Onzen - Proper Setup and Operation

[teralux]

I have a 2010 Artic Spas Cub that I recently purchased and added an Onzen system to. I've never been able to get the pH level below 8.0 even though all of the other readings seem ok, so I decided to do a bunch of research online to figure out what I was doing wrong. After doing a lot of reading I am even more confused.

Artic Spas has many different pieces of documentation that all have wildly different recommendations for the qty of salt required. Some say 2200ppm is ideal, others say 1500-1800ppm and a few mention 2500-3000ppm. They also mention in some places that anything under 2000ppm won't work, and then on another page it will say anything over 2000ppm is overkill!!! The dealer seems to be completely clueless and everyone gives me totally different recommendations.

My setup is: 2010 Artic Spas Cub with Gecko controller, Standalone Onzen v8 electrode wired in to the "Circulation Pump" on the Gecko controller, with the CP setting set to 1 (4 hours/day), Del Ozone CDS-16PRBF ozone generator from 2010 which still appears to work. My filter frequency (FF) is 4 and my filter duration (FD) is 1.

My usage is: 1-2 people daily for 20 minutes.

So my questions are:

1. What is the recommended salt level for a standalone onzen system using what I believe to be a version 8 electrode (3 plate)? 1500-1800ppm?
2. Does the onzen run during the filter cycles or just the CP cycles?
3. Does the ozone only run during the filter cycles or does it run during the CP cycle, what about during use with pumps on high?
4. Is it ok to run the onzen on CP with no pumps running?
5. How does one control the pH with Onzen? Do people attempt to get it down in to the ideal range (7.2-7.6) or just live with it being 8+ all the time?
6. Is there any publicly available information on the Gecko controller? Spefically I'd like to know what the sequence of operations is.

The most informative guide I have found is this: http://splashottawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Onzen-Manual.pdf however I don't know if the salt values can be trusted?

Thank you in advance for any help! I am enjoying the hot tub, but would like to get it dialed in properly.

[ratchett]

21 hours ago, teralux said:

Del Ozone CDS-16PRBF ozone generator from 2010 which still appears to work

Why do you think that?  Because you're seeing bubbles when the ozonator is running?  That's the mazzei injector which sucks the ozone (and air) into a stream of water running through the line.  Just because you're seeing bubbles when the jets are off from the vent doesn't guarantee ozone is being generated.    Given the age, I'm dubious that it is still functional and producing ozone after twelve years (the lifespan on my Hotspring's ozonator is like three years).

I'm afraid my knowledge of saltwater comes from pools and Hotspring Spas so I won't be able to help much with the Arctic Onzen system.

However, I know that saltwater generation does require soft water - softer than usual.   If you have hard water you likely either need to use a portable water softening unit or a vanishing act pillow (hotspring product - single use) to lower the hardness after filling.

Additionally, phosphate levels have a major impact on the lifespan of the salt cells in the system.  The lower the better (none if you can help it!) - phosphates can come from many sources (moisturizers/lotions on skin, fertilizers, even some soapy clothing detergents used to wash bathing suits).   High phosphates can kill a Hotspring salt cell (built to last four months) in less than six weeks so it's certainly something to keep in mind while messing with the system.

 

Best of luck to you sorting things out.  I have a saltwater pool (which works great), and my hotspring is compatible with the latest generation Saltwater technology from them - but I still opted to skip saltwater in my hot tub.  It's more of a hassle than it's worth (in my opinion).