arobbert

This post will be helpful. https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/13634-nitros-approach-to-water-maintaince/

I've been using this one:BRS 2 Part Doser - 1.1 mL per minute - from Bulk Reef Supply With this timer for a 200 gal tub. EcoPlus Dual Digital Timer - Bulk Reef Supply.. Works great, maintains 1 to .5 ppm. I add the correct amount of oxidizer for the number of bathers each time I use it. I haven't had to shock once. I keep the chlorine in my basement about 15 ft away. Ran it all winter unless it got below 8 F using 12% strength. Switched to the manual method when temps got near zero.

Sounds like Hydrogen Peroxide. This info. is available for free.

If that CC level stays high you should run a purge ASAP. It should be 1 or less.

How many gallons is tour tub? That's a lot of MPS. You can probably use the tub now if the levels have come down a bit.

It sounds like you're on the right track. Do yourself a big favor, purge it with Aah-some first. This will help prevent headaches in the upcoming months and provide assurance that it's clean. You will need to test your chlorine one to two times a day initially until you get your process dialed in. You can use a simple OTO chlorine test (saves time) for most of your testing and use the more extensive chlorine test occasionally or if you are having problems. Adjust your AK first following the instructions at the link below: https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/19149-lowering-total-alkalinity/ You can skip borates for now. You want your AK between 50 and 80 and PH between 7.4 and 7.8 To be honest I would skip the @ease thing and measure the chlorine yourself. The mineral part of those things doesn't really do anything in my experience so all your getting is a very expensive disposable chlorine dispenser. It uses dichlor but there's no way to know how much is being added so you'll never be able to calculate your CYA level. See if they'll give you some Dichlor of similar value instead. Use the pool calc link below to calculate how much dichlor to add to get your CYA up. This will probably take a few weeks. You can also use the tool to figure out how much acid to add for PH and AK adjustments as well. It also gives good guidelines for proper levels and tools for calculating all adjustments to your chemistry. After the CYA is around 30 to 40 switch to bleach. https://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html No need for MPS. It will mess with your PH levels (acidic).

You're welcome let us know how it goes!

This one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BGF7TI/ref=asc_df_B004BGF7TI5337605/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B004BGF7TI&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198092864586&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=532667794853555589&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017486&hvtargid=pla-553423955032 Or this one that has more tests http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html

You can tell when to refill if you have persistent high levels of combined chloramines. You test for this with a drop test kit (not strips, they are inaccurate). If the number is much above 1 (1.5, 2 or more) you can try shocking to bring it down to 1 or less. It will help if you maintain proper sanitization/oxidation practices. There are chloramines and other disolved solids aka bather waste that can't be oxidized. Eventually they will build to a level that can't be managed by normal sanitation/oxidation processes or shocking. The water will require more chlorine or bromine and will be difficult to maintain. This is a good time to drain and refill. The amount of time for this to happen varies and is affected by spa size, number of bathers, sanitizer/oxidizer application and frequency of use. For most users this is 3 to 4 months. There are many users getting 6 or months out a fill. You can also tell if you have persistent cloudy water that requires constant shocking. If you get to this stage you've gone to far. The CC test is a way to tell by testing and can indicate unseen problems. It will also indicate overall health of the water.

You may find the thread below helpful. To insure proper chlorination you will need to test chlorine daily with a drop test kit (not strips). Each situation is different. After you establish your chlorine need you can test less frequently. https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/18706-chlorine-demand/ The problem with the frog system is it uses dichlor that increases your CYA. Over time it will get to high and greatly increase the amount of chlorine needed. The thread below will help explain this interaction. MPS will help reduce this problem but it is not a sanitizer so you will still need to make sure you are maintaining a proper sanitizer level. Without testing daily there is no way to know.

