Marquis de Spa Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I posted this as a reply, but I think it might merit its own thread: The FROG. I've come to HATE it. I have the built-in one as well. (I used the 3-step bromine) FIRST, there's no way to really know how much bromine is left in the cartridge. You have to unscrew the cap, then the cartridge holder, and then remove the cartridge. There's still no way to tell if there's any bromine left, so you let it drain and then shake it. If you can feel some shaking around, you know there's "some" left but not how much. So, lather, rinse and repeat every couple of days after it's been in there a few weeks. Or just wait til the water turns funky at some entirely unpredictable time ... But NO, you can't just open up the cartridge and refill it every now and then, as you could with a floater. A hassle and a waste of time and bromine! SECOND, what's that you say? Why not just test the sanitizer level and replace the cart when it drops way low? Because it's near IMPOSSIBLE to keep the sanitizer within range even with a new cartridge. Snap in a new one, dial it to three or even two, and in a day or so the sanitizer level is off the charts and your skin is falling off. So you dial it down to one, wait a week or so, and the sanitizer level is still off the charts. So you continue to screw around with the "no hassle" spa frog, and simply REMOVE it altogether. After about another week, the sanitizer level is within range for a day and then drops off. So you put the cart back in at level one, and the sanitizer drops to near zero. Set it at two or three again, the sanitizer remains at zero. Set it at four, and no change. So you add dichlor. . . On and on. I have never had the sanitizer in the proper range for more than a day. I guess it was a BAD idea to buy a whole case of carts. I'm getting a floater: it must be easier to check (just fill it every few weeks) and it can't possibly be less capable of keeping the sanitizer in the zone. Or I might just go to dichlor/bleach. I use the tub daily, so how hard can it be to add just a bit of dichlor each time. All I know is that the FROG -- supposedly the hassle-free way of dealing with sanitizer -- is just the opposite. It's a MAJOR headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa_Guru Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 In line feeders can vary in feed rate according to heat of the water, how far open the cartridge is, or number of hours filtered. The bather load also is a determining factor for bromine level. If you aren't getting precision because of these four factors, you won't get it from a floater either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquis de Spa Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 All of those factors are constant. Temperature is set, same bather load, same filtration cycle. It's as if the new cartridges release ALL of the bromine within an hour of being installed. Ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njmurvin Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Do you have an established bromide reserve (i.e. did you add sodium bromide when you filled)? I had a Frog floater that came with my spa (mineral and bromine cartridges). I dumped it for a basic floater and now use bromine tablets. I have mine open only about 3/8 inch and, between the bromine and the ozonator (which only runs about 4hrs on my spa), it keeps my sanitizer in the 5-6 range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquis de Spa Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I do have an established bromide reserve. And I just checked the sanitizer level (Frog opened up to three yesterday, even though that initial setting sent the sanitizer through the roof) and sanitizer remains at zero. Added about a half tsp of dichlor and opened Frog to five, fwiw. But yeah, I'm going to Fleet Farm tomorrow to get a floater and tablets. I'm sure to save money, too. (Mineral cartridge, yeah, right, I'm gonna spend 20+ bucks a month for snake oil.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spawn Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Don't run to Fleet Farm just yet. If you are a daily soaker, as you say, the dichlor-bleach method could be a good way to go. It will certainly be cheaper and you can easily adjust it to your use - maybe you stay in a little longer or shorter or miss a couple of days. Given your frustrations with bromine you may want to consdier dichlor-bleach which works great for many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 If you cannot maintain a bromine level in the spa then something is growing and depleting the sanitizer. You need to shock (I would use bleach). You may need to shock more than once. Even if you are a daily soaker the bromine should rise up to where it needs to be by the next day (IF you have everything adjusted properly) even though it might be low right after a soak. (so will chlorine). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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