and congratulations on downloading The Ultimate Guide to Pristine Spa Water.

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2 Hello and congratulations on downloading The Ultimate Guide to Pristine Spa Water. We have used the Clear Choice natural spa system in our own spa for over five years and are happy and excited to be offering the Clear Choice system to spa owners here in Australia. Our mission is to help spa owners reduce their exposure to harsh chemicals in their spas and pools, while saving them time and money. We have owned a fiberglass spa and a cedar hot tub and have come across, and successfully dealt with, every spa issue known to man! This booklet contains all the knowledge we have accumulated since we started using Clear Choice in our own spa at home five years ago, and through helping Clear Choice users resolve any water quality issues they may have been having. Following the tips in this guide will virtually guarantee you a hassle free spa experience that is free from traditional harsh spa treatment chemicals. You will spend less time and money on your spa than you would using other systems, and as an added bonus you will be soaking fresh, clear and sparkling water. We wish you happy hot tub days! Nicola and Gavin Wright Visit our website to view the Clear Choice natural spa system: or call us toll-free on Clear Choice Australia

3 Contents Using the Clear Choice System...1 Circulation and Filtering...2 Spa Filters...3 Water Level...4 Water Balancing...5 Spa Covers...6 Spa Jets & Headrests...7 Showering...8 Leaving Your Spa...8 Changing Your Water...9 Common Water Quality Issues...10 Cloudy Water...10 Green or Brownish Tint...10 Flakes...11 Foamy Water...12 Slippery Feel...12 Musty Odour...12 Rough Surface Deposits...13 Frogs!...13 Enjoy Your Spa!...14 Clear Choice Australia

4 Using the Clear Choice System The tips on spa use in this booklet are relevant no matter what spa maintenance system you are using. Of course we recommend the use of the Clear Choice system as we use it ourselves and it is the easiest, cheapest and healthiest option on the market. If you are using another spa water maintenance system, changing to Clear Choice is easy. We recommend beginning with the Clear Choice Starter Kit, which has all you need to maintain your spa for the first year and beyond. The Clear Choice Spa Drops in the Starter Kit will treat an average spa for up to two years, meaning that spa maintenance with Clear Choice costs less than 55c per day. To make the change to Clear Choice you simply add Clear Choice Spa Prep to your existing spa water and let it circulate and purge your spa s system for 3 7 days. Spa Prep breaks down and removes buildup from your spa's plumbing. Because Clear Choice is gentle on skin, you can use your spa during this time. Next, you drain the spa and give it a wipe out with a microfiber cloth, then refill using the Clear Choice Pre-filter, which attaches to your garden hose. Thereafter, all you need to add to your spa is Clear Choice Spa Drops on a weekly basis. Easy! There is more to a successful spa experience, however, than what water treatment system you are using. Owning a spa means a commitment to a general spa maintenance routine that will make the difference between poor spa water quality and a pristine spa water experience! Clear Choice Australia 1

5 Circulation and Filtering Adequate circulation and filtering in your spa is THE most important thing you need to manage in order to enjoy pristine spa water. No matter what spa water maintenance system you use, the water in your spa needs to be moving, and most importantly, passing through your spa s filter for at least four hours a day. Most spas have a timer that allows you to set it so that the filter comes on for ten minutes every hour, which adds up to four hours in total. Contact your spa dealer if you are unsure whether your spa s pump is on for this amount of time each day. We can t state it enough that adequate movement and filtering is paramount in order for the Clear Choice system (and indeed any spa maintenance system) to work properly. The circulation and aeration of the water allows the Clear Choice enzymes to adequately break down organic contaminants, and also ensures that the spa water is oxygenated, deterring the growth of pathogenic organisms. Adequate filtration ensures that organic matter is trapped and removed from the water. Your spa needs at least 4 hours of circulation and filtration per day. Clear Choice Australia 2

