New Marquis Epic owner needs startup info

[Tommithy]

Ok, so I've been lurking here and the "other" board for a while and have finally decided to ask my first question.  Tomorrow is delivery day for my new Marquis Epic and I'd like get some startup info.  I'll be filling it as soon as it's delivered, hooking up power, etc but need to know what chemicals to add and in what order.  I plan on using the built in spa frog system.

[spa_dr.]

great spa, congrats on your purchase.
I am a Marquis dealer amongst other brands( D-1 and Clearwater)
what I tell my customers to do @ start up is to
1 while filling add stain and scale 2oz
2 once filled and running add 2oz of non-chlorine shock
3 add 2 tablespoons of bromine concentrate
4 open your frog mineral cart to #6
5 open bromine cart to # corisponding with average bather load (you will be fine tuning this for a while)
6 when water is desired temp test ph alk brom and adjust accordingly


hope this helps

[Bonibelle]

Congratulations Tommithy, You are going to be so happy with your choice.
I can tell you the instructions that I got for start up from my dealer when I got my Epic. I have a feeling that your dealer will probably walk you through all of this anyway.

Start UP;
Add 1 oz. of Stain and Scale Control while filling

Fill tub with fresh water to about and inch below the top of the vortex skimmer lid and run for about 30 mins.

Test water using test strips as per directions on the side of test strip bottle. The test strips will suggest ideal ranges for pH and total Alkalinity. Always adjust TA first, then pH, if necessary. Dosage guidelines are on charts on the back of the chemical containers.

After adjusting TA and pH, add Enhanced Spa Shock 1 TBSP per 100 gal (your tub is 450 gal) Next adjust the Frog Mineral Cartridge setting to 6 and install the cartridge into the inline feeder. Allow the temperature to reach the set point (It may take up to 24 hours)
Next adjust the Bromine Cartridge setting to 2 and place into the in-line feeder.  Monitor the Bromine level over the next week adjusting the setting accordingly to maintain 3-5ppm Bromine residual on your test strip

Calcuium Hardness should be in the range of 100-150 ppm. Adjust Calciul within the first couple of days is fine. figure your total dosage and add to your water 50% at a time a couple of hours apart.

Weekly: Test water using Aquacheck Bromine test strips several times a week and adjust accordingly
Shock with 1 level TBSP per 100 gallons with Enhanced Spa Shock.

This was given to me by my dealer, I have copied it as it appears and I hope Drew doesn't report me for plagerism..but I view this as a type of Chemical formula, not an original text...

[Bonibelle]

Woops, spa Dr..you type faster than I do, and probably know all of this off the top of your head. I think we have basically the same procedure.
I will say though, it took me a while to get the in line frog thing right..
Finally, on Chas advice, I dumped and started over and now I love that system...I think once you get a routine as far as bather load, it really makes things simple  

Best of luck Tommathy.... You'll be soaking by tomorrow night!

[spa_dr.]

I don't think that there is anyone I type faster than. My typing shills skuc

[Kyle]

Don't forget to try out the Green Bromine cartridge...it hold 50 more grams of bromine than the yellow cartridge.

Remember to let the spa heat before you insert the bromine cartridge.

[Tommithy]

I did get some spare green bromine cartridges.  The dealer directed me towards those VS the yellow ones they carry as well.

How important is the Stain and Scale?  I do not have any of that.  

Oh, and THANKS!! for your help so far.

[spa_dr.]

How important is the Stain and Scale?  I do not have any of that.  
 
Oh, and THANKS!! for your help so far.



It depends on calcium and mineral levles in you water in NE Wisconsin we have very hard water, Iuse 2oz of stain and scale weekly.

[Bonibelle]

I have well water that contains a bit of iron, so I use the stain and scale at start-up

[Alex1]

Congrats on your purchase. We took delivery of our Epic last October. Very happy!! have never used  stain and scale. never had a need to. I keep the frog at 2 also and it seems to work out well. I use MPS shock once a week. You will have a routine in no time. 8-)

[DPS]

I have an Epic and we have sold a very large number to customers in our area.  Stain and Scale isn't necessary here.  It will depend on the amount of minerals in your water.  My bromine cartridge stays set on 3 for my Epic.  This should keep the correct - low - level of bromine in your water.   I recommend leaving the filter cycles set for 2 hours twice each day.  It will run an automatic smart logic cycle after anyone uses it to filter, sanitize, and oxidize.  When you have high bather load (more people in spa, people staying longer in the spa, kids in the spa) just give it a little extra granular chlorine or bromine afterwards.  If you have any questions, ask your dealer or any one of several on this forum with experience using this system.

Congratulations!

[Tommithy]

Thanks all for your startup info!!  We've been enjoying the spa for 3 days now.  After delivery we hooked up the power, filled it with water, etc and 7 hours later it was 102 and ready to hop in.  I was amazed at how fast it heated up.  A coworker of mine has an older tub and thought that it would take days for mine to heat up.  He was suprised as well as I was as to how fast this thing heated.  40 degrees in 7 hours.

So far I've only had to adjust the water hardness as our city water is a little soft.  Everything else looks pretty good although I'm going out today to get a Taylor test kit as I hate those little strips.  They are hard for me to read.

[Tommithy]

Well I got the Taylor test kit and discovered that my bromine levels are through the roof.    Like 20+ PPM.  I've shut the spa frog to 0 until it comes down.  Any good ways to help quicken the process?

[Bonibelle]

Oh Boy!  I did the same thing, that frog can be a pain until you get used to it. My bromine levels were flying and then would drop and the tub would cloud up because I cut the cartridge back too much.
Apparently bromine doesn't dissipate as easily as chlorine, I tired running the tub with the top open and air jets on but it didn't do much.
Believe it or not, the fastest way to get the level down is to use the tub. We would go in and shower afterward. The levels will drop, just be sure that you watch them until you see the residual that you want in the tub. If you don't test, and adjust that cartridge, you could end up with a cloudy tub. Be alert to your bather load. typically they tell you to shock once a week, but if you are using the tub a lot, you may need to shock more often.  I think I broke the record for the time it took to learn how to deal with the frog...but now I love it   good luck!

[Tommithy]

Thanks Bonibelle!!  We've been using it every night but I didn't shut down the frog until last night after I tested it with the Taylor kit.  Guess we'll have to use it every night.  Oh darn.  

How long did it take for your levels to drop?