How to use eco3spa

The first simple step in the eco3spa process is to use Step 1 Cleaner to remove biofilm, body fats and scale from the pipework and all surfaces of your tub. If you are starting with a brand new tub then there will be biofilm growing in the pipework from when the tub was wet-tested in the factory. Similarly, if your hot tub has been left empty unless it was thoroughly dried, which is almost impossible to do, there will be biofilm growing in the damp pipework so you still need to complete this step. 1. Ensure the tub is full of warm water to 50mm above all jets and water outlets. Open all air inlet valves and centralise any diverter valves. NB If you have a cold tub without circulation you can ignore this and jump to Step 8. 2. Remove any fitted head rests or cushions and leave them soaking in the tub water. Remove the filter(s) from their housing. 3. Tip the bottle of eco3spa Step 1 Cleaner into the water, reserving a small amount of the product to clean the shell of the hot tub and headrests after the flushing process. NB For cold tubs use the amount specified on the bottle. 4. Turn on all jet and/or circulation pumps and run for at least 60 minutes. It is normal for a lot of foaming to occur and dark coloured biofilm particulates to be seen. 5. Allow the water to stand for at least 30 minutes and then turn on all pumps again for a further 30 minutes. 6. Drain the tub. The drained water is safe to empty onto grass or plants. 7. As the water drains down, wipe away any visible residue left on the shell and rinse the surfaces with fresh water. 8. Wipe all surfaces, including cushions and head rests, with a small amount of the reserved cleaner on a soft, clean, damp cloth. Rub as necessary to remove any stubborn scum marks or biofilm deposits. 9. Rinse away the cleaner thoroughly or foaming may occur when the tub is refilled. 10. When the tub is completely drained, refill with clean water and clean and replace the filter(s).

Use eco3spa Step 2 Water Conditioner immediately after cleaning your hot tub with eco3spa Step 1 Cleaner and filling with fresh water. 1. Turn on all air and water pumps, shake the bottle and add 300ml of eco3spa Step 2 - Water Conditioner (for spas up to 2,000 litres). Always use in conjunction with eco3spa Step 3 Multi-Function Water Sanitiser. NB For cold tubs use the amount specified on the bottle. 2. Add a further dose after one month and the final dose one month later. After 3 months drain and clean the tub with eco3Spa Step 1 Cleaner and start the process again.

Use the sanitiser (tablets or granules) immediately after adding eco3spa Step 2 Water Conditioner to the water and before each tub use. 1. After the initial cleaning and conditioning of the water add two eco3spa Step 3 Multi-Function Water Sanitiser Tablets or four level scoops of Sanitiser Granules to your hot tub. For cold tubs use the quantity of sanitiser specified on the bottle for your size of tub. It is preferable add the sanitiser directly to the filter compartment or to the skimmer basket with a circulation pump running and ensure that the tablets have fully dissolved before using the tub. If that is not possible or you don't have a filtration system on your tub then the sanitiser may be pre-dissolved in a small amount of warm water before adding to the tub water, or a fully open floating dispenser may be used with the tablets. NB ensure that the tablets have fully dissolved before using the hot tub. 2. Prior to each use add the maintenance dose of sanitiser (half of the initial does) to the water as above. 3. If you haven't been using your tub you just need to ensure that you add at least one maintenance dose of sanitiser each week. 4. If the water ever becomes dull or foamy add an extra dose of sanitiser daily until the problem subsides. 5. For hot tubs, extra sanitiser may be required and is advised before and after heavy use.

eco3spa sanitises effectively across the pH range of all tap water within the UK (the product has been tested between pH 5.2 and pH 8.5 with no drop off if efficacy). In addition, eco3spa does not change the pH value of water, in fact it stabilises it. So the answer is NO, you do not need to worry about measuring the pH of the tub water to ensure that eco3spa is working effectively. However, if the pH of your source water is lower than 7.0 it will be slightly acidic and this in itself can lead to skin irritation in rare circumstances, so if you do suffer from any skin irritation whilst using eco3spa then try raising the pH above 7.0 If your water's pH is higher than 8.5 some scaling of your hot tub equipment can occur, even with the Step 2 Conditioner in the water. This will require the eco3spa Step 1 Cleaner to work harder, but the scale should still be removed by the cleaner at each water change.

