Opinions on Frog Products @Ease In-Line system for new hot tub

[ramsfan]

Hello, I have enjoyed owning a hot tub for about two years, and have learned so much from this site and from owning the tub - thank you all!

My current tub has a small leak. I seem to need to add maybe 20gallons of water every 2-4 weeks. The tub is 13 years old, and I do not want to troubleshoot, as the only access to the jet plumbing system is from the bottom of the tub. The leak is not coming from the pumps or anything.

Here is my question. As I look at new tubs, several of them offer an @Ease Inline system as an option. One of the things I learned about myself as a hot tub owner, is that although I checked, tested, and adjusted chemicals every day for awhile, as time went I on and job demands, vacation, and other distractions happen, I became far less reliable and accurate, especially in winter. I am embarrassed to say there are times where I forget about the tub maintenance for 5 days or so, and when I check of course FC is Zero, and pH is high. I also hated to have to add chems after people used the tub, it seemed like a hassle.

I am VERY interested in a system which requires once per week checking and adjusting, versus daily. Based on my research to date, it seems like after getting the initial fill water balanced, then the system takes over, and only requires testing/adjusting TA and pH once per week until the next drain/fill. This is very appealing to me. It seems like the downside everyone points out is the cost, and also the cartridges may not last as long as advertised.

The only thing I don't like, in addition to cost, is I am not really sure what is being added to my spa water. JoyfulNoise had some good insight there.

I have learned here that adding the purest most basic chemical is a preferred method of adjusting chemicals, and I have been doing this to date, however on a hot tub this requires daily testing/adjusting, etc..

I would welcome additional insights and opinions. Thank you!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Don't believe the hype!! This is just another variation of a low-chlorine/mineral cartridge system.

The chlorine source is dichloro dimethylhydantoin (DCDMH) which is often used in bromine tablets as a source of chlorine for reactivating spent bromide back to bromine. The DCDMH is acidic like trichlor and dichlor but dissolves more slowly over time so it works like a trichlor puck floater only it's compatible with higher temperatures. The DMH will not have any buffering effect on chlorine and so that will just build up in the water as part of the overall TDS. The system is designed to work at low FC levels (~ 0.6ppm FC) which, when no CYA is present, will be roughly 3X more aggressive than the TFP recommended levels of active chlorine (300ppb HOCl versus 100ppb). Whether or not a person finds that irritating will be mostly subjective.

The mineral cartridge is essentially silver chloride with a calcium carbonate binder. The calcium carbonate allows for slow dissolution AND it helps to replenish alkalinity list from the acidic chlorine source. At high temperatures in a spa the silver chloride will supply a small concentration of silver ions into the water and they will be bacteriostatic. Chlorine will handle the bather waste (maybe....) and any viral vectors.

The manufacturer still states the need for shocking once in awhile as the chlorine levels will be insufficient to fully oxidize the CCs that are generated from bather waste. A secondary, non-chlorine oxidizer like UV might help to keep the water clear and they suggest using potassium monopersulfate (MPS).

Their preferred testing methodology are test strips....I think you know how TFP feels about those.

I don't think this system will be any easier than following the dichlor/bleach method as this is merely a "set-it & forget it" approach. You can certainly do that, but you'll never truly know if your tub is sanitary or not. Then, when problems arise, how will you diagnose and correct them? Hot tubs are, in many ways, more work than pools to keep clean. I would say that perhaps you've gotten to a point in life where a hot tub may not be the right thing for you. Just an opinion, for what it's worth...

 

[ramsfan]

Thanks for the great insight and information. You bring up a good point about maybe now is not a good time for me to maintain a hot tub,.... But.... my wife and kids, and most importantly my wife demand it

Dumb question here, but could you give a bit of an overview of the level of effort you put forth to maintain your hot tub water?

For example, when you fill do you work with it closely to get the water initially balanced?
After that, and once you get the TA, pH, CYA, FC, etc... just right, how often do you find yourself testing and/or adding chemicals? How many times per week? Also, do you find yourself testing and adding after each use as well?

Wondering if you have found a "system" which reduces the amount of time invested in maintaining water, as in maybe I was overdoing it and got burned out.

Thanks again!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Saltron Mini SWG for Hot Tubs ...$170. Mine's working great!

Maddie

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Here’s the funny part - I don’t own a hot tub I’m not a doctor in real life, I just play one on TV....

Others here use the dichlor/bleach method. If I were to get a tub someday, I would opt for a “salt compatible” tub and probably do what Yippey does, get a drap-over SWG. I would also try to find a tub with a good UV sterilizer built into it.

Others that use the dichlor/bleach method can chime in on what they do to make it easier. Perhaps since you have so many demanding tub users, you might make use conditional on the requirement that they participate in the maintenance

 

[Alwayswantedapool]

I have only owned a hot tub for a couple of months and have testing down to 2 to 3 times a week. But my hot tub came with a salt water generator that makes it pretty easy. I do still add chlorine after every soak but have been using the 1 oz per person per hour to add, so I don't test after use, just usually put in 2 oz and call it good. Typically for ph, it only needs acid once a week, gets up to 7.8, I knock it down to 7.2 and will be good for the week. Someday I will get my TA down to 50 and add borate and it should be even more stable. I also make sure that once a week I open up the tub for an hour or so to get some sun and it keeps my cc 1 or under. I probably spend an hour a week keeping everything balanced. All i test for during the week is chlorine, cc and ph, and only if i add acid will i test TA. All the other testing and maintenance I do once a month. So far so good.