Jumping back in: Bullfrog A5L with SmartChlor

[ckendalls]

Another update - we are now on the second SmartChlor cartridge, so we did get over six weeks out of the first one. Along with swapping in a new cartridge, we changed the water, mainly as part of our sound insulation project so we could lift the tub, and to it being a new tub and wanting to dump whatever plasticizers, lubricants, and such that had potentially leached into the water over the first few weeks (it was a very distinct PVC odor as that was happening at first). This water should last us the rest of the season. Time will tell.

Thanks for following along and offering up the constructive feedback!

Any updates? We just started a new tub with this @ease system after Awwsome treatment since we got a bunch of it “included”. I maintain our SWG pool totally TFP wise and with borates. The water seems agreeable so far but the pH rises very fast with aeration at their recommended TA. I am going to try dropping the TA to 50-60 and using boric acid at 50ppm.

 

[BravoRomeo]

Any updates? We just started a new tub with this @ease system after Awwsome treatment since we got a bunch of it “included”. I maintain our SWG pool totally TFP wise and with borates. The water seems agreeable so far but the pH rises very fast with aeration at their recommended TA. I am going to try dropping the TA to 50-60 and using boric acid at 50ppm.

Sorry for the late reply. I've been in my winter home which doesn't have a hot tub. Just got back, and one big task yesterday was de-winterizing the hot tub. I don't have a new @ease kit for this season, so I am doing Dichlor-bleach method for now. That said, I expect we'll end up going back to @ease for the convenience factor. It is nice not having to fiddle quite as much once you get to trusting the system. Trust but verify, as they say.

Lessons learned from last season with @ease:
1. Mark you calendar when you expect to replace the chorine cartridge (~5 weeks for our tub and usage). Yes, you still need to test, but it's all-too-easy to lose track of time and start trusting the system so much that, oops, why did the chorine crash? How long as the cartridge been empty?! It's been six weeks already? Where did the time go...
2. Keep your water balanced. Their TA guidance is just that. What's more important is you find the balance that works for you.
3. Don't freak out over the ~0.5 - 1 PPM FC or the high CC readings (better expressed as Total Oxidizer).
4. If you change you out the water early, you're supposed to use a new silver mineral cartridge. That was news to me, and makes me wonder why it's even a cartridge then.
5. Keep your water balanced. I suspect some of the negative reviews claiming poor cartridge life may have overly aggressive water, but that's just a suspicion on my part based on the water specs from King Technology.

I also used borates last year as both a pH buffer and for the nice silky feel.

Keep us updated with your experience as well. There are pros and cons with every system.

 

[RDspaguy]

Interesting thread. I am not familiar with the smartchlor system and would have been quite alarmed by such a high cc reading that remained un-oxidized by ozone. Thanks for the detailed description and testing. I learned something new about spas today, which doesn't happen much anymore having worked on them for 25 years.