Bromine Bank

[Robill]

New spa owners here. Have a Caldera Martinique spa with inline frog system and ozone. We received these start up chemicals with our delivery - Spa Essentials Shock Oxidizer, Spa essentials Chlorinating Concentrate, ph increaser, and stain & scale control. Plus the Frog cartridge starter kit.

After much reading through the forum we purchased the Taylor testing kit K-2106. We have also read through the bromine for beginners sticky and the procedures to balance the water.

Our dealer has recommended this procedure for first fill up. Set up the Spa Frog with the mineral cartridge set at 6 and the bromine at 4. We are to initiate the spa frog by dispersing 4 Tbsp of shock and 3 Tbsp of chlorine. After each use: add approx 1-2 Tbsp of chlorine. Weekly: add approx. 3 Tbsp shock oxidizer and 1-2 oz Stain and Scale. No mention at all of creating a bromine bank.

So confused....if we create the bromine bank as indicated in the sticky do we need the MPS and the chlorine at start up?

Thanks for any and all advice. We fill tomorrow.

Robin

[chem geek]

Your dealer is suggesting using the bromine tabs/cartridge alone but if you have high bather load you may not have enough bromide spent from the bromine so if you add chlorine it will at least in part remain chlorine or if you add MPS it will stay as MPS. The purpose of the bromide bank is so that adding an oxidizer after the soak results in bromine. Eventually such a bromide bank will build up, but the purpose of adding sodium bromide initially is so you start out that way so you can produce a lot of bromine, if needed, right away after a long soak.

If you add sodium bromide, then you can create bromine either by using the tabs or by adding an oxidizer. Normally you use the tabs to provide a background bromine level in between soaks and you add enough oxidizer after the soak to handle the bather waste. Also, if you have an ozonator (which it sounds like you do) that will also create bromine from the bromide bank (though a portion of bromine gets oxidized to bromate as well so essentially removed from the bromide/bromine system).

[AlexMason]

Sodium Bromide create bromine by using the tabs or an oxidizer to provide a background bromine level in between soaks.