New Spa Owner with Water questions for the experts

[macmanjpc]

Hi All,

Happy to report my new Caldera Niagara is set up and running! Been about three weeks now and it's been a steep learning curve with regards to the water maintenance stuff. Hope you can shed some light on a couple questions...

1) I'm using the built in bromine Frog system. Ph, Alk and Hardness are all in the OK zone on my test strips. After 3 weeks I still don't show any bromine in my tub. I have the Bromine Frog set to #6 (maximum), I add 1 tbsp of non-chlorine shock every evening after use and 1 tbsp of Spalife EZ Brom Brominating Granules once per week. If I test strip an hour after either of those applications I'll show bromine. If I test 12 hours later... nothing.

2) My water is almost always a clear pale green. A couple times it was clear bluish but will always turn pale green again after shocking. I added a Metal Out product at filling (we're on ground water from a municipal water tower with high copper and iron content, however, after treatment the spa store water analysis shows zero metals). My filter was solid orange after the first couple days (which I thoroughly cleaned). I add a couple more tablespoons of the metal out weekly as directed.

3) Ring around the Tub. I keep getting a yellow ring around the tub above the water line. I remove with a microfibre cloth but it comes back a few days later. I've added the recommended levels of Stain & Scale but it does't seem to help. It's better than it was once when it was freshly filled but I had hoped this wasn't a permanently reoccurring thing. The tub shell is arctic white so it shows quite dramatically.

4) How often should I need to top up water in the tub? It seems I'm down about an inch per week. Is this normal? We've been using it daily with between 2 and 4 people per use. Temp is between 100-103º F. Ambient Temp between 75-85º.

Thanks for any guidance on these questions.

Jason.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  With your feeder at 6 and adding granular bromine the level should be off the chart or your bleaching the strip.   Hows it smell, do you smell like bromine when you get out?    Losing an 1" is normal specially in the Summer.    I would stop shocking after use and go to once a week. 

[macmanjpc]

  With your feeder at 6 and adding granular bromine the level should be off the chart or your bleaching the strip.   Hows it smell, do you smell like bromine when you get out?    Losing an 1" is normal specially in the Summer.    I would stop shocking after use and go to once a week.

Doesn’t smell like bromine. I feel like the frog isn’t working. It feels like the frog cartridge is still 2/3 - 3/4 full and it’s been in use for three weeks. I don’t understand how it couldn’t be around my though. Water pumps out of the top when I remove the cartridge and I can see the open holes on the frog cartridge.