Spanky

That's absolutely correct. I love the water clarity and life expectancy of the chlorine but miss the convenience of maintaining a "Background" level with the Bromine floater. I'm thinking this may be a viable solution. (That and the pool was just converted with a Hayward SWCG) I was indeed concerned about the 200-300 ppm CH , for obvious reasons, but I really couldn't find any posts dealing with the subject. I've never concerned myself with the pool CH (it's 80ppm) as there is little to no possibility of foaming and it's vinyl. I'll target 150ppm and see how things go. Thanks Chem Geek for your input, I guess I just needed some re-assurance that my thinking wasn't "Out to lunch". As a rule, I don't generally ignore Manufacturers recommendations, but in this case I agree that Controlomatic maybe a bit too "Old School"

Ok I'm in the process of installing a Chlormaker IL in the tub. I've got a handle on what basic parameters I'm going to use but can't seem to settle on what CH to target. Here's what I've settled on so far; CYA: 30ppm TA: 50ppm Borates: 50ppm pH: 7.6 (Target) FC: 3.0 Salt: 1600ppm Now the problem, what CH to target? With both Bromine and Dichlor/Bleach I was using 150ppm with no problems, now Chlormaker recommends 200-300ppm. I know that higher CH may make the water less corrosive but high CH leads to calcium build up on the electrodes! That's why ACE recommends 25-50ppm. I'd love to hear from anyone currently using a chlormaker and what CH level you're using. The plumbing modifications are almost done and I'm getting ready to refill the tub so I need to establish a target soon.

I tend to use the CYA route. There's a simple trick to it . For my tub 30ppm CYA is just under 40g of stabilizer. Measure the CYA and add to a bucket of boiling water, mix well then let stand. I usually do this before filling the tub. By the time the tub is full and the water balanced, you're good to go. just add the bucket to the spa. Now just add bleach. It really doesn't get much easier or cheaper. Using dichlor first obviously works, but I I find it a chore to log each dose to know when the 30ppm is reached and testing CYA is a bit of a pain unless you have the larger reagent bottles the 22ml kit only has enough for 3 tests.

The Aquacheck digital reader uses test strips and is no match for a Taylor K-2006. It gives people a false sense of accuracy which is simply not there. All it does is eliminate the human eye color comparison. The inherent inaccuracy of the strips remain. A Swim Spa is similar to a Hot Tub in that they both have substantial aeration and as such traditionally experience rising pH, NOT falling pH. Something is clearly wrong and I'd be willing to bet that the test strips are leading you in the wrong direction. One possible factor is FC. If the FC is high, the strips often give wildly inaccurate results.

A well insulated spa, left in the summer sun, may not drop much in temperature. I've seen mine actually go up 2 deg on a hot summer day. I don't know if I would shut down the power as you would loose circulation. Personally l would prefer to keep the filters working. The ozonator is a different story. With bromine you want the ozone ON and with chlorine you want it OFF. There's 2 ways of doing that, 1) You can access the low level programming and set the ozonator to off 2) Most ozonators connect to the spa pac with a j&j mini plug. Just unplug it I've left a bromine spa for 2 weeks by loading the floater full, turning the temp down as low as the controller let me and using the low level program to set the ozone to "Always on" (for chlorine you would do the opposite, set it to "off") Another reason to keep the pumps running is that as the FC drops so will the pH. Maintaining the pump filter and purge cycles will provide aeration which will counteract the net acidity of the chlorine. It also doesn't hurt to boost your TA before you leave, you can always lower it (if it's still high) when you return.

If you're using boric acid then yes, as Chem Geek said you can slowly add while the water is circulating. If you're using borax then NO do not add directly to the tub. You have to mix the borax in a bucket of water first then balance the pH with acid. Once everything is mixed then you add the bucket to the spa.

Balance the water. Temperature is not a factor.

Chlorox concentrated (Sold in Canada) is 8.25%

There should be a drain inside the equipment bay, near the pump, but most spa owners use a submersible pump. I also live where there is restrictions in dumping water, all I do is run a garden hose from the pump output to my laundry tub through the window. No problem!!!

It's dependent on the water volume and bleach strength. You want to spike the Br to approx 12 to 15ppm. The rule of thumb is 2oz of 6% bleach per 100 gal. With 8.25% I'd suggest you use 7-8 oz for 500gal . Once you add the bleach run the spa uncovered for about an hour then check the Br level. Once the Br drops below 6 then you can allow bathers back in the spa. Don't forget that shocking is net acidic so check your pH after the Br returns to normal.

One reason MPS is recommended by dealers is that they also recommend dichlor ONLY (no bleach). This results in high CYA which severely reduces chlorine effectiveness. That's why they believe MPS is more effective. The're baising their opinion on experience with "their" system and either don't know or refuse to accept that high CYA is the culprit

Shocking means to raise FC to about 10ppm. This is to rapidly oxidize any stubborn organics or other contaminants which would not be possible at normal sanitizer levels. This shuld be done every week or every 2 weeks (depending on bather load) To shock, add enough liquid chlorine (bleach) to raise FC to 10ppm the run the spa uncovered in sunlight for about an hour. The FC should return to normal. If it's still high run another 1/2 hr then recheck. DO NOT allow bathers into the spa untill the chlorine level is back to normal (below 4ppm) NOTE Even saltwater spas, which constantly generate chlorine, have to be manually shocked. DO NOT confuse this with "boost mode" which is designed to rapidly replace FC after high bather demand. It is not the same as shocking.

