waterbear

I'm glad that it is available again. When the ban first went into effect it became impossible to get anything other than one step brormine (sodium bromide/dichlor) and bromine tabs. However, it seems difficult to find these days and from what I can see, is very overpriced. For example 1 pint of ProTeam Spa Brom Start liquid is $51.63 on the Canadian Amazon site and $16.99 on the US Amazon site. 1 lb. Spa Choice sodium bromide is $64.17 Canadian while it's $18.66 US on Amazon.

Did you buy pure sodium bromide (usually 98%) for establishing a bromide bank when filling the spa or for use in a 2 step bromine system with a separate oxidizer or is a mixture of sodium bromide and dichlor (one step bromine) which was not included in the ban?

Thanks @RDspaguy! I still have nightmares about malfunctioning acid pumps from the days I did commercial pool maintenance at a resort.

This is a peristaltic pump used to inject acid into the pool to lower pH when it rises and is controlled by a pH probe in the pool. If this is a NEW INSTALLATION,it sounds like it was installed improperly and the input and output lines are reversed causing water from the pool to run into the acid container instead of the acid being injected into the pool. IF THE UNIT WAS WORKING PROPERLY AND THIS PROBLEM RECENTLY OCCURRED then the system is malfunctioning and needs servicing by a qualified professional.

It's not. It's silver chloride in a calcium carbonate matrix. Chalk, limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skeletons and pearls are all calcium carbonate. Silver Chloride is used instead of the silver nitrate/calcium carbonate found in Nature 2 because it will not precipitate when used with bromine and King Technology also makes an array of products for use with bromine such as their original Spa Frog. Here are the SDS for the system: https://www.kingtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FROG-@ease-Mineral-Cartridge-R3-10242022E3.pdf https://www.kingtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FROG-@ease-SmartChlor-Cartridge-R3-10242022E3pdf.pdf( Their chlorine cartridge is a form of chlorine stabilized by DMH ( dimethylhydantoin), 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, This is the same chemical that is used to stabilize bromine in bromine tablets. 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin tests as combined chlorine so you really can't know how much combined chlorine is in your tub vs. active chlorine. This, IMHO, is a disadvantage.(However, the same things occurs with the use of MPS and ozone, which also test as combined chlorine). Dantochlor (a brand name) is : 1, 3-dichloro-5, 5-dimethylhydantoin 81.1% 1, 3-dichloro-5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin 16.1% Inert ingredients 2.8% Total Available Chlorine, % 68 This does not agree with the SDS for SmartChlor Here is a link to all of King Technology's SDS for their various products and OEM products. https://partners.kingtechnology.com/documents-and-downloads/safety-data-sheets/

Why are you setting your pH so low? The natural tendency of a hot tub is for the pH to rise because of outgassing of CO2. get your TA in the 50 to 70 ppm range and let your rise above 7.8 before lowering it. Don't lower it below 7.6 or it will rise faster than if you set it higher. These threads will explain what is going on: https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52522-some-truths-about-ph-and-ta/ https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/28846-lowering-total-alkalinity-howto/ IMPORTANT!!! How are you testing. If you are trying to balance the water with strips they do not have the resolution needed for adjusting TA. You need a GOOD drop based kit such as a Taylor Technologies K-2006 (chlorine) or K-2106 (bromine)

First question, how are you testing? (strips, liquid with comparator, etc.) Second question, what form of bromine are you using? (one step product that combines sodium bromide and an oxidizer such as dichlor, 2 step bromine (sodium bromine and a separate oxidizer), or bromine tablets in a floater) Third question, Have you purged the spa with a product such as Ahh-some? Please post a full set of test results and the test method used and we can take it from there, Several things could be going on that could cause this from not having a bromide bank established (often happens with one step and bromine tabs since Canada has outlawed the use of sodium bromide making it difficult to establish the bromide reserve in the tub), testing interference from very high sanitizer levels causing bleachout of the indicator dye (DPD test reagent or strips) , or biofilms in the plumbing (common in new spas that have not been purged). Answer the questions, post the test results, and we can better help you once we get a better understanding of what might be going on in your tub. Reading these threads might be helpful: https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/53410-how-to-use-bromine-3-step-method/ https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52138-bromine-use-in-spas/ https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/55936-biofilm-after-a-full-clean/

I buy mine from Duda Energy in Georgia. You can also get their products on Amazon. Their website is under DudaDiesel. They sell supplies for making biodiesel fuel and, IMHO, have very good prices on boric acid. I normally buy the granular form instead of the powdered since it's easier to work with, IMHO.

No and No

LaMotte Borate Test Strips. Easiest to read because the color change is more distinct than the Hach and AquaChek.

probably but without test results we can't say just what

they make adapters for garden hose to pvc. Your local hardeare or big box store should have them. Some examples are attached.

You could put a small submergable pump in the tub with a pvc pipe attached so the water shoots up and then falls back into the tub like a fountain

Usually just turning on the air intake all the way and running the tub uncovered on high speed (and turning on bubblers if you have them) will aerate. You want to turn the jets upward so you break the water surface. You could put a small submergable pump in the tub with a pvc pipe attached so the water shoots up and then falls back into the tub like a fountain but I've never really seen a tub that needed that much additional aeration. It's usually pools that might need additional help.

I've worked in the retail end of the pool/spa industry and the bottom line is that they stay in business by selling you products, many of which are not normally necessary. As long as your tub is having problems you keep going back for the next "Magic In A Bottle" that will cure all your ills. I agree that many (most?) are very unknowledgeable about water chemistry and just spout out "things that everyone knows (that aren't true)" such as walking acid to lower pH and slugging acid to lower TA (it doesn't work!) or "Our TA increaser is sodium hydrogen carbonate and not sodium bicarbonate or baking soda which is why it costs $5/lb." (sodium hydrogen carbonate is just another name for sodium bicarbonate or baking soda that you can buy at the grocery store for about 50 cents a pound and it's probably purer!) but they are usually just salespeople that have only had training from the manufacturers of the products they sell, if even that.