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Prism tub, need help!

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Hot tub dummy:
I'm new to the hot tub world. My PH and Alk are in balance. The salt level is always in the yellow and creeps into the red sometimes. I have the setting on 6. Hard water is really high and the chlorine doesn't show up on the test strips. My dealer told me that I only have to check the PH but what I read on this forum, that doesn't sound true. I have had it for 4 months and I changed the salt cartridge last week. Do I need to change the water every 4 months? HELP!!!!

castletonia:
You NEED soft water.  If you have high calcium hardness, you either need to use however many of the Vanishing Act or Vanishing Act XL's are necessary to get the hardness under 75 ppm or you need to invest in a portable water softener so that when you fill it is softened water.  If you cannot accomplish the soft water part, I would probably move away from the salt system as you're always going to have issues.

If your salt level is high, then you either have too much salt in the water or your TDS is too high and that is causing a false reading. 

A output setting of 6 is too low especially on the Prism.  Pretty much every customer I have with either a Prism or Cantabria are set for 10 and I have one that has to supplement with chlorine every now and then because their usage is ridiculously heavy.  If you do need to add chlorine, liquid is preferred though you can occasionally add di-chlor but you have to be careful with how high the CYA goes.  I would also have your dealer test for phosphates since high phosphates can prohibit the system from producing chlorine effectively.

If it were me, I would figure out how I'm going to have a soft water supply and then drain/refill and start over.  I might also hope your dealer has learned more about the system in the last 4 months.

Hot tub dummy:
Ok thank you, I will get the soft water under control first off. If I have my setting at 6 is that why a test strip shows no chlorine? If i turn the setting to 10 then the salt is going to be way high isn't it? About three weeks ago i drained about 6 inches out and filled it with my hard water. The salt level always rises again, even without me putting any salt in. Could the hard water be making the salt rise all the time? Sorry about the questions, I have no idea what is going on here.

castletonia:
Yeah, 6 is too low unless the hot tub doesn’t receive any usage.  Assuming the water is clear I would boost to get some chlorine in the water and set for 10.  Check every other day or so and adjust downward by 1 if you even can until you find the setting for your needs.

The output setting has nothing to do with the salt level, only the amount of chlorine the system is producing.  The salt level can only increase if you are adding salt, or if your TDS (total dissolved solids) are high.  This will occur once the water is saturated with chemicals or if you use liquid chlorine and use a ton of it.

Assuming your dealer can test water, bring a sample in and have them do a test.  It’s a lot easier when you aren’t guessing.  Or, if your dealer doesn’t, maybe look into getting a good Taylor test kit so you can test everything yourself.

Hot tub dummy:
Ok, thanks for the help, this is exactly why I joined this forum. I will report back when I get it figured out. Thanks again

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