MikeM1

Mike - Thanks for the very useful info. There do not seem to be many people on this forum who have actual experience with these drop-in aftermarket SWGs. I appreciate the thoroughness with which you answered my questions. One more question ... how long have you been using the Nexas unit? It seems that you have more than just a few months of experience. - Simon It's been a couple of years.

MikeM1 - Like the original poster, I am also interested in aftermarket salt water generators. Generally, you don't see much posted in this forum on this topic ... I've been looking. Since you have two Nexa units, I assume you like them? Here are my questions: 1. What models do you have? Are your units ones that you just drop into the tub or do they require a special plumbing/electrical installation? (I'm interested in the "just drop it in" kind.) I use the drop in units. I noticed after a few months the double stick tape used for the velcro tabs lets loose. No Biggy I have mine dropped in an area that no one sit's by anyway. 2. Do they work, i.e., do chlorine levels remain relatively constant? They work great for me. I don't worry about the chlorine level more then keeping the water stable CH,TA and PH. On a fresh fill I try get CH around 150 and then work on TA then PH follows along nicely at 7.6 to 7.8 3. How much trouble are they? Do they require constant adjustment or other frequent maintenance? How close do they come to "set it and forget it"? Really no Trouble after you get the hang of things. Once everything is stable just keep tabs on FC and TA. Once you figure out how often your in there and how many people per soak it's easy to figure out how to set the timer. I have mine set for an hour a day. Sometimes I am low and sometimes I go a little high. Add or Subtract time is easy to do on the timer. 4. How long do they last? I assume that overtime the electrodes require some type of cleaning or replacement? Cleaning is easy. A 1 gallon bucket and some acid and water. Drop in and let soak for a few minutes. The white flakes dissolve in a short amount of time. I clean about once a month. No Replacement Parts from the looks of it. It should last forever as long and nothing gets poked inside and scratches any metal contact surfaces. 5. Is it small enough not to interfere with using the tub or do you need to take it out while you are in the tub? It's small enough not to bother me. There is no issue with taking it out when using the tub in my mind. Just make sure that you don't forget to pop it back in. I am sure you will destroy it if it turns on when not in the water. 6. Bottom line: Are you happy with it and would you recommend it to others? I have a small (275 gallon) Jacuzzi brand hot tub. My wife and I use it about 4 times a week. I'm hoping to get away from constantly adding chlorine. Also, I'd like something that when I go on vacation for a more than a few days, I don't have to worry about keeping up the sanitizer levels while no one is home to monitor it. I am Happy over all. Recommending it is a 50/50 to me. Once you get used to how it works then you will find it is really easy to maintain. Keeping stable water is the Key. I really can't say this enough. Only thing I have noticed is that rubber gets discolored, it fades and flakes off. The tops and bottoms of the filters seem to deteriorate over 6 months. Now is that caused by unstable water? Is it the Salt over time? Is the TA to high or low? PH? I really don't know. I haven't noticed anything else as an issue. So I think for most that won't be an issue. Mike

What do you want to know? I have 2 spa's using them.

The water in my Hot Tub is clear and tests good finally! The test strips now give a close idea of what the average is and the Taylor kit when using the 10ml sample does about the same. but when I turn the jets on now it clouds up with a million oxygen bubbles I haven't found any posts that talk about this but one. Could it be my water is to soft? The test strips say it's in the 250 Plus range but the Taylor kit say's it's in the low hundreds. any suggestions?

Simon. I am thinking since it is a spa instead of a pool that most haven't felt the need to experiment with salt systems for Spa's yet. I am waiting for Winter to show up so we can get a topic going with Nitro if he ever decides to get a Nexa system himself.

I think I have my TA and PH figured out. My PH is hanging around the 7.8 area and my TA is around 50 to 75. Using the Taylor Drop kit everyone likes I read the fine print on testing if you expect a level to be high use the lower volume of water level when your adding water from the tub then times the drops by 25. hence the 50 to 75 guess. I was tickled to know end when I got a reading that was close to the sticks. I am thinking the way they recommend to do it on the setup sheet is probably the ticket. Keep your salt above 1500 check your TA and keep it between 80-120 keep the PH between 7.2-7.6 and CH between 150-300 use MPS shock before and after each also add in some Sea Klear once a week. Just keep your FC between 1.0 - 3.0 I'll keep on adjusting and let you all know how it goes. I am close to getting it all figured out.

I think your test strips are probably right. Adding 1 ounce of baking soda should raise your TA by 10 ppm +/- depending on spa size. Adding 2 pounds would raise your TA by 320 ppm +/- ... in other words "through the roof". That is what I thought. But from reading here drop tests are more reliable then stick. I guess I will start to lower it some then.

What a pain in the butt trying to get my TA up to 80. I am giving it 2 Tbsp's of baking soda every 30 minutes or so or when I remember. I am at 40 right now and still fighting to get it up to 80. Have gone through 2 one pound boxes of soda and still adding. I have 4 different types of test sticks and they have my TA through the roof. The drop tests I have been using 3 different types all give the same reading of around 40 right now. I started at 10 and it is slowly climbing. what a painful slow process. Mike You still need CYA (20-30ppm), otherwise you woud need to keep FC < 1 ppm (not practical), or it would be too strong. Remember CYA not only protects against UV rays, it acts as a Chlorine buffer. I would still follow the Dichlor/Bleach method. You may still need to add bleach (and/or MPS) during/after soaks, because the SWCG may not keep up while soaking, especially with high bather loads. The main purpose for the SWCG is to keep the FC constant, so you don't have to add bleach when not in use. Allthough I would still test daily until you get it tuned correctly. Yeah, the Taylor K-2006 will measure CC directly.

Nitro here is a thought for you. Since the Nexa Timer is set to run on a set schedule and it is keeping the Free Chlorine within a set range. Would you need to worry about Cyanuric Acid? My Tub is inside so I don't need to worry about UV Rays and since the FC is always being regenerated one would not need to worry about the Buffer that CYA holds on the FC. Correct? The other thought is the Combined Chlorine is there a decent test to check that compared to Total Chlorine? Drop test compared to the Stick?

I don't see the device being on as that big a safety issue. It's not like your going to get electrocuted or something like that. If that type of thing might bother you. I would just remember the times you have set and wait 15 to 20 minutes before jumping in. No Idea on N2 + a SWCG?. I would assume you could if there compatible with salt water systems and the program your using for your chemicals. I am using just the chemicals that came in the package deal myself. Non Chlorine shock once a week and some Sea Klear. Nitro might have some thoughts on the topic I would assume.

Hey Mark. The timer has 3 settings On/Off/Auto I have it set on Auto with 3 out of 7 time settings one at 3am 2nd at 9am and the 3rd at 3pm there set to turn it on for 15 minutes each my chlorine is a level is a little low at the moment so i plan to add 5 minutes to each setting and in a couple days I'll check again.

Nitro I just picked up the Nexa it seems simple enough to setup and operate. I have really hard water where I am at so I will have to fill from the water softener then if it is to soft I will need to add some calcium hardness afterwords. Looks like it is a trial and error process on setting the timer for how often you want it to run. Depending on your individual conditions and how often you use your spa, It can run from 40 to 60 minutes or longer. I read that most just split that time up during the non populated times and adjust over time to your liking. I'll check back after I have used it for awhile and see what others have to say as well. Mike