6 Spa Filters Seeing as adequate circulation and filtration is so important, it stands to reason that your spa s filter needs to be in good condition. If you have had your spa filter for over two years, it s time for a new one, no question. We have had people struggling to maintain clear water, astounded by the difference they see after they have invested in a new filter. The fabric used in spa filter manufacture simply gets stretched and worn over time and no longer effectively traps organic waste. Once you have your new filter you must then keep it as clean as you possibly can. This is integral to ensuring you have adequate filtration of your spa s water. EVERY week you need to hose your spa filter out. A regular garden hose attachment that has a jet spray is fine; a highpressure water cleaner is too hard on the filter fabric. As you spray the filter, try and get into each pleat and remove built up hair and other material. In addition, your filter will benefit with a monthly soak in a weak solution of vinegar or oxygen bleach (for example, Nappisan). The Clear Choice system works best with regular white pleated filters. Filters with a really fine weave like Microban or Sundance Micro Clean filters may require more frequent hosing than once a week. For more information on why your spa filter is so important see our online article Your Spa Filter is Important! ( Clean your filter EVERY week with the garden hose Soak your filter EVERY month Replace your filter every 2 years Clear Choice Australia 3

7 Water Level What s the best water level for optimum spa circulation and filtration? Your spa water needs to be at least 7.5 cm (3 inches) above the filter intake. If the water level is below this the spa s circulation pump will struggle and the water will not filter properly. You will also probably hear a rather loud rasping and gurgling sound coming from your spa as it draws in air and water together! Make sure you top up your water level regularly to prevent this from occurring. If you are using the Clear Choice system, you need to top your water level up using a Clear Choice Pre-filter, which attaches to your garden hose and removes unwanted metals and minerals from your tap water. If you have access to rain water you do not need to use a Pre-filter. Keep your water level 7.5 cm above filter intake Top up your water with a Clear Choice Pre-filter Clear Choice Australia 4

8 Water Balancing For an ideal spa experience you need to keep the ph in your spa within the range 7.6 to 8.2. The ph can be adjusted down by using vinegar or adjusted up by using bicarbonate of soda. You will find if you are using Clear Choice that over a number of weeks the system will settle to within this range automatically and you will hardly ever need to make any adjustments. If you have a brand new spa, the manufacturer will have certain requirements for you to keep your spa within certain levels of ph, alkalinity and hardness in order to keep your warranty valid. Check your spa documentation for details. It is worth noting here that these requirements are in place to prevent scale build up and chemical wear and tear on your spa s plumbing and parts. With the Clear Choice system, however, there is no scale build up and the enzymes are gentle on your spa s plumbing. You may find that you don t need to make many adjustments to these levels. For more information on how Clear Choice balances your spa water see our online article How does Clear Choice balance the ph of my spa? ( Keep your ph within the range of Check your spa s warranty for required levels Clear Choice Australia 5

9 Spa Covers To keep your spa water clean and clear, you also need a spa cover. Most likely your spa came with a cover but if not, you need one! Spa covers keep out dust and falling leaves, as well as sunshine, which will cause algae to grow in your spa. If you don t have a lid and your spa water gets direct sunshine on it, you may need to use a small amount of chlorine to keep algal growth at bay until you manage to source a lid. Spa covers also prevent spa water evaporating, reducing the need for top-ups. Not only that, spa covers insulate your spa so that the heat stays trapped in your water and you aren t wasting money unnecessarily heating it. Probably the most important benefit of a spa cover is that it keeps pets and small children from gaining access. Yes you do need one! You also need to keep your spa cover clean; regular household detergent will do the job. If your spa cover is ripped or damaged we recommend you get it repaired. The inside of spa covers have been known to harbor mould or bacteria, and if the cover is torn these can escalate to the point that these contaminants drip down into your spa with the condensation that has collected on the inside cover of the lid. If you think that a spa cover may be difficult to remove and replace each time you use your spa, you may want to invest in a spa lid lifter, which makes this job a lot easier. You need a spa cover that is clean and in good repair Clear Choice Australia 6

