Onzen Frustration

[frustrated artic dude]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

[david_bilton]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

if you put arctic spa into this forum and read thru them you will find the arctic guys are here all the time trying to help people so don't give up hope if you have to give up the spa first and get a new one from someone else good luck

[david_bilton]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

try this vnelson@goarctic.com good luck

[mikeespinola]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

try this vnelson@goarctic.com good luck

I have owned an Arctic for almost two years with Onzen.It was a challenge to control the Bromine and the rising PH levels,but after 2-3 months it's piece of cake.Talk to James here on the forum and he will help you out.Cheers

[frustrated artic dude]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

try this vnelson@goarctic.com good luck

[frustrated artic dude]

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

try this vnelson@goarctic.com good luck

I have owned an Arctic for almost two years with Onzen.It was a challenge to control the Bromine and the rising PH levels,but after 2-3 months it's piece of cake.Talk to James here on the forum and he will help you out.Cheers

[frustrated artic dude]

JAMES , WHAT SPECIFIC THOUGHTS DO YOU HAVE? ALWAYS A HIGH PH , FILTER SYSYTEM DOES GET EVERTHING, I ROTATE THE FILTERS EVERY TWO WEEKS. NEED HELP . THANKS

[summit11]

Hi there,

I have passed your contact information to the head of our R&D this morning. He has tried both contact numbers that were attached to your email. He has told me he will continue to try to reach you. I know it can be a frustrating thing when you may get conflicting advice, however we are here to help. If you prefer, you may contact us directly at the factory - 1-800-309-1744.

Sincerely,

Vern

[Glid]

August 2008 delivery, zero trouble! Arctic Tundra SLE.

[Glid]

Oh, I almost forgot. Lose the cap lock!

[Spa God]

A lot of trouble with this Onzen system. I get calls asking if we can fix the issue because the local Arctic dealer Can't...

Just another in the myriad of gimicky fixes for water chemistry, add it to all the rest... There is only one product I use, and it is the only product other than ozone I have ever endorsed other than standard halogen based oxidizers in my 20+ years of Hot tubedness... Aqua Finesse... I sell 700+ kits a year and neverhave anyone go off of it, and it is $50.00 a month... no up front cost no service issues, and the water stays spot on... I use it on my spa, my showroom spa and all my customers spas, and the only thing i get back is referrals...

[Cloudy_Waters]

I feel your pain. We've had our tub for 8 months and we're on our third set of electrodes as well. It came with version 6, replaced with version 7 and now we have the "newer" version 7.

The factory, dealer and technicians that came out to fix the tub all have a different story about how to keep the tub working properly. The only common thread is that there is always some new expensive chemical to try.

They don't tell you at time of sale (or they didn't know) that hard water is a problem for the onzen system. The dealer has replaced them for free but now they've changed their tune and say water "quality" problems are not covered under warranty anymore.

One more problem and I'm going to rip out the onzen system and go to the standard bromine pucks or turn the stupid thing into a planter.....the jury is still out.

Cloudy_Waters

I HAVE OWNED MY TUNDRA ARTIC FOR ONE YEAR NOW!

ALL I HAVE HAD ARE TROUBLES AND HEADACHES WITH THE ONZEN SYSTEM. I AM ON REPLACING MY ELECTRODES FOR THE THIRD TIME!

ARTIC HAS NOT DELIVERED ON WHAT THEY SAY THEIR SYSTEM DOES. USE TOO MANY CHEMICALS , HOW LONG CAN WE GO UNTIL THEY FINALLY FIGURE THE ELECTRODES PROBLEM OUT.

I KNOW OF THREE OTHER INVIDIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE THOROUGH THE SAME THING I HAVE.

IT IS MIND BLOGGING TO THINK THAT THIS COMPANY CONTINUES TO SELL THIS PRODUCT, WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN EXPENSIVE UNIT HERE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER JOIN A FORUM TO SPEAK NEGATIVLEY ABOUT ANY PRODUCT. BUT THIS IS EASLIY ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WITH A PERSONAL PURCHASE--AN EXPENSIVE ONE AT THAT!!!

WILL NOT BE STOPPING HERE, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT AT THEIR COST. IF ANYONE FEELS THE SAME WAY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A RESPONSE.

I HOPE THAT MAYBE THE POOL AND SPA GUYS CAN SHED SOME LIGHT TO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME OUT.

THANKS FRUSTRATED ARTIC OWNER

[hottublady]

You might want to try Silk balance. I'm on it, it's pretty good stuff!