I keep 3 filters on hand. 2 are rotated & cleaned with TSP every 2 weeks and the third is brand new still sealled in the wrapper. If I find any sign of damage or wear then I open the new one and trash the damaged one. I personally think that 3 years would be a sensible limit for most filters. Eventhough the filter is clean, I find that the "matte" of the filter tightens up (no doubt caused by swelling of the fibres and build up of stubborn contaminants that the TSP can no longer clean) This reduces the water flow rate an places additional strain on the circulation pump. This is one of the factors in premature failure of small circulation pumps. To see for yourself next time you change an older filter, check the water flow at the discharge then change to a "new unused" filter and recheck the water flow.

Keep using your K-2006 just multiply the result by 2.25 (1.0 on the test result = 2.25ppm Bromine) The only difference in the K-2106 is the FAS-DPD reagent is R-0872 which is the same as R-0871 but calibrated for the 2.25 multiplication factor

Note I suspect that you may be confusing CH and TA I somewhat doubt your water has a TA of 380 but a CH of 380ppm does make sense.

Ok now that you tell us that you added borax on the initial fill the muriatic makes sense but for future reference stabilize the pH and TA before you begin to add borates. What is the pH now? If your borates is at 50ppm then use Washing soda to raise pH. Your target should be 7.6 to 7.8 not 7.0 Stabilize the pH then test the TA. If it's low add baking soda, if high then use muriatic/aearation to bring down to 50 . It's a step by step process unfortunately you cannot just add everything ogether like a cake recipie an expect proper results. Start with CH then pH then TA. Once stable then, and only then add the borax/muriatic which should be premixed in a large bucket before adding to the spa.

4 cups (1 liter ) of muriatic? What was your pH at the start of the fill? If i had to guess i'd say your pH is now dangerously low and ouside the range of the test reagents. Check your pH ..... you may need an OTO test if the actual pH is outside the range of the Taylor test

can I use muriatic acid instead of dry acid in a bromine tub to bring down ph or is muriatic acid not compatible with bromine? Muriatic acid is just fine for either Dichlor/Bleach or 3 step Bromine, In fact, I prefer it. Also,I have the taylor k-2006 test kit for chlorine.Can I just buy the taylor k-1517 test for bromine and use the reagents from the k-2006 kit for CH,TA,PH or do I need to buy the entire k-2106 kit? You actually don't need to buy anything... Only difference between the K-2006 and the K-2106 is the calibration strength of the reagent.(They are in fact the SAME reagent) Just multiply your result by 2.2.. If you get a reading of 1.5 then multiply by 2.2 to get the Br equivalent (1.5 X 2.2 = 3.3ppm)

The more I think about this one, the more I feel that Dr.Spa is 100% "On the Money"... The 6' minimum code exists for a very good reason. Even shutting down the breaker is not a viable solution, a) you may turn it on to drain the tub (like I do) then forget to turn it back off Older kids will want their "Tunes" and will have no problem locating and turning the breaker on For piece of mind, I'd move it but I wouldn't blame you if you hired a Lawyer to recover the costs

I really don't know what to tell you here, Obviously the Inspector instructed you to place the outlet in a location that is in violation of NEC code. That's a new one for me!!! In all fairness the outlet should be moved to code compliance at the electrical authority's expense (Good luck with that one!!!) In the meantime I'd keep the breaker off and turn it on only when needed. I mentioned that the Number 1 use for mine is a place to plug my submersible pump when draining the tub. God knows what can happen if water splashed directly on the outlet, so I'd keep the power off. I'm still curious about your Spa Panel location, and whether or not the Inspector goofed on that one too!!

There's another reason why it must be "Within Sight" and that is the fact that the disconnect also serves as the Emergency shut off. I my case I meet both requirements by using the Siemens Spa panel mounted on the wall about 12' from the edge of the spa. Certainly not reachable from within the tub, but easily reachable in an emergency. The secondary 15A circuit is fed to a CGFI outlet box which is just over 8' from the tub. (Not less than 6' and not more than 20', just as Dr.Spa posted) If the inspector asked for the outlet to be less than 6' from the tub then I'd say that inspector doesn't know the proper codes for spa installations Again with a little thought it is easy to comply with both requirements. I'm not sure if I'm understanding the original post when he says the "Spa" panel is mounted next to the Main Panel. If it, or another suitable disconnect is not within plain sight from the tub, then it"s NOT code compliant. If this is the case and the inspector "Passed" this then again He's not familiar with the code requirements.

This is a very common code requirement and is easy to comply with. Code also requires a "Spa" pannel or similar disconnect within sight of the spa. I use a Semens Spa pannel which has additional space for 2 15amp circuits. Just install a 15A breaker and a few feet of conduit with a box and a CGFI outlet ....Problem solved... And YES it does come in handy when draining the tub, it gives you a handy place to plug a submersable pump into.

Did you fill the tub from a well?? It's possible you may have copper and/or iron in the water. We're all here to help just give us the complete picture of what was done and what was added.

Another point of concern would be pump seals. If the tub is 10 yrs old the seals are most likely Buna N. Newer tubs ,specifically those designed for SWCG will have "Viton" seals. Yes the seals are only about $20 but they're a PIA to change

Ground Bonding simply means that the wire reinforcing is electrically grounded to the hot tub bonding lugs. To do this simply attach a length of #8 copper ground wire to the mesh with a lug before you pour. Have the wire exit the concrete beside where your main conduit will enter the tub. Simply attach the other end of the wire to the "Bonding" lug inside the spa (Usually found on the metal heater barrel of most spa's, Check your owner's manual. As for whether or not this is necessary, Local codes vary all over the map on this one. Some argue that a hot tub is "Portable" and is internally ground bonded therefore is exempt while others hold firm that any metal within 5' must be bonded. You have to check your local code! If it was Me, considering the minimal cost involved, I'd just add the bonding wire before I poured the concrete.