a dozen different chemicals if you let them. In the long run, you will learn that you need only a few chemicals and you can enjoy your hot tub with minimal maintenance. Feel free to email me at beechwalker@gmail.com if you want a full diatribe of information.

gneegirl,
Ozonators work very well for keeping spa water clear. Don't buy one without it.
Hot Spring Spas is an excellent brand that you should look at. Good luck.

Please! I need a "full diatribe of information". I have a hotsprings hot tub, before they came with the ozonator, 2005. I can't figure out the chemicals. I'm going nuts. I would get rid of the damned thing, but I made a cement pad and entrance to the new guest bath for this hot tub. I'm finding a lot of info for pool chemicals, but not for hot tubs. I've tried to get professional help, and that just cost me lots of money. I would like to use a system that I can get at a local store. I don't want to wait and pay for shipping for each chemical that I run out of. Has anyone tried Aqua Chem from Loews?

Thnaks for the VERY helful info. "over_and_under", I'll email you shortly. Because I've learned as I've been asking around that I want to "get prepared" for delivery of my new toy, I've stretched out my plans for about another month. That will give me plenty of time to research the info you guys have provided.

THANK YOU!!

We just bought our Dynasty Spa - Neptune - Atlantis model with all the bells and whistles!!! and we love it!! We live in Nashville Tn and the spa is manufactured here so we felt very comfortable with our purchase and the history of the company. I think it is the only spa that has a 3 pump system and had the most foot room at the bottom. We shopped around for a while and you really need to get in them and try them out as far as how you sit in them. My husband is 6'5 and this was really the only spa that would accomidate his height and suit me as well. We filled it 2 weeks ago and I have been in it every change I get, the thermostate is set on 93 and its really nice even in this kind of heat. Shop around and I think you will see that this is a very nice spa that is in a leauge of its own. Im not a sales rep, Im just very satified with our choice!! I have the nature2 system to sablize the water. Its a small tube that fits in the filter of your spa and reacts for 3 months. When we get out of the spa I put a cap full of the sani-spa and the chemicals have been good so far. Good Luck

Here's an update. I called another pool and spa service company. This company sell and services the brand that I have. I am actually paying $360. a month for complete service. That the same that they charge to take care of a big pool. The deal is saposed to be that, they get my money, I just have to enjoy the spa. I don't have to do anything. I'll let you know how this goes. My intention is to eventualy learn how to do this my self. They are willing to teach me. But first, I'm going to see if this can be done. Maybe there is something wrong with my water, or my hot tub. I realize that there's probably something wrong with me. Mostly that I believed the rep at the Philadelpia home show, who said it would only be 5 minutes a week to take care of the hot tub.

I should discose that I have ADD. So the task of adding one chemical, waiting a half hour, and remembering to go back and remembering what I was saposed to do next, 10 times, is very distrutive to my life.

$360 is highway robbery. Maintaining a spa is trivial. Let me suggest a few things.

Get the test strips rather than the drop the chemicals in the vial kit. The latter is a pain in the butt.

Drain the water and when refilling spend a little time getting the PH into an acceptable range (doesn't need to be perfect just in the range) and then add the startup buffer.

Add some permagnanate based shock.

Add some powdered bromine to start and the bromine pills to the strainer. Make sure the ozonator is running. Set the pool for no higher than 100. Keep it covered when not using it.

Roughly weekly, dip a test strip. If necessary add +/- to get it in range. Somewhere you'll be able to find a chart that tells you given the gallons in you spa what you need to add so you don't have to keep retesting it. Add the permaganate-based shock.

This should be minutes a week until six months or so goes by and it's time to refill the spa.