[Deadeye]

We've had our Arctic Spa with the Onzen for 2 years, (after owning a Cal-Spas tub for 11 years prior to this), and our dealer continually tells us we have no idea what we are doing with the water chemistry. We have followed instructions to the tee and this system is WAY more work than just having pucks and adjusting pH. The salt water is nice, but after all the frustration, not worth it. It starts clear, goes cloudy now milky. I would hate to count the number of service calls, has to be in excess of 20, and the number of times we have drained the tub to get the Onzen generator replaced, has to be at least 4 or 5 times. The dealers service rep (one that has been back numerous times) has complained we don't know what we are doing and he's not getting paid.

Arctic has not returned phone calls or emails, I quit trying after a year. This tub is good, but the service and the Onzen product... sucks. Last service call was last Wednesday, the chlorine is going down, the water is cloudy and in my opinion, the water is now over chemicalled. So we are thinking, back to the old standby, floating dispenser and thank god we kept it around, it has been getting a lot of use over the past 2 years

[James Keirstead]

We've had our Arctic Spa with the Onzen for 2 years, (after owning a Cal-Spas tub for 11 years prior to this), and our dealer continually tells us we have no idea what we are doing with the water chemistry. We have followed instructions to the tee and this system is WAY more work than just having pucks and adjusting pH. The salt water is nice, but after all the frustration, not worth it. It starts clear, goes cloudy now milky. I would hate to count the number of service calls, has to be in excess of 20, and the number of times we have drained the tub to get the Onzen generator replaced, has to be at least 4 or 5 times. The dealers service rep (one that has been back numerous times) has complained we don't know what we are doing and he's not getting paid.

Arctic has not returned phone calls or emails, I quit trying after a year. This tub is good, but the service and the Onzen product... sucks. Last service call was last Wednesday, the chlorine is going down, the water is cloudy and in my opinion, the water is now over chemicalled. So we are thinking, back to the old standby, floating dispenser and thank god we kept it around, it has been getting a lot of use over the past 2 years

Hey Deadeye,

Can you email me your serial number and I will look into your issues and see if I can help?

Kind regards,

James

[James Keirstead]

I feel your pain. We've had our tub for 8 months and we're on our third set of electrodes as well. It came with version 6, replaced with version 7 and now we have the "newer" version 7.

The factory, dealer and technicians that came out to fix the tub all have a different story about how to keep the tub working properly. The only common thread is that there is always some new expensive chemical to try.

They don't tell you at time of sale (or they didn't know) that hard water is a problem for the onzen system. The dealer has replaced them for free but now they've changed their tune and say water "quality" problems are not covered under warranty anymore.

One more problem and I'm going to rip out the onzen system and go to the standard bromine pucks or turn the stupid thing into a planter.....the jury is still out.

Cloudy_Waters

Hey Cloudy Waters,

I am sorry for your troubles with our onzen system. Can you send me your spa serial number and I will see if I can help?

Kind regards,

James

[James Keirstead]

JAMES , WHAT SPECIFIC THOUGHTS DO YOU HAVE? ALWAYS A HIGH PH , FILTER SYSYTEM DOES GET EVERTHING, I ROTATE THE FILTERS EVERY TWO WEEKS. NEED HELP . THANKS

Hello,

Sorry I haven't been able to get on the forums for some time. If you pm or email me with your details perhaps I can help.

Kind regards,

James

[Tub Daddy]

Hi There

Just got a new Kodiak spa with an Onzen system last week, and I am getting a bit worried based on my current experience and the information posted here.

I am still not getting any sanitizer, and the CP is set at 6.

The water is looking a bit greenish, and cloudy.

One of the diverters is sucking air.

The store is seemingly distancing itself, now that the spa has been delivered.

I paid a kings ransom for this thing. I bought into the whole "Arctic Spa Difference".

Have I been duped?

[4serendipity]

I have fielded more than a few calls about this very problem with the Onzen salt systems on arctic tubs. Some problems are easy to solve while others require more consideration but I am certain that I can shed some light on your situation.

The electrodes themselves work fine. The problem is that the electrodes are suceptible to scale formation which impacts the ability for the system to generate sanitizer. The tendancy for scale to form is exponentially higher depending on the users ability to maintain correct water chemistry. Essentially the system works great but has very little tolerance for imbalenced water before problems occur. Also the sanitizer output capacity of the early generations was barely adequate, but I believe that this is now resolved.

