Bromine Spa (Spa Frog) - Mps Use (Frequency)

[Guest]

So this past weekend I did the ahh-some cleanse and then a super-chlorination on my 420 gallon spa (with ozonator). I had previously had issues with the first fill on this tub (previous thread is somewhere) and I finally got around to the decontamination and sanitation that was suggested. It needed it - the water was VERY BAD last week.

I have refilled the water, balanced it (ph=7.5, alk=115, CH=205). Once the spa came to temperature (102) I put in some sodium bromide to start the bank and put in the Spa Frog floater with both cartridges open to 6. I then put in the Spa Frog JumpStart package (dichlor).

The water looks PERFECT. Crystal clear. No odor. PERFECT. Now I want to keep it this way.

I tested this after I threw the JumpStart in yesterday and BR was at 7.2. This morning it's down to 2.8. I am going to check it again tomorrow (I am not at home today) to make sure it doesn't flatline.

Here's my question - do I need to / how often do I need to use MPS with this setup? The bottle says 3 ounces after each spa use or weekly, but I thought my dealer told me that with the spa frog I didn't need to do so much. This part is VERY confusing to me. We typically use the tub 30-60 minutes (1 or 2 people, 30 minutes each), 3 times per week. Do I really need to throw all that MPS in each time, or just weekly, or not at all?

I really don't want to sour my brand new, crystal clear, water.

THANKS!!!

[chem geek]

The Spa Frog adds bromine to the spa just like a bromine floater would (it does other things as well, but we're talking about the bromine to oxidize bather waste). However, it probably is designed to maintain a background dose of bromine and that is not enough to handle very much bather load. You likely need to add almost as much oxidizer after a soak as you would if you did not have a Spa Frog or a floater. That means roughly 3-1/2 teaspoons of Dichlor or 3-1/2 fluid ounces of 8.25% bleach or 7 teaspoons of non-chlorine shock (43% MPS). 1-2 people for 30 minutes is 0.5 to 1.0 person-hours so would need 3-1/2 to 7 teaspoons of MPS which is roughly 0.8 to 1.6 ounces weight of MPS product. 3 ounces sounds high for each use. However, the REAL rule is to add whatever amount is necessary after a soak such that you maintain a proper residual 24-hours after your soak, so roughly end up at 2-4 ppm Bromine 24-hours later (assuming that's your background bromine level in between soaks when you aren't soaking).

[Guest]

THANK YOU!!!

[Guest]

OK now I am a bit annoyed / concerned. I was out of town yesterday and today, arriving home at 6pm. I checked on the spa and tested the water. Water is still perfectly clear, however the BR is testing at 0.2. I am starting to think the damn Spa Frog isn't working or something.

We have not used the tub since I did the ahh-some and super-chlorination - just getting it ramped up and trying to get it balanced.

What the HECK is going on???

[chem geek]

I don't know. Assuming you added enough oxidizer after your last soak to handle your bather waste, then if the Spa Frog is working it should maintain the bromine level. You can try bromine tabs in a floater to see if that works and if it does then it's likely the Spa Frog that is the problem.

[Guest]

Thanks chem geek - no bather waste - we haven't been in it since the refill. I Amazon Primed a floater and Bromine tabs - I am hoping that does the trick!