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HotSpring Prodigy inconsistent low salt level error + black flakes


MrSkinny

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I'm seeing two issues with my HotSpring Prodigy Spa and I'm not sure if they are related:

  1. When I view the status of the hot tub it's showing low levels of salt. When I press the actual test button it checks the salt levels again and returns a much higher level. Based on the amount of salt I added I'm guessing the result of actually running the test is the correct reading but I'm not sure.
  2. There are black flakes coming out of the vent at the bottom of the tub. I've cleaned them out a few times but they keep coming. They look more like the remains of a valve or seal that's breaking down than anything else but I can't see any leaks or anything obvious when I pull off the panel.

I've been able to get around the first issue by adding more salt. When I run the test it's not too high that it's in the red and when it's running normally the status isn't too low to trigger the low levels error. 

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  1. The salt system test is measuring the electrical conductivity of the water between the two electrodes of the salt cell.  This is not a perfect test - the cell's electrodes can give false readings if coated in calcium/scale buildup, or I think even if phosphate levels are too high.   Do not trust that salt test report entirely - always get a secondary test kit for saltwater setups to confirm your salt levels are within proper range.
  2. You can test the black flakes by putting them in heavy concentrated chlorine solution and see if they dissolve or not - if they dissolve it's biological, if not then it's possibly a seal or something else.  Try taking some pictures of these black bits, maybe someone can identify them for you.
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Sounds like the carbon rods/electrodes are decaying and flaking off. I don't know anything about the Hot Springs system however in the Genesis bromine generators they have carbon rods that decay and flake black bits into the water. Have seen the rods whittled down to pencils. 

electrode - Bromine Systems - Parts and Accessories - Swim Spas and Hot Tubs  | Hydropool Store - Shop - Hydropool Hot Tubs, Swim Spas and Accessories

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Thanks for the reply's! @ratchett I've tried cleaning the Ace cell a few times so it could be just end of life. Not sure how old it is since we've only owned the house for about a year. This sounds like a good guess as to what the issue might be.

@CanadianSpaTech the cell has a plastic shell to it so it's hard tell if there are carbon rods inside or not.

 

I think I'll try giving the cell one last clean to see if that fixes it. If not I'll go ahead and replace the cell.

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On 9/25/2022 at 12:23 PM, MrSkinny said:

Thanks for the reply's! @ratchett I've tried cleaning the Ace cell a few times so it could be just end of life. Not sure how old it is since we've only owned the house for about a year. This sounds like a good guess as to what the issue might be.

The lifespan of salt cells depends heavily on phosphate levels in the water.   High phosphates can kill an ACE salt cell in as little as 18 months.  Since you're the second owner of the home/spa, who knows how the previous owners maintained the spa or how high phosphate levels got when they used it.

Personally, I'm not a fan of any trickle-feed sanitizer system as it makes people lazy assuming that it's working when it really might not be producing adequate chlorine to keep your water clean.  I prefer dosing my tub with a bit of granular chlorine to clean, and letting my ozonator and silver mineral cartridge reduce my overall need for sanitizer by keeping the water clean when not in use.  Yes I need to drain/refill a bit more often, but that's a good excuse to purge the plumbing and reduce biofilm buildup.  With my setup I use a spring-loaded dosed sugar dispenser so it's easy for guests - after each soak, add one click per person (per 30 minutes of use, rounding up).

Saltwater systems are more hassle (and expensive) than they're worth for the convenience. Water chemistry must be within proper ranges to generate adequate chlorine, which we all know not everyone does properly.   Overall I spend around $25 in chemicals plus $90 in silver mineral cartridges per year to keep my water clean - far more economical than any saltwater setup I've seen so far

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  • 1 month later...

Just thought I'd follow up. Ace Cell needed replacing. Glad I ended up buying some salt strips because the salt level was waaaayyyy too high. Drained and refilled the tub and put a new cell in. So far it's working great and I haven't seen any flakes coming out of the bottom vent.

 

I'm very happy with the cell I got off amazon which is apparently made by "The Hot Tub Wizard"

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