TdiDave

I currently have a new 2023 Bullfrog A7 that is equipped with EOS ozone system. Specs state 100 mg/hr @ 880 ppm Ozone output in a ~400 gallon tub. if that matters I'm am trying to optimize the usage of the Ozone system. Assume the system will only run during the filtration cycles, would it be best to time these cycles as close to the time we normally end our soak (ie 7am & 10pm) ? Any other tip or pointers?

Check your local dollar store. I get my boric acid for $2.00

dont have the 425 but did wet test one. I found it to be a bit small feeling. Seats are pretty defined, not much room to just kinda float around. Was just me in it but seemed like you would be very foot friendly if you had four people. That said the seats were very comfortable, jets where nice. I have 2 young kids so i wanted some room so not getting splashed in the face all the time, and some nice flat bench type seating was important to me. I would wet test as many different shapes, sizes and brands as you can. The more you are in them the more features you find that matter to you and what you want to do with your tub.

Free chlorine is the main thing to watch. If you have 5 total chlorine and 0.5 free chlorine you may have some issues and need to shock.

At my local dollar store for $2.00 100% Boric acid

I have nothing to compare my results to as this is my first tub but: I just went out of town for 5 days (left on Monday and returned Saturday). I shocked the tub to 14ppm chlorine on Monday around 4pm and turned the temp down to 90. Today (Saturday) at 5pm I test and still have 8.4ppm chlorine with CYA at ~35 and pH a bit low at 7.1. Does 5 days and only us up 5.6ppm chlorine sound good? Maybe I will unplug the clear ray next time I go to see the difference.

Looks just close enuf that you could unplug your boom box without getting out of the tub.

Another possible idea ?

What app you find? I wouldn't mind trying it out.

I put a unit that looks like that on our jetted bath tub. It keeps the water heated fine. They make them with a pressure or suction switch so you can install before or after the pump.

I have a Y connector that I put on the washer hook ups. Fill tub with a blend of hot and cold. Was about 85 to start.

What ?

That's a marketing idea, completely chemical free hot tub "for real". 200 gallons of water In a reservoir that is under the main hot tub water of 200 gallons. Use Uzone or UV to clean it. Of course it would be so expensive and completely impractical but who knows. I make a living selling chlorine and hypo for municipal use, and can say alternatives are at least 2x more costly to operate at that scale.

Something to think about, not that any of this really has anything to do with a hot tub but: There are thousands of municipal waste water treatment plants that use UV for their only disenfection of the water, the technology is not new and the science is proven. But thousands more use Chlorine and have for a long long time, again the science is proven. A few even use Ozone, though not as many becasue of the cost, again the science is proven. Chlorine Dioxide is also becoming more popular, maybe that will be the next big thing for hot tubs ? All of these methods work and work well, if designed and operated under the proper conditions (like flow rates). Very few municipal drinking water plants use UV or Ozone, just chlorine. Though both UV and Ozone are being introduced more and more to deal with disenfections biproducts of chlorine. Again i have only had a hot tub for 3 months so im just adding some fuel to the fire per say. but i do like to learn so very interested in more opinions.

I have the clear ray system as well, I can't speak to its effectiveness to any great extent. One thing I have noticed when comparing what other folks add with and without a ozone system. It seems to be on course with folks using a ozone in regards to what is needed after a soak to have some residual before next soak. and with less chlorine usage when the tub isn't used for 2 days or more compared to ozone users. A possible major negative is the CYA dissipation rate seems to be very fast, still investigating this. But guess that could be a positive for a dichlor only user (maybe that is the point) ?

Decided to just install a iron filter on my water system. Don't want to have to fight this issue and stain or do other damage to my new tub.

Phosphates should have no issue in water maintained with proper sanitizer levels.

http://www.hach.com/product.detail-overview.jsa?id=7640442953 This might do the trick for you.

I would wanted to ask if any members could elaborate on what chemically the product Metal-Gon is and how it works? I'm having a bit of a issue with the iron from my well water. My first fill as soon as I dosed the chlorine all the iron oxidized out. The filters did there job and cleaned the water in about a day (rinsed them off a few times). One my second fill I tried to use a pre filter on the end of the hose and a bottle of metal gone. All was good with the water for about 6 days. Then all the sudden the iron started to oxidize again. This time coating the surfaces of the tub. Is the metal-Gon a polyphosphate blend? Once the iron is "bound" up why would it come back out? Anything specific to the filling procedure with metal-gon I may have messe up. I may resort to getting a hole house iron filter.

I would recommend a spa flush product at least. On my new tubs 45 days old water the had always been clean and clear I flushed out a bit of "gunk".

great

thank you for the useful information

Dup

It was a brand new tub, no flush on the first fill. So the flush got stuff that had been in there factory I'm sure. After this first refill, 9.0 FC with dichlor and about 20 hours later 6.0FC, 30% baseline demand with no CYA yet. Is that ok?

I just did a flush drain and refill on my tub (5 weeks old) yesterday. I will have to check my CYA levels this time after a few weeks as I did notice my bleach usage had started to go up as well. One thing I was shocked at the amount of "gunk" that came out on the flush after just 5 weeks of usage. I never once during that time let chlorine get below 0.0