Most people on this site use the dichlor then bleach method outlined here: https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/23090-dichlorbleach-method-in-a-nutshell/ It is now recommended to use Ah-some instead of spa purge. Most people seem to change their water every 3 to 4 months. Since your tub is used I would do an Ahh-some purge ASAP. Here is a link to a great tool for figuring out your chemical doses: https://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

If you maintain your water correctly you don't need a product like that (clarifier). It's just a way for stores to sell you more product. In this case it sounds like it created a problem that wasn't there before. By the way, most people don't change their water more than once every 3 to 4 months. Shocking is not needed if you keep your sanitizer at the correct level.

There's no reason you can't use a stand alone stabilizer instead of dichlor. I've thought about doing that myself except that I have a bunch of dichlor. I use an aquarium dosing pump with my tub. It works well.

There is no puck chlorine that doesn't contain stabilizer. This is a shame because it's so easy and affordable. Use bleach/ liquid chlorine (same thing). You just add bleach after use instead of dichlor. Use dichlor initially until you get to about 40 ppm CYA. Then switch to bleach. If you want something automated use a salt system or a liquid chlorine pump. These cost around $150 to $300. I use a pump that maintains a base level. Then add a small amount of bleach after use. If I don't use the tub the pump will maintain an adequate level.

I would add that you want to do this process slowly because sometimes you can over shoot. I experienced this lately. Once you get your levels in the ballpark give it a 12 hour rest and proceed at a slower pace Always aerate (a pain in the winter). If you lower the PH to much and then don't aerate you can end up with lower than desired PH levels.

I built my own with an aquarium dosing pump, digital timer and check valve. The cost was about 125$ with 50 Ft. of tubing. I keep it in the basement with a tube that runs to the spa outside. This commercial unit is similar for $290: https://www.rola-chem.com/peristaltic_pumps.html

You could try Bromine. MPurcell used it in the past. Maybe he can comment on this. Otherwise your stuck. Use the N2 and MPS, shock with chlorine to correct problems and wait for the chlorine to dissipate. One thing you could do is use bleach instead of dichlor. Bleach doesn't have CYA (a stabilizer that makes it last longer) so it will dissipate a bit quicker.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

The as needed part in the instructions means when the water gets cloudy, which it will become at some point based on my experience. With mineral products you are locked in a cycle of shocking to correct cloudy water. I found since I switched to the dichlor/bleach method I use a small amount of chlorine daily and never have to shock. I ended up using about the same amount of chlorine in the long run without the expense of the N2 stick. I end up with lower overall chlorine levels because I don't have to shock.

If you have WM you should do a purge with Ahh-some. I tried N2 and found I used just about as much chlorine as without. If you don't use the tub for a day or two and don't maintain a base level of at least .5 PPM the water will get cloudy. This tells me the N2 is not able to maintain water sanitation by itself without the addition of chlorine. You end up constantly shocking with chlorine to correct problems. I now use a low chlorine program where you add just enough chlorine to oxidize bather waste after each soak which leaves enough chlorine (.5 to 1 ppm) to maintain sanitation. To do this right you need to test at least once a day. I just added an automatic liquid chlorine dosing system that adds a very small amount of chlorine at different times during the day. I hope to use this to lower the amount of chlorine I use and keep the chlorine levels around .5. This will reduce the need for testing.

That was my intention as well. In my experience it did not help. I used the same amount of chlorine with or without it. It wasn't even able to keep the water clear when I didn't use the tub. My brother had the same experience. I decided it was a waste of money.

Send it back. It will not work without chlorine. If you use it by itself and the chlorine gets to zero for any length of time. Your water will get cloudy.

See this thread.

I still think it's bio film. That stuff can be suborn. It's also possible that it's some kind of scale build up. I would continue the purges. Maybe someone with more expertise can chime in here.

I doubt it's calcium stearate since you said the tub was 10 years old in your other post. That problem affected tubs manufactured more recently. The tissue paper like flakes sound like WM. There is a test. Gather some water with large white flakes in a small container like a shot glass. Add about 1/8th tsp of bleach if it dissolves it's WM. You may be dealing with multiple types of build up. Considering the age of the tub it wouldn't be unusual to have to run 3 or more Ahh-Some purges to clean it all out.