Problem With Bromine Level In Epic

[MarkWindsurfer]

I have a Marquis Epic. I has been great for 2 years. I have always set Br cartridge to 2 and it held bromine level just fine. Now for the past couple of months, the Br levels keeps dropping to nearly zero. I changed cartridge, put in a little powder to get the level good, then within a week the Br dropped low again. Then raised cartridge level to 3 still dropped. Today set to 4. What is going on ?

thanks!!

mark.

[Mikey_in_NY]

I have a Marquis Epic. I has been great for 2 years. I have always set Br cartridge to 2 and it held bromine level just fine. Now for the past couple of months, the Br levels keeps dropping to nearly zero. I changed cartridge, put in a little powder to get the level good, then within a week the Br dropped low again. Then raised cartridge level to 3 still dropped. Today set to 4. What is going on ?

thanks!!

mark.

Does your tub have an ozonator? I only ask because this may well have stopped generating ozone after two years and, if so, could be the reason for your chemistry going awol.

[THE SPA GUY]

I would agree with Mikey on this one, for it to be working great then stop, Ozone could have failed and bromine working harder to control bacteria, check your ozone for the light , you might check out the check valve it may have failed

[MarkWindsurfer]

I would agree with Mikey on this one, for it to be working great then stop, Ozone could have failed and bromine working harder to control bacteria, check your ozone for the light , you might check out the check valve it may have failed

yes, I do have an ozonator. The problem started when I changed my water the last time -- I used a spa flush and was surprised to see a yellow film line at the water level. Was this a mistake to use this -- and could this have knocked out the ozonator ? Where do I find the "light for the ozone" ?

thanks!

mark.

[Mikey_in_NY]

Sounds like this spa flush removed a load of gunk in your plumbing, which has lead to your bromine having to deal with a load more work, so I doubt the ozonator is culprit.

The ozonator is typically a smallish rectangular box - take off your access panel and trace the small (approx 1/4" or 3/8") tubing back from where the ozone enters your tub and you'll find it. There should be a small LED light on the box, which is usually lit. But again, I don't think this is the issue.

If you still have this yellow film line it might be better to decontaminate your tub and start over - you can find instructions for this (posted by Nitro) in the water chemistry forum.

[MarkWindsurfer]

Sounds like this spa flush removed a load of gunk in your plumbing, which has lead to your bromine having to deal with a load more work, so I doubt the ozonator is culprit.

The ozonator is typically a smallish rectangular box - take off your access panel and trace the small (approx 1/4" or 3/8") tubing back from where the ozone enters your tub and you'll find it. There should be a small LED light on the box, which is usually lit. But again, I don't think this is the issue.

If you still have this yellow film line it might be better to decontaminate your tub and start over - you can find instructions for this (posted by Nitro) in the water chemistry forum.

Hi Mikey and Spa Guy,

The water in the tub is clear, no yellow line -- that was gone after I flushed and wiped it away.

I have verified that the ozonator light is on -- glowing as expected. However, I checked the check valve by blowing in the ozonotor side of the valve -- per the instructions -- and is definitely clogged - as you have suggested. So, we know for sure that the valve is clogged and needs to be changed. But, my question is:

There is a yellow substance sitting in the clear tube going from the ozonator to the inside of the tub. It sits at the low points of the clear tube -- the tube is coiled, and so I can see it at every low spot of the tube. Is this normal residue associated with the gas and moisture of the ozonator -- or the source of the clog ? -- could the Spa Flush have released released the gunk that have also gunked up the clear line and the check valve ? So, do I have to find a way to flush that clear line of the gunk ? I am a little panicked......

thanks for your help,

mark.

[Mikey_in_NY]

Mark,

My understanding is that it's not 'normal' to have this yellow substance in the tubing, but maybe other members can comment on that if I'm wrong.

From what you say about the check valve being bloacked I can only assume there are no bubbles coming from your ozonator - is this correct? Assuming it is I'd suggest you clean out the tubing and the ozonator check valve to get your ozonator back in action, then monitor the water chemistry for a few days to see if it gets back in balance.

[Markee]

The yellow/gold color in the ozone tube is normal. It's most likely an interaction between the ozone and the minerals in your water. You might try replacing the check valve

[MarkWindsurfer]

The yellow/gold color in the ozone tube is normal. It's most likely an interaction between the ozone and the minerals in your water. You might try replacing the check valve

Hi Markee,

thanks much. My Marquis maintenance guy came out and verified that the check valve is gone -- he also said that the ozonator had also failed at the same time..... Further he indicated that the line upstream of the check valve (going to the spa) had water and residues that he needed to flush.

I had never used any extra flush during water drain, until this last time when I used the Spa Flush, and it seemed to release alot of residues -- which I thought was a good thing, until I realized that the ozonator had been fried. Should I use something else at the time of water change to flush out system to keep such residues from building up -- besides the "Spa Flush" or maybe nothing at all ?

thanks!

mark.

[MarkWindsurfer]

The yellow/gold color in the ozone tube is normal. It's most likely an interaction between the ozone and the minerals in your water. You might try replacing the check valve

Hi Markee, Mikey and Spa Guy,

The ozonator was fixed and tubes cleaned. The water quality is good and sparkling. But, I am still not able to keep bromide at correct level. I started with cartridge at 2, then 3, then 4. Still no change on test strip. I tried changing to a new cartridge even though previous one was not old. Still nothing. I pulled the cartridge holder out and saw that the water was swirling..... so, is there something in the water that is clogging the bromide ? Can it be some gunk still in the pipes that is in the line going to the cartridges and clogging them up ?

any ideas would be appreciated....

thanks!

mark.