10 Spa Jets and Headrests Sometimes hair or other debris can get caught up in the spa jets and restrict water flow, causing the pump to strain. As we stated earlier, adequate water flow is paramount to ensuring clean, aerated and filtered water, so any restricted water flow will eventually result in reduced water quality. Regularly check your spa jets for partial blockages and if there is any debris present, insert a flat-ended length of wire inside and gentle jiggle it around until the debris is dislodged. Spa headrests can get really dirty and harbour bacteria if not cleaned. Remove the headrests regularly and soak in a weak vinegar or oxygen bleach solution (for example, Nappisan), and clean the spa wall thoroughly behind where they sit. If the headrests become cracked, torn or frayed they will more readily trap organic matter and will need to be replaced. Check that the spa jet openings are clear Regularly remove and clean spa headrests Clear Choice Australia 7

11 Showering Often you ll see advice to shower before hopping in your spa. Although this makes perfect sense, after all the less body lotion, deodorant and body oils going into the water the better, it can seem somewhat counterintuitive. Most of the time you are going to want to hop in without having a shower and that is perfectly fine. Just be aware that your spa system has a bit of a bigger job to do in order to purify the water if you have loads of moisturizer or hair products on for example. The same goes for clothing. If you are hopping in the spa fully dressed, your spa system has extra work to do. Limit clothing in the spa to swimmers and bathers, or for the best experience, nothing at all! Showering before your spa is optional Leaving Your Spa What do I need to do if I m going on holidays and leaving my spa? We advise turning down your spa s temperature to the minimum setting and reducing the spa s filtration time to two hours per day. Add one full week s dose of Spa Drops, and ensure that your spa s cover is securely locked down. Your spa will be ready to use upon your return no matter what length of time you are away. Clear Choice Australia 8

12 Changing Your Water How often do I need to change my spa water? That totally depends on how your water is looking and feeling. It s generally recommended to change your spa water every six to twelve months for fresh clear spa water, but you may need to change it earlier or even later than those guidelines depending on how often you use your spa, how much stuff you ve been putting in it, and how big your spa is. If you have been using your small spa everyday and using spa crystals in it regularly, you may need to change your water after three months. Conversely if you have a larger spa and have been using it weekly and adding nothing at all to the water, you may find you can go for 12 months. Other factors also come in play, such as how efficient your spa s filter pump is and what condition your spa filter is in. No matter when you decide it s time for a change, the good news is that with the Clear Choice system you can effectively change your water and clean your spa without using any harsh spa chemicals. For a step-by-step guide to changing your spa water, see our online article Time for a Water Change? ( How often you need to change your water is dependant on spa size + how often your spa is used Clear Choice Australia 9

13 Common Water Quality Issues From time to time you may come across some water quality issues and 99% of the time these issues are easily resolved. Usually it involves finetuning your spa maintenance regime. Let s have a look the problems we have come across, either in our own tubs or those of our customers. Cloudy Water After water changes there is often a one or two week period of time when water is softening and changing molecularly when you are using the Clear Choice system. During this period, water may look white and cloudy. To rectify this add 1/2 of your normal Spa Drops dose immediately, and rinse your spa filters thoroughly with clean water the following day. Cloudy spa water can also be due to a large amount of organic waste in the water most often due to heavy bather loads. With enough time your spa water will return to its original state, but to speed things up a little, give your spa filter a good clean, then run the spa pump for 5-6 hours. If the water is really cloudy, you may need to hose out your filter a couple of times during this process. If the water is still cloudy, you may need to treat it with some nonchlorine shock to more quickly break down organic matter. The shock dose will dissipate from your spa water fairly rapidly; so don t worry if you occasionally need to resort to a shock dose. Green or Brownish Tint Customers sometimes complain that the water in their spa has a greenish or brownish tint. This can be due to a number of factors. Firstly, Clear Choice Australia 10

14 phosphates in your source water will create a green tint. This is harmless and should disappear with time. Another cause can be due to metals like copper or nickel oxidizing in the water resulting in a green tint. Iron oxidizing will result in a brownish tint. The use of a Clear Choice Pre-filter when filling your spa will ensure that these metals aren t present in your spa water to start with. Algae growing in your spa can also cause a greenish tint. This is mainly due your spa water being exposed to excess sunlight, which occurs if you are not covering the spa with a lid. If you suspect this is the case make sure that you cover the spa at all times when not in use and treat the water with a shock dose of chlorine to 5ppm. Refrain from using the spa until the chlorine level is 2ppm or less. The chlorine shock will not interfere with the Clear Choice system. Flakes Brown flakes in the water are a non-toxic buildup from the spa's plumbing that has been loosened by the enzymes in Clear Choice. Your spa s filter will eventually remove these flakes from the water and you may need to hose out your filter more often until the flakes are gone. Flakes that are whitish in appearance may be due to white mould overgrowth in your spa s plumbing. If this is the case you will need to shock dose your spa with chlorine to 5ppm to remove the mould from your system. Chlorine shock soon dissipates from your spa water after it has performed the task of removing the mould and will not interfere with the Clear Choice system. Refrain from using the spa until the chlorine level drops to 2ppm or below. Clear Choice Australia 11