The scale formation is no different than that which caused early heating element failure which still is a rampant problem with most big name spa dealers. Again, the elements are fine but have a tendancy to accumulate scale which causes failure.

Calcium hardness, over 150 or 200 ppm or so will see scale formation. 400ppm, which would be fine, though high, in a chlorine or bromine based tub would almost certainly cause scale formation on the electrodes in a salt tub. Any salt tub, not just the Arctic Onzen.

In my professional opinion, the formation of scale and sensitivity to water chemistry are less of the problem, with the main problem being the servicability of the product. The filter in your tub needs service, however the design facilitates easy inspection, changing or cleaning of the integral components. Not so with an Onzen salt system. Not their fault really since it is too complicated of a system to have people servicing it themselves, but if it was easier to physically check the scale formation on the electrodes then this would result in a lot less worry for the spa owner.

I have a few clients running the new Onzen 7 and so far everyone is as pleased as can be. I tend to do a little more coaching than the typical contractor as long term satisfaction means a great deal to me and that might help with some of the smaller issues also.

FYI- Arctic also uses Genesis brand salt water systems which I have worked with for years with almost no problems. Highly recommended. I know some folks over at Arctic and they are on a whole different level than other hot tub retailers I have worked with. I have sold almost every brand of acrylic hot tub ever created, and I have built hundreds of concrete spas to boot so I know what I am looking for from a quality spa.

If you bought an arctic spa, you bought the highest quality acrylic hot tub in the world IMO. You pay for the quality, but if that concept surprises you then you must be from Mars. Onzen is good, service is top notch and quality is unsurpassed. That is, if you cant afford the concrete hot tub that I want to build you =).

I hope this information is helpful,

S

[Tub Daddy]

Thanks for your reply. It helps in the sense that all of my research into the selection of an Arctic Spa was valid. It also helps to provide me with a high level of expectation on the performance of the spa and the Onzen system.

So for all of that... Thank you.

This is a brand new tub, however. Ordered custom from the factory. Delivered and filled on July 27th. We had to wait three (3) months for the delivery - first order was the wrong tub colour, so they had to re-order.

So the electrodes should not have any scale build up. Also, although I don't know for sure, the system should be the latest and greatest - right?

I have had the CPxx setting at the highest level 6 for the last 7 days (It was at 4 prior to that), however I am still not getting any measurement on the sanitizer (Cl or Br).

We had a "technician" out yesterday to check it out. First thing he said was that we were not doing the chemicals correctly. He dumped a bunch of salt in, and claimed that the electrodes tested out fine. Checked the filter, etc. He waited for a bit and tested the water (I don't know how many test sticks he used, but I only have 3 left in the bottle now!!! - remember that this is only 11 days old!!) Said that the Br level was now in the normal range. WTF? It's a Cl/Salt system, we don't use the Br/Salt!

He said to wait a few hours and then the water should be fine and clear up.

Well, it's a day later and it still looks swampy! We are afraid to go into it, and we have not been in it for the last few days.

The tub engineering is excellent, but the service end is really starting to be non-existent.

I don't have a degree in chemistry, however I do have a BScIT, so I think I am capable of following the instructions. But for the life of me, I can't see what I am doing wrong. I don't mind paying for quality - that concept does NOT surprise me - however something with this just doesn't feel right.

Any other suggestions?

[4serendipity]

The concept of using test strips and adding salt leads me to think that the sodium level in your tub was not sufficient to generate enough sanitizer. Additionally by adding the salt he is softening the water. I would be interested to know what the calcium hardness was in the water. If you have not done so recently I would recommend to bring your water into the dealer and have it tested. Doing this is just part of spa ownership and can help to spot problems before they really become problems.

All that being said, I hear your position of the tub being brand new and you feel that the system should be up and running fine, but instead you are looking at a swampy hot tub wondering if you should go in. My advice is two part. One, do NOT go into the hot tub until you are certain that you have resolved any potential sanitizer issues with the water. Its not worth the risk.

The second part of my advice may sound like I am picking on you but I assure you that I am not. I completely understand your frustration in that you made an investement and you want to benefit from it. I can not tell you how many swimming pools I have built that turned green after the new owners took over. 99 times out of 100 this is due to a lack of understanding of water chemistry. Most specifically just to jump straight to the point, keeping a body of water completely sterile and pH netutral via chemicals in spite of constant temperature, UV, organic and biological exposure changes is complicated. Many pools and spas that I have built were for immensely intelligent, rich and powerful people that could buy and sell my meaningless arse any day of the week. Many of these people were hopeless with maintaining their water.

