New Sundance optima 880 owner and looking for some guidence.

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wickflair23

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Jun 29, 2024
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Hello-

Just got my Sundance Optima 880 running last week and the delivery guys were less than helpful when it came to getting my hot tub water where it should be, so I am hoping you can help. They pretty much told me to add the kick start pack, dump some metallic cleaner (I'll have to confirm what it actually was) and add the frog "@ease" kit and move on. I am learning there is much more to it than that. We have only used the hot tub 4 or so times and I am wondering if I should wait until I get everything dialed in before using it anymore. Bummer! I do have a TF-100 kit on the way to do testing the right way.

My PH is very high ~8.6, I added a full 8oz bottle of PH down and that had little impact. I am assuming my TA is too high based on the test strips, but won't know the actual level until my test kit comes in. I adjusted the filtration settings on the tub to keep the circ pump on for 23-hours a day and have the secondary filtration on frequent which does the jets for 10 minutes every day (or something like that)


I've read the information How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)? and wonder if this is still roccmended since it's nearly 20 years old?


Are the frog "@ease" floater systems good or is there a better method?


Should I not use the tub until I get this shorted out? Should I drain all the water before using the test kit and start fresh or should I be able to get it where I am now? Water looks decent and doesn't have any weird smells to it.

Any other tips would be very much apprecaited!
 
Hello-

Just got my Sundance Optima 880 running last week and the delivery guys were less than helpful when it came to getting my hot tub water where it should be, so I am hoping you can help. They pretty much told me to add the kick start pack, dump some metallic cleaner (I'll have to confirm what it actually was) and add the frog "@ease" kit and move on. I am learning there is much more to it than that. We have only used the hot tub 4 or so times and I am wondering if I should wait until I get everything dialed in before using it anymore. Bummer! I do have a TF-100 kit on the way to do testing the right way.

My PH is very high ~8.6, I added a full 8oz bottle of PH down and that had little impact. I am assuming my TA is too high based on the test strips, but won't know the actual level until my test kit comes in. I adjusted the filtration settings on the tub to keep the circ pump on for 23-hours a day and have the secondary filtration on frequent which does the jets for 10 minutes every day (or something like that)


I've read the information How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)? and wonder if this is still roccmended since it's nearly 20 years old?


Are the frog "@ease" floater systems good or is there a better method?


Should I not use the tub until I get this shorted out? Should I drain all the water before using the test kit and start fresh or should I be able to get it where I am now? Water looks decent and doesn't have any weird smells to it.

Any other tips would be very much apprecaited!
 
The @ease system has some issues with testing but people are having good luck with it. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
The info is much older than 20 years, as basic chlorine maintenance has been the norm for a century or more and will still work just fine today.
Aeration raises ph. Try reducing your run time on the circ pump and close the air control knobs when not in use.
 
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I have been following the link for a few years now and it's working out great for us. Typically if you have some chlorine and a low cya in a hot tub you are good to use it. High ph may be an irritant though.
 
Without knowing exactly what the TA is, keep adding muriatic acid to drop PH down to 7.0. in beginning, test every 6-12hours as the pH will creep up quite fast, and keep bringing it back down to 7.0. This will eventually bring your TA down and the pH should stabilize between 7.5-7.8 depending on your use. I need to Sundance spa's TA to be 40-50 ppm to lock in the pH at 7.5-7.8.
 
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The ozone goes after CCs first, then will go after free chlorine. You will need to test often until you get an idea of how much the ozone affects the free chlorine level. Every tub is different.

I've got a 2022 Optima 880. I use liquid as my main source of chlorine. I follow the chlorine sticky method. Dichlor until CYA 30 then liquid and add dichlor as CYA goes down.
 
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wickflair23 said:
Hello-

Just got my Sundance Optima 880 running last week and the delivery guys were less than helpful when it came to getting my hot tub water where it should be, so I am hoping you can help. They pretty much told me to add the kick start pack, dump some metallic cleaner (I'll have to confirm what it actually was) and add the frog "@ease" kit and move on. I am learning there is much more to it than that. We have only used the hot tub 4 or so times and I am wondering if I should wait until I get everything dialed in before using it anymore. Bummer! I do have a TF-100 kit on the way to do testing the right way.

My PH is very high ~8.6, I added a full 8oz bottle of PH down and that had little impact. I am assuming my TA is too high based on the test strips, but won't know the actual level until my test kit comes in. I adjusted the filtration settings on the tub to keep the circ pump on for 23-hours a day and have the secondary filtration on frequent which does the jets for 10 minutes every day (or something like that)


I've read the information How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)? and wonder if this is still roccmended since it's nearly 20 years old?


Are the frog "@ease" floater systems good or is there a better method?


Should I not use the tub until I get this shorted out? Should I drain all the water before using the test kit and start fresh or should I be able to get it where I am now? Water looks decent and doesn't have any weird smells to it.

Any other tips would be very much apprecaited!
Click to expand...
I am in the exact same situation. I filled the tub two days ago and have been trying to get TA down. Initial TA was over 200. I have the taylor test kit coming tomorrow for better accuracy as the test strips are very general.
 

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Alkalinity was around 300 with PH of 8.8. Ph down had no impact. Got some muric acid and used the calculator which said to add 3oz. I did that and let it sit overnight. Alkalinity is still above 200 with PH of 8.6. Added just over 1oz of muric acid per the calculator and let it settle for a few hours. I haven't tested the Alkalinity yet. Test strips look high and PH is at 8.2.

Am I heading in the right direction? Or should I not have to add this much? Any steps I'm missing?

Sundance 880 optima which I think is 355 gallons.
 
When I enter some numbers in Poolmath for a range from like 8.2 to 7.2, I get about the same amount of MA required, so it would appear your dose amounts are correct. Perhaps the length of time between applications is hindering your progress since your TA is so high? Let's call in @Mdragger88 for another opinion.
 
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Gebo said:
I have never had good luck with any of the pH digital meters I have tried. I use the TFTestkit for everything but pH. The Taylor pH test is much easier for me. YMMV.
Click to expand...
This is a $100 tester so hopefully lasts longer than the cheaper ones. Just went to the store and my PH was exactly what they told me.

TA is still at 283
 
wickflair23 said:
This is a $100 tester so hopefully lasts longer than the cheaper ones. Just went to the store and my PH was exactly what they told me.

TA is still at 283
Click to expand...
retest ph after 10-15 minutes from your last acid addition & dose again to bring ph into the 7’s. If your ph is higher than the readable amount on the phenol red test just use 8.2 as your “current” & 7.6 as your “target” in PoolMath until you get a readable ph.
You are waiting too long to test again & the ph has risen back up. What takes days in a pool, as far as ph goes, takes minutes in a spa because of the aeration.
Each time you lower ph with acid you are lowering ta.
When your ta is very high the change can seem minimal but it is occurring. As the ta lowers you’ll notice the difference.
Test ta every 4 rounds or so to be sure you’re calculating the correct amounts of acid
 
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