UnderH20

Just curious...what does "significant calcium" mean? I'm on a municipal water source with ~30 ppm calcium hardness at the tap. I would love to use a phosphate buffer over borates if it would work out. Is there an upper limit calcium hardness where precipitation does not occur?

Thanks again. I did not realize that bromine was lost in any substantial way in a 2-step program. That helps clarify things then.

Thank you for the information. That helps a lot.

I am looking for information on the relative pros and cons of using different oxidizers in conjunction with a 2-step bromine program. From what I understand, bleach (chlorine), diclor, or MPS can all be used. Is this correct? Are there any advantages and disadvantages of using each of these? Thanks

Thanks chemgeek. That is what I suspected. I have to say that I do not really understand the intended use of this type of product. I find it to be confusing relative to a conventional two-step or three-step bromine program. Are there any advantages to using this type of product?

I have most of a bottle of a "brominating concentrate" from a major spa company. It is ~15% sodium bromide, 82% dicholr, and 3% "other" ingredients. I really just want to do a simple 2-step bromine process on my tub. Is there a place for this stuff in that type of regime? I was thinking about just using it to establish my bromine bank on my next refil. I have a 350 gallon tub, which would normally require 1.75 oz. of pure sodium bromide to create a bank. Can I just add this at start up (1.75 oz / 0.15 = 11.66 oz) to establish my bromine bank? If so, should I add it over the course of a few days rather than all at once? I realize that it would be easier to just make the bromine bank with pure sodium bromine, but I am just trying to figure out how to use the stuff that I have. Thanks