I have no doubt that you can follow instructions and I am hopeful that your spa technician knew his stuff. I would call your sales person directly and ask for some help on what to do next. If you are having problems then it is important to communicate clearly with the company and give them the opportunity to make it right. Once water has started to go off, it can take a little patience to get it back again. If the technician told you the tub would clear up in a time frame and you have waited this long plus a small reasonable period of additional time, then call them again.

In my opinion, a good company is not defined by how well they do, but how well they do when everything is going wrong. =)

I have not seen your water, and I do not know the whole story that leads you up to this point, but I do have customers on every generation of Onzen with great success. They love their systems. Keep me up to speed on this. I would be interested to know where it goes from here. Ideally you should be checking your water at your dealership every few days until the water is clear. They use a digital testing station which is much more advanced than in-field testing strips.

Good luck!

S

[north_of_boston]

I did have a minor problem - cloudy water. I have the Onzen system - delivery Jan 2010.

Fixed now.

1) Cleaned the filter

2) Had to chemical balance once, adding different things ...cleared it up in March.

3) While the water stayed crystal-clear - free chlorine was far too high as was the PH level (July) the remedy was Ph reducer for five straight days and turn down the onzen to CP 2.

Someone asked - what is the total maintenance time on the tub (Arctic Yukon) -- I have to tell them "oh, around 5 minutes a week, if even that..."

I've been lucky - with a great dealer. I was also insistent on ordering the latest generation.

I have no problems with my Arctic after 8 months and my wife and I love it. James is in here -- he can advise you.

[4serendipity]

Glad to hear that everything is working out well for you! The chlorine output of the Onzen system has a pH of 14 so it will continue to elevate the pH over time acting much like a trickle charger for a battery. By the time you have too much sanitizer in the water the pH will be way too high and it is harder to lower pH than raise it which is why you needed to add pH- for five days in a row.

As per my understanding of the sanitizer output of the Onzen it has very little output on the lower settings for tubs that see little use and contaminants where the higher CP settings create enough sanitizer for a "party tub". If it is just one or two people in the tub occasionally set the CP to 2 or so, where 4 is enough for most high exposure tubs.

Since the Ozone system cranks out somewhere in the range of 150mg of ozone per hour and takes care of the majority of the contaminants in the tub. You technically only need about .5 ppm of sanitizer in the water with this system. Up to 3ppm is fine, but less is better to minimize any negative effects on people with sensitive skin.

A range of 1-5ppm of sanitizer is given as accetpable since maintaining an exact .5ppm is difficult to be sure. Having 0ppm is totally unacceptable and unsafe and most people are fine with 1-3ppm and even up to 5ppm for most people. I keep my personal tub at between .5 and 1ppm of sanitizer and use a digital tester for keeping the pH as close to 7.4 as possible. TA at around 60ppm and calcium hardness of around 150ppm to helo keep any bubbles from forming.

For the original poster of this thread, as you can see there is a little learning curve to the Onzen but once you get it under control you will have a relatively maintenance free system.

S

[medicineman]

People... please understand that salt water (bromine or chlorine) is having issues for a lot of manufacturers. I have personally tried 3 different units on our spas (for 6 months each) and have had limited success. That being said, we sell 700 swimming pools a year on salt and have no problems.

There are problems here that need to be figured out by people much smarter than you (or me). Until that day, do not put much faith in this technology for spas.

Or, if you buy a Porsche, expect to pay the serviceman for the big stuff........(and learn how to change the oil yourself).

[Tub Daddy]

Well, I still don't seem to have any sanitizer being produced. The water samples tested at the dealer show all of the other chemicals at the correct levels. Chlorine levels at 0.

I spent another $100 on a new "better" filter. Apparently the pleated, reusable filters are "hands down" better. At least that's what the Customer Service Manager told us. If that's the case, why then does the install come with a filter of lesser quality? I want to say that the water is a little better, but it is still not even close to the showroom crystal clear.

I was told to add more salt! Apparently the manufacturers suggestion (5.5 lbs for the Kodiak) is not sufficient in order to start the Cl production. I can actually start to taste the salt, so I know the content is at or above 3500ppm. (Humans have a salt taste threshold of around 3,500 ppm.)

So the saga continues.... Thanks for your suggestions and feedback. And thanks for listening.

And to medicineman: Yes I bought the Porsche of Hot tubs, but I feel like I am driving a Fiat!