15 In order to tell the difference between flakes caused by inorganic buildup or white mould, remove some water containing flakes from the spa and add a capful of liquid bleach or chlorine. If the flakes disappear or break down they are likely due to white mould. If they persist then you can safely assume they are inorganic buildup. Foamy Water Foamy water is almost always caused by detergents being introduced into the water. Properly cleaned filters, increased circulation and time will usually correct foam problems. Beware of introducing detergents in your clothing or on your body when entering the spa. If you are using a detergent based cleaner on your spa filter, be sure to thoroughly rinse it before replacing in your spa. We recommend using only water when hosing out your filter and a mild vinegar or oxygen bleach solution when soaking. Slippery Feel Clear Choice contains positively charged ions and your spa surface has a negative charge. Occasionally a bond between these two charges will occur resulting in a slight film that may develop on the spa walls. Simply wipe the surface with your hand or a cloth (rinsed well to remove any existing detergents) to break this bond. Musty Odour Some customers experience a musty odour when they first start using Clear Choice. This is normal during the first few weeks as the natural spa water system is established. The odour is caused by CO2 gas being trapped under the lid. With time this odour will only be noticeable when you first open your spa cover and release the steam. Clear Choice Australia 12

16 If the odour is more like a pond or aquarium smell, it may indicate algae growth. See Green or Brownish Tint above for how to eradicate algae from your water. Rough Surface Deposits Sometimes soft or hard deposits will form on the spa shell. This can be a result of some final chlorine or bromine salt deposits being flushed from your spa's plumbing system that the Spa Prep purge did not completely remove. Normally, these deposits will break down and disappear within two weeks. If deposits remain, add two cups of white vinegar to the spa water. After two days, if the deposits are still present, repeat the vinegar treatment. Deposits will then normally disappear within a week. Frogs We have had one or two customers tell us that frogs love their spa as much as they do! Because there are no harsh chemicals in your spa water when using the Clear Choice system, frogs and sometimes insects are drawn to the fresh water. Your spa lid should keep out most visitors, however people have experienced that frogs can still find their way into the water. We have recently been informed by one customer that placing a layer of builder s black plastic over the spa and under the lid works to keep frogs out. If frogs are a problem for you, this may be worth a try! If you are having difficulties resolving any water quality issue, please don t hesitate to contact us: Clear Choice Australia 13

17 Enjoy Your Spa! This is the most important chapter in this guide! Remember the reason you have a spa or hot tub is for your enjoyment. Spas are great in winter and summer. There is something special about relaxing in bubbling clear water that lends itself to de-stressing and clearing the cobwebs. Soaking in water can aid in stress relief due to the warm temperatures and the ambience of a moving body of water relaxing the mind and the central nervous system. It can also help you to sleep by firstly raising your body temperature, then causing it drop a short time afterwards. This drop in core body temperature makes you sleepy and can help with winding down after a busy day. Adding Epsom salts to the spa water will increase the benefit of your hot spa by allowing your body to absorb the free magnesium ions in the water further helping you to relax. Scented spa crystals can also enhance your spa experience. Just be sure that the crystals you are using do not contain any oil and have been especially formulated for spa or hot tub use. Only the Clear Choice system can treat your spa inexpensively and safely while giving you a natural hot spa experience in the comfort of our own home. Enjoy your spa safe in the knowledge that you aren t soaking in harsh chemicals. For more information on the Clear Choice natural spa maintenance system, give us a call on or visit our website: Clear Choice Australia 14