My dealer is authorized and I saw that in the manual, but why is it that you can not use tablets from my understanding if a chunk of the tablets fell off and stayed on the liner it would not be a good thing. But if it's in the feeder and is slowly dissolving then is that not the same as putting powder in?
The Spa Frog sounds interesting.
Never had a spa or pool, before so I'm willing to try other methods, I only have the started kit of chemicals and that will last 2-3 months then I can switch over to something else.
The Spa Frog is a decent addition. They are expensive (as are many 'spa' tools) for what they are, but Silver has been used for centuries as a sterilizer. You'll want to replace it every year or so. Each chemical has it's own action on either stabilizing the water chemistry or sterilization.
Others here are probably more knowledgable (and hopefully will chime in), but I'm a big fan of bromine over chlorine. The irritation is far less (and there is some relationship between chloramines and respiratory issues like asthma - chloramines are created when nitrogen-containing compounds in urine or sweat react with chlorine). I also find I need far less bromine to maintain my levels than folks seem to use with chlorine. Total cost of ownership calculations and far more pleasant to the nose, skin, and optional cloths tell me Bromine is a better solution for us.
My water treatment runs like this:
Test the water once the spa is up to temperature, only add chemicals when pump is running to immediately help dissolve and circulate. I have a 220, so my water volume means my chemistry changes faster than larger spas.
Adjust the TA first. As Chem Geek alluded, TA acts as a buffer system akin to bicarbonate in your blood stream to suppress pH fluctuations. Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) or Baking soda/bicarbonate (NaHCO3) raises TA, Sodium Bisulfate (NaSO2) lowers TA. I add 5 ml (about 6 gms) at a time -- adjust your chemistry slowly to avoid overshooting your target. I shoot for 100 ppm.
Adjust pH next. My target=7.5. Na2CO3 raises pH, NaSO2 lowers it. (Note that the same chemicals are used, so this WILL affect the TA. You can use alternatives such as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) to raise the pH or muriatic acid (HCl) to lower it. Hopefully it is obvious that these alternatives are very strong bases and acids, and care must be used when handling them.
Now adjust Br. My target = 4 ppm. I don't use tabs or a floater, but rather add in the granular powder. The label tells me that our bromine granules are actually a blend of NaBr (15%) and DiChlor (~83%). Just calculating the Br (and Cl content) as ppm needs or for normal folk, the amount of gms needed to boost my 757L (200 gal) spa 1 ppm is about 16gm of granules. This assumes no losses due to any other chemistry going on. So I only change things in my spa by 5-15 ml scoop of chemical at a time.
Finally, I check the hardness with a target of 300-400 ppm. If too hard, I have to drain the spa some. The amount I drain is relative to how over I would be (20% over means 20% drained). If I'm under, I add a bit of CaCl2.
Each chemical adjustment I make is done with the pump running, at temp. I wait an hour before making additional tests/adjustments.