Caldera Warranty & Liquid Chlorine

[Srbinette]

I’m aware of the dichlor/bleach method and would like to try it (especially since my CYA is currently at 50ppm and I don’t want to drain/refill at the moment) but my Caldera manual does not list sodium hypochlorite as an approved sanitizer and states that using sanitizers not approved by Watkins can void warranty. What do I do?? We currently have the @ease frog system which worked great until I ran out of granules while we were away and needed to do a heavy shocking (dichlor) of my tub when I came back to green tinted hot tub water. I also don’t like that I can’t check for combined chlorine. Dichlor alone will only work for so long because of the CYA.

 

[HermanTX]

I’m aware of the dichlor/bleach method and would like to try it (especially since my CYA is currently at 50ppm and I don’t want to drain/refill at the moment) but my Caldera manual does not list sodium hypochlorite as an approved sanitizer and states that using sanitizers not approved by Watkins can void warranty. What do I do?? We currently have the @ease frog system which worked great until I ran out of granules while we were away and needed to do a heavy shocking (dichlor) of my tub when I came back to green tinted hot tub water. I also don’t like that I can’t check for combined chlorine. Dichlor alone will only work for so long because of the CYA.

@ease Frog states it is 0.5% Silver Chloride and 99.5% other ingredients. It also states that it uses 75% less chlorine however it still uses chlorine. Dichlor is chlorine. Bleach is chlorine that is sodium hypochlorite.

What are the approved sanitizers?

 

[Srbinette]

@ease Frog states it is 0.5% Silver Chloride and 99.5% other ingredients. It also states that it uses 75% less chlorine however it still uses chlorine. Dichlor is chlorine. Bleach is chlorine that is sodium hypochlorite.

What are the approved sanitizers?

The manual says dichlor and the frog@ease for chlorine options.

 

[HermanTX]

The manual says dichlor and the frog@ease for chlorine options.

dichlor is 55-60% chlorine so if you wish to stick with that then that is fine.

 

[Mdragger88]

If you had green water it’s probably time for a purge, drain & refill.
Liquid chlorine is fine to use so long as you don’t pour it onto the shell & add it slowly to the water infront of a running return as we suggest.
My manual says to pour dichlor directly into the skimmer which I know is a no,no.
tbh There is no way for them to know if you use liquid chlorine. Once the chlorine is in the water its all fc - just like any other form. Minus the dreaded cya buildup & extra acidity of course.
Add your spa info to your signature.
Not sure of your volume but here’s an example of what equivalent fc doses of each will do in a typical 400 gal tub.

 

[RDspaguy]

As near as I can figure, it's more a misuse and spill issue. Splash 10% liquid on your pillows, skirt, cover, etc and it will discolor. Without specifically excluding chemical damage, the warranty would have to cover it. This exclusion is the manf refusing to pay for your mistake, and some of them have been known to abuse this loophole by claiming chem damage when there was none.
Watkins (caldera, hot springs, tiger river, etc) has a history of good warranty coverage.
My advice is to follow the manf recommendations while under warranty.

 

[phonedave]

As RDspaguy said, it is likely there to prevent people from making claims when they pour bleach on their headrest.

It depends on your honesty/comfort level, but there is absolutely no way anybody can tell if you used bleach or dichlor in your water (except for the fact that dichlor also adds CYA). As long as you don't go dumping full strength bleach everywhere, it is going to be exactly the same as using dichlor.

 

[Srbinette]

dichlor is 55-60% chlorine so if you wish to stick with that then that is fine.

I contacted my hot tub dealer and they said I should be fine with low to moderate amounts of liquid chlorine as long as I’m careful.

 

[Mdragger88]

Fwiw - getting dichlor on the shell or headrests etc will discolor them also.
Same goes for dry acid or Muriatic acid- all chems really need to be handled with care but they make it seem like the dry stuff is “safer” when that’s simply not true.