No, it's not necessary. However, if you are in a very hard water area and you want to continue to use anti-scale then you can do so if you wish. Be aware that an anti-scale will suspend the scale particles in the water which can result in some cloudiness. Anti-foam products are not advised with any form of sanitiser because they will always degrade the water quality. Water foaming is almost always an indication of bather contaminants being introduced into the water (skin creams and lotions, make-up, hair products, fake tan, detergents or fabric conditioners from swim wear etc etc) and the obvious solution is to make sure that these contaminants are not introduced by the people using your tub. Dirty filters can also cause foaming as can liquid aromatherapy products. If you do experience any foaming try just scooping the foam off the surface for a few days and you will probably be able to solve the problem. If you do need to use an anti-foam as a last resort then there is no reason why you shouldn't, but be aware that the water quality will deteriorate.

Yes, as long as they are in good condition and are clean. You should clean your filters with a good quality powdered filter cleaning product, preferably eco3spa Revive, before starting your tub on eco3spa and clean the filters approximately monthly thereafter. NB Powder filter cleaners are much better at removing the scale that clogs up the micro-pores in the filtration media than liquids or sprays. When cleaning your tub filters you need to remove particulate matter and also bacteria, scale and biofilm.  Rinsing them under a tap, even a high pressure does, does not clean them adequately. Most first time users of eco3spa tend to fit new filters at the same time as using eco3spa to give the tub the best start with our water treatment system.

Aromatherapy products can be used if they are made from natural ingredients and without emulsifiers, perfumes and preservatives. The eco3spa range of aromatherapy crystals are made from naturally occurring Dead Sea salt crystals with pure essential oils and will not affect the sanitising properties of eco3spa or water clarity in any way. Do not use any form of liquid fragrance/aromatherapy products.

If you have been using chlorine or bromine there is likely to be a build-up of biofilm in your tub's plumbing system which needs to be removed with the eco3spa Step 1 Cleaner. To start using eco3spa simply add the Step 1 Cleaner to your existing water to remove the bio-film, drain and refill with fresh water. NB it would be prudent not to discard this water onto your garden. Then follow the instructions for use of the Step 2 Water Conditioner and the Step 3 Multi-Function Sanitiser.

Yes! You do not need either of these, but both are very good ways of helping to sanitise your hot tub water. Bear in mind that both ozonators and UV sanitising systems rely on consumable components (CD chip or UV bulb) that need replacing every 12 months or so in order to keep them working properly. The eco3spa system is powerful enough to keep the water clean without the assistance of an ozonator or UV system so there is no need to replace your ozonator chip or UV bulb, but of course you can do so if you wish and eco3spa will work happily along side any additional devices.

To understand why you need to change the water it is important, first of all, to understand what is happening to the water as you use your tub. The very act of you getting into the water in your tub contaminates it. Over time the amount of bather waste builds up in what is a relatively small volume of tub water. These wastes contain solids that accumulate and result in an increase in the Totally Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the water. eco3spa works hard to counteract this problem but, eventually, the tub's pipework, jets, pumps and blower etc will all accumulate a layer of TDS. In addition to the TDS, biofilm is building up in the pipework due to inevitable bacterial growth. If you have a hot tub, the hot water evaporates over time, but only the water itself is removed by evaporation, not the solids and bacteria it contains, so topping up with fresh water doesn't help the TDS or biofilm situation. Over time the TDS and biofilm accumulate and reach unacceptable levels. As this happens the water can become cloudy and foaming can occur. If you were to measure it, you would also find that more sanitiser is being used up as it tries to keep onto of the biofilm problem. The only way to rectify this situation is to drain the water from your tub, use the eco3spa Step 1 Cleaner and refill with fresh water.

The eco3spa system is designed to work effectively in hot tubs with a water volume of up to 2000 litres. We do not recommend using proportionately reduced volumes of our products in smaller hot tubs with lower volumes of water as the bather and bacterial load in these tubs will be higher anyway.