Our new tub arrived, a Bullfrog A5L. Previous tub was a used 2001 Hot Springs Jetsetter, with which I learned TFP chlorine technique and eventually added a Controlomatic inline SWG. It's been a couple years of warm water deprivation, so glad to have a new tub! The upgrade in technology and fit/finish is impressive.
The new tub came with:
For the equipment geeks, this tub is packing the Gecko Y-series controller and AquaFlo pumps.
So as to start of with a clean slate, we did an Ahh-some purge on the tub. Filled, the water looked slightly cloudy and somewhat green tinted. Hmm. So then chlorinated, added a pre-dissolved Ahh-some dosage, and cranked the jets. Wow - for a tub that was out of the factory fresh just a few weeks ago, there as a surprising amount of orange/pink slime. We used a wet-dry vac and a damp microfiber to get most of it prior to draining and vacuuming the plumbing out.
The pumps were disappointingly noisy; so much so it just didn't seem right. Granted, my previous tub had a Watkins "Silent-Flo" 24 hour circulator pump, but this AquaFlo Circ-Master was anything but quiet... think: building transformer hum. Granted, our purpose-built deck was probably amplifying the vibration, but this was borderline unacceptable for outside a master bedroom.
Well, it turns out the delivery crew neglected to remove the clearly placarded shipping bolts from the pumps: "Shipping Bolt - May be Removed to Reduce Noise and Vibration". Once we discovered that, five minutes later the shipping bolts were out and the pumps were free to dance on their rubber mounts. Result: marital bliss. Much quieter!
I'll update this thread with my test results of the Frog SmartChlor system after a few days. If the system works as advertised, it is then debatable whether the cost is worth the convenience. If it doesn't work, then there's no debate - I'll switch to dichlor/bleach and eventually a SWG as I did on my previous tub.
The new tub came with:
- Frog @ease "SmartChlor" (three month supply)
- EOS Enhanced High-Output Ozone system w/mixing tank and O3 scrubber
- "Well Spring" circulator pump
- Leisure Concepts Vanish XL cover lifter (nice!)
For the equipment geeks, this tub is packing the Gecko Y-series controller and AquaFlo pumps.
So as to start of with a clean slate, we did an Ahh-some purge on the tub. Filled, the water looked slightly cloudy and somewhat green tinted. Hmm. So then chlorinated, added a pre-dissolved Ahh-some dosage, and cranked the jets. Wow - for a tub that was out of the factory fresh just a few weeks ago, there as a surprising amount of orange/pink slime. We used a wet-dry vac and a damp microfiber to get most of it prior to draining and vacuuming the plumbing out.
The pumps were disappointingly noisy; so much so it just didn't seem right. Granted, my previous tub had a Watkins "Silent-Flo" 24 hour circulator pump, but this AquaFlo Circ-Master was anything but quiet... think: building transformer hum. Granted, our purpose-built deck was probably amplifying the vibration, but this was borderline unacceptable for outside a master bedroom.
Well, it turns out the delivery crew neglected to remove the clearly placarded shipping bolts from the pumps: "Shipping Bolt - May be Removed to Reduce Noise and Vibration". Once we discovered that, five minutes later the shipping bolts were out and the pumps were free to dance on their rubber mounts. Result: marital bliss. Much quieter!
I'll update this thread with my test results of the Frog SmartChlor system after a few days. If the system works as advertised, it is then debatable whether the cost is worth the convenience. If it doesn't work, then there's no debate - I'll switch to dichlor/bleach and eventually a SWG as I did on my previous tub.