JackVa1

Hi, In the summer months we don't use the spa more than twive a week and it's just two of us. I set the Bromine Frog Cartridge on the lowest setting (1) and last night ran a test and the Bromine was very high (test strip dark green). We took a short soak and went right to the shower to remove the heavy Bromine. 1. Is there anything to do to lower the Bromine quickly in these cases? Obviously I guess I could have removed the cartridge the day before if I knew I was going in. 2. Why when you use a tub a lot do you not have this high level? Does the Bromine disapate with use? Thanks Jack

Hi, In the summer months we don't use the spa more than twive a week and it's just two of us. I set the Bromine Frog Cartridge on the lowest setting (1) and last night ran a test and the Bromine was very high (test strip dark green). We took a short soak and went right to the shower to remove the heavy Bromine. 1. Is there anything to do to lower the Bromine quickly in these cases? Obviously I guess I could have removed the cartridge the day before if I knew I was going in. 2. Why when you use a tub a lot do you not have this high level? Does the Bromine disapate with use? Thanks Jack

I added Alkalinity up and now my PH and Alkalinity is way up. What takes both down? Thanks

my arctic dealer said any supplies we need can be shipped to us I have a Caldera Geneva and I'd like to buy a second filter for alternating and have two questions: My Dealer is not close. I was wondering if folks buy after market replacements from online companies? Also, are the filter soaking products worth the money or should I just use degreaser? Thanks Jack

There are only two of us using the Hot Tub. Water chemistry is good. Why refill? Also : If I do refill now, should I use my Soft Water which will result in me adding Hardness or Bypass my Softener and use hard water which comes from a well and contains some IRON. Maybe I should use a blend? Thanks

In My Hi Definition TV Forum, this is where the reply comes in thanking James' (insert family member here) for writing such a nice post. Good stuff, James!

Not if you got a well made spa!!! If you get a quality spa I'd expect it to last 15 years. Even if a spa cover was underneath a porch I wouldn't expect it to last 15 years but it will certainly last longer than a cover directly in sunlight. Now if you get a cheaply made spa that only lasts about 8 years then maybe the cover will outlast the spa. I have a Caldera Utopia and the cover looks like it will last forever . It never sees sun or rain, it will have to rot from underneath.

I'm not aware of any aftermarket covers from China. Some OEMs are looking at China, but the shipping time/cost is not a fit for custom made-to-order covers. If my Spa is under a porch I would expect it to outlast the Spa, no?

If there is no test, and they are crystalized, I will change the cartridge. Thanks for the advice. I believe my Bromine leaves a little in the cartridge too.

My Mineral canister still has some in it when I shake it. It's been 5 months and the canister says replace after 4. Should I replace it or use til it runs out? What test kit reading will tell me if my Mineral is out? Thanks

Our Caldera is just a few months old. Justtwo of us use it three days a week. I just changed the Bromine cartridge and it seemed to still have some bromine in it after 6 weeks. It was set to number 4 . The cartridge suggests starting with number 3 and our levels were fine at 4 (dealer picked this number) , but 6 weeks???? I was told to change this every month so I finally changed it, but what gives? My ppg has always read good based on the strip test. Also - does the weekly "shock " affect this reading? It seemed high after my shock last week. Thanks for any information

MPS, or non chlorine shock is low on the PH scale, so it will pull the PH down a little. People using the spa will pull the ph down, but airration and outgassing increases PH. I also beleive I have read that Genesis has a tendency to run a higher PH. With fresh water you will not otice the difference shock makes. Over tome and heavy use you will see the difference (and feel). The small unfilterable particles start building up, causing the water to feel thick for lack of a better term. Thanks for your response. Now it all makes sense. We have had sore muscles lately and normally the 2 speed pump alone works out the knots. The last few days we have been pounding ourselves with pump and air. I will monitor the Ph more closely if we tend to use the air more. We will also probably shock once a week as I can then turn the genesis dial down even further. Yes, thanks for the information. Any chance that not shocking regularly also could be a reason I can't get rid of foam brought in from "outsiders" and their swim wear?

No these appear to be soapy bubble. We noticed a lot when we had our first guests in and we know that came from their bathing suits. We have very soft water in our home and we used Hardness up in the spa to get it to correct levels, but this foam keeps hanging around. Maybe I should clean the filter. If you use a clarifier(one that coagulates and flocuates) to help the small unfilterable particles stick to your filter run for a day or 2 then clean/rinse your filter out good, it should help. Some particles are so small they just pass through your filter going right back into the spa water causing foam. All the foam down does is creates a tension on the water not allowing the bubbles to form, it does not last long nor does it remove the issue. I do not use a Clarifier. Should I be using one? Are you telling me that the suds introduced by our guest a few weeks ago are still there and causing this bubbling? Sounds like it might last a while. Am I unique with this problem? Thanks by the way

No these appear to be soapy bubble. We noticed a lot when we had our first guests in and we know that came from their bathing suits. We have very soft water in our home and we used Hardness up in the spa to get it to correct levels, but this foam keeps hanging around. Maybe I should clean the filter.

Does everyone have some bubbles? It's just two of us. I go naked and the wife wears a suit that she always wears in the hot tub and never washes in soap. We always have somne bubbles - is this normal? Should I be constantly spraying FOAM OUT?

