New Hot Tub... Bromine and Spa Frog

[planker88]

Hi this forum has been helpful, appreciate.

I read the sticky note for hot tubs and 2-step, 3 step Bromine, but confused.

Spa is 550 gallon
Has ozonator
103 deg F
Measured with K-2106 (just got) today
Total bromide 21 PPM (high I know)
pH 8.0 (high reading maybe due to high bromide?)
TA 75
CH 250
0.5 saturation index

Spa store sold me Spa Frog floater with bromine and mineral cartridge, frog test strips and Frog Spa Starter.

Filled with softened water and added liquid calcium, 25 oz, gradually per hot tub store.

Followed Spa frog instructions - once warm, added Spa frog starter packet for up to 600 gallon spa, probably dichlor powder?

Then put in floater with mineral (yellow) at 6 and bromine at 4 per spa store recommend.

Oxidizer they sold me is Serena Spa Oxy Blast, Sodium Peroxydisulfate 50%, instructed to add two capfuls a week.

Added a capful after excessive use, 5 ppl a couple times a day. So about a capful a day. On day 7...

After a couple days measuring zero "free bromine" on frog test strips, I bumped spa frog bromine cartridge to setting 6, and added 1 ounce Spa Choice Bromine Booster (99% Sodium Bromide), it's a white powder. Maybe that was a bad move. I wanted to see "free bromine" register on the frog test strips, recommended range is 1-2 ppm.

We have been using spa a lot, 1 week in, but obviously I'm not doing it right.

Removed the floater for now, as bromine seems really high. My fault I'm sure.

Any recommendations appreciated. Can drain and refill, if needed.

 

[RDspaguy]

Filled with softened water

I recommend using hard water. I've had some strange results with softened water over the years, and feel that a pre-filter and sequestrant is better than soft water.

Spa frog starter packet for up to 600 gallon spa, probably dichlor powder?

Likely sodium bromide, maybe with dichlor in it.

Sodium Peroxydisulfate 50%,

I prefer chlorine as an oxidizer.

Has ozonator

What brand of spa? Is the ozone on a 24/7 circulation system or the main pump with timed filtration?
Ozone is a strong oxidizer, and will destroy both combined chlorine and free chlorine, as well as create bromine. But on a timed system, you don't really get enough of it to be effective. Like any oxidizer, ozone will create bromine from bromide, but may then deplete the bromine as it does free chlorine.
I prefer chlorine when using a 24/7 ozone system.
I recommend ahhsome spa purge on any new spa before first use. You would be shocked at the nasties that grow in pipes after the wet test at the factory.

 

[planker88]

I recommend using hard water. I've had some strange results with softened water over the years, and feel that a pre-filter and sequestrant is better than soft water.


Likely sodium bromide, maybe with dichlor in it.


I prefer chlorine as an oxidizer.



What brand of spa? Is the ozone on a 24/7 circulation system or the main pump with timed filtration?
Ozone is a strong oxidizer, and will destroy both combined chlorine and free chlorine, as well as create bromine. But on a timed system, you don't really get enough of it to be effective. Like any oxidizer, ozone will create bromine from bromide, but may then deplete the bromine as it does free chlorine.
I prefer chlorine when using a 24/7 ozone system.
I recommend ahhsome spa purge on any new spa before first use. You would be shocked at the nasties that grow in pipes after the wet test at the factory.

Hi RD Spa Guy -- it's an Aspen Spas Pinnacle GS 525 Gallons. Ozone is on when pump runs / circulates, about 50% of the time. We run it hot, 103 degrees.

It has been too cold outside (below 10F) to change the water, when it's above freezing I'll try.

For now I'm just going in circles and can't seem to get the water clear. Bromine is either very high or very low, PH and TA keep rising, and water is cloudy. The confusing part is the Frog Test Strips never register any bromine, but the Taylor DPD Bromine Test shows a ton. I like the Taylor Test Kit K2106 - it has a water balance calculator for calculating the saturation index. I'm just kicking myself because it really shouldn't be this hard to get clear water. Last hot tub I had, I just used dichlor powder after use and it was always clear. Thanks for your advice.