Hi, Just two of us use our Caldera maybe 5-6 times a week. All my levels are consistant and the Frog system does a great job - replace the bromine once a month as advertised. Why am I adding 6 Tbs of shock once a week? Thanks

Swimsuits are a huge factor, next time ask them to rinse them out first before they use the tub. Chidren and teens are also a big factor. Small kids do not get all the soap off their bodies/hair when taking a bath and teens (and some adults) were lots of makeup, hair stuff, lotion, deoderant etc. The other cause is more people in the tub equals more sweat. Each person sweats about a pint in a normal tub session. High PH also causes the tub to foam more. As Tiny bubbles said, foam down will help, but the foam will keep coming back. If you Super shock the tub (you did not say what chemical sysytem you were using, MPS/non-chlorine shock works best if you are using bromine or chlorine) let filter for 24 hours, pull the filters and rinse them well. Let it filter another 24 hours and rinse the filters again. A claifier that coagulates and floculates may be helpful. It will collect all the smaller unfilterable particles and make them larger so the filter can pick them up and you can rinse them off. Plan on shocking and rinsing filters for a bit when you have guests. If you do not do this the stuff causing the foam will stay in the water and continue to be an issue untill you do a water change. Thanks guys!! I really appreciate the help

Ok, experts. We have soft water because I am on a well and we had to eliminate rust. Apparently when you eliminate rust in your home water, you have to eliminate everything....So when we filled out new spa, we had soft water. We added the "Hardness up" and it seemed ok. We tested it and it had improved. On Sunday my son, his wife and daughter and a 6 year old friend all had an hour soak (and splash). Of course they all wore bathing suits. Since Sunday, the wife and I have noticed more and more bubbles. I added more hardness last night because the hardness was slightly low. tonight we get in and more bubbles. I blambed oursoft water and she blamed the bathing suits and shampoo of out guests. After we exited, I tested hardness and it was 450 ppm. Very hard. Is my wife correct? Guests make foamy water because of their clothes?? Wife googled and says we need a teaspoon of FOAM OUT. I told her that "my " forum would have the answer. Has she beat me to the punch?? Thanks guys Jack

With a spa, i wouldn't worry. As long as your pH is ok. With a pool if your alkalinity is low, the water might start leeching minerals from the plaster and corroding the plaster, however there is no such problem in spa, or fiberglass pools for that matter. So if everything else is ok i wouldn't worry about it. Thanks for the help

Duh! alkalinity not acidity!! OK, I will start over- my PH is consistantly perfect but my alkalinity is consistantly low. I have owned the spa for two weeks. Should I add baking soda? How much? Thanks!

My Caldera dealer told me that these will run together. I have PH up and PH down suppliments, but my PH reads fine on the strip test. My Acidity is low. What's this all about? Thanks

Congrats - you'll enjoy it. My new spa was delivered with the frog system as well. Seems easy to me - bromine and minerals dispensed to keep your background sanitizer levels up. With the ozonator, you can keep your bromine use low (around 1-2ppm). If you read the posts you'll notice that the test strips can be difficult to read. Based on advice in this forum, I just purchased a Taylor kit - expensive ($60) but much easier and more precise. have fun! They work real well and the mineral aspect of this system seems to keep the water "softer" not as harsh feeling and between the mineral and being able to keep the bromine a little lower there is not as much of the bromine smell. You also won't have to worry about warranty issues if you don't use the bleach. Just make sure to keep everything balanced and I think you will enjoy the simplicity of the system. Help me with the mineral aspect you mention We are ready to buy a Kinetico system to REMOVE minerals. Will I be putting them back in??

DPR, Mark and I were chatting as he was searching. I, too, am an unbiased consumer. I wet tested HS, D1, Caldera, Artesian, Calspa, Jacuzzi & Marquis. Even though the other brands had spinning jets, I still felt (as did my wife) that for us (Again, minds may differ), the Marquis felt the best. And if you really want spinners, they're about $10 a piece, and I've read many posts where dealers would swap out one of the seats with spinners at time of purchase. My dealer says if I want to try them, they're an easy swap. Hope that helps. So how much was it? We need to know this stuff. Took the first soak in my new Marquis Reward last night - wow! Well worth the wait! Everything was fantastic. Interestingly, the dealer installed two spinning jets for me....but they're not spinning! Oh well, small complaint. The tech has to come back out with a new light for me anyway, so he can fix those when he visits. Anyway, the tub looks and feels great. Wifey and me took a midnight soak directly under Orion. Two full moons under the stars ! Then the kids took a quick dip this morning. Gotta say - I'm only 36, but may just decide to retire and spend all my time in the tub!

I am reading things in this thread about using an ozonator. Is the use of an Ozonator optional? I thought it was a requirement since all tubs come with them. What am I missing? Still waiting to know what the Frog wil do for me when my Spa arrives also. If it's worthless, I need to know that. Patiently waiting for spa to be delivererd and chemicals information. Sounds like all this testing is going to be occupying my life shortly and I am not looking forward to it. Jack

Ok, I am now in the club. It will be here in two weeks. The Geneva was 9500.00 and includes steps, lift, enough canasters to fill my frog for a year. Also the electrical work is included. Total with tax is 9975 (I live in Virginia) We also have a 1 year same as cash finance deal which is important to us to defer paying. The dealer just informed me that Caldera has added the internal Frog system to their spas for 2008. I am not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing, but I guess it is there if I want to use it. Seems to require Bromine instead of chlorine. By the way. We wet tested: Marques HS D1 SunDance The Geneva was the only tub where we enjoyed the lounger and did not float out. We also like the Caldera lighting and water feature. Thanks to all on the forum who helped us decide. Jack