New Arctic Classic or Core Series with Onzen Spa Start Up Procedure
1. Ensure the electrical connections have been made in accordance with local codes and the owner’s manual. (Have your electrician verify)
2. Test your source water at Premier Pool & Spa BEFORE filling your spa. If the Calcium Hardness is above 150 ppm, fill spa partly with soft water from your home water softener or the "On The Go" portable water softener to bring down the calcium hardness to 50-150 ppm when the spa is being filled. Do not fill the spa completely with soft water, we don't want the Calcium Hardness below 50 ppm. If you fill entirely with soft water, you will need to add some Calcium Hardness Increaser to your tub.
Remove the spa filter, attach the Pleatco Pre-Filter to the end of the source hose & fill the spa through a rescue bag in the spa's filter bucket (The space where the filter was installed) until the water reaches the bottom of the pillows, then remove the rescue bag & install the spa filter and place the floating weir over the filter. When installing filter, flip it upside down and fill filter with water first to help prime the pump more quickly.
3. Turn the power to the spa on, by turning on the GFCI/RCD breaker in your panel.
4. Check operation of jets & prime the plumbing system by following these steps:
a) All Models: Push Pump 1 button a 2nd time to turn it to high speed. Run for 1 minute.
b) 2 Pump Models: Push Pump 2 button also. This pump runs at high speed only. Run for 1 minute.
5. Once the spa's jet system has strong, non-surging jets, priming of the spa is complete.
IMPORTANT: Weak or surging jets indicate a low water level or a clogged filter cartridge.
6. Classic Series & Core Series 1 Pump Spas: Set the temperature with the up/down arrows. Core Series 2 Pump Spas: Set the temperature by holding the combined up/down key to increase the set temperature, release to stop. Hold the button again to decrease the set temperature, release to stop. The thermometer icon on the display indicates that the display shows the desired temperature, NOT the current water temperature.
When the water reaches 85F, balance the water according to the below chemical start-up directions:
Step 1: Balance Total Alkalinity (Alk):
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After filling the spa and bringing the water temperature up to a minimum of 85 degrees, bring in a water test to Premier Pool & Spa, or test water with a test strip/reagent kit.
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Recommended Alkalinity 80-120
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Recommended pH 7.2-7.8. If pH or Alkalinity are above the OK range, open pump one air diverter and turn on all pumps add ¼ cup Spa Down. Wait a half hour, test the water again & re-dose with a ¼ cup of spa down if pH is still high. Once Alkalinity sits in the proper range it is possible that the pH remains high. If this is the case add 1 tbsp. of Spa Down every half hour until pH sits in the proper range.
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Most customers use 1.5-2 bottles of Spa Down/PH Decreaser to get the pH & Alkalinity balanced on a fresh fill.
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If pH or Alkalinity go too low, add 1 tbsp. Alkalinity Increaser, or add water to the spa to raise pH & Alkalinity.
Step 2: Lock in your Alkalinity:
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Once your pH and Alk are both in the OK range after 3 repeated tests, turn on the pumps and broadcast 1/2 bottle of Simply Soft into the spa.
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This will lock in your alkalinity, help maintain your pH levels, improve water clarity, reduce eye & skin irritation, prevent scale formation, and give your water a soft silky feel.
Step 3: Establish a Free Chlorine reading (FCl):
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Start the pumps and add 1 tbsp of chlorine to get a FCl reading of 1-5ppm to start
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Bring in a water test to Premier Pool & Spa, or test with a test strip to confirm your reading.
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Leave the cover off the spa for 15 minutes anytime you add chlorine or shock. Your shock is meant to oxidize, if the cover is closed during this process, you will trap the oxidized contaminants in the spa water.
Step 4: Get Salty:
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Find your spa model to determine how much Arctic Onzen Sea Salt Blend is required for your spa: Fox ~3.8lbs, Timberwolf ~4.4lbs, Glacier/Cub ~5.1lbs, Eagle ~5.8lbs, Glacier XL/Frontier/Yukon/Kodiak ~6.3lbs, Summit/Totem ~6.6lbs, Klondiker/Mustang ~6.9lbs, Tundra ~7.6, McKinley ~8.3lbs, Summit XL ~10 lbs.
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If your spa is not an Arctic, refer to your manual to find the appropriate amount of salt needed for the spa.
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Remove filters before adding salt.
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Start the pumps, dissolve 1/3 of the salt required for your spa in a 5-gallon bucket of hot water taken from the spa, add dissolved salt to spa water, wait 1 hour, re-test Alk & pH & adjust if necessary, as directed in step 2.
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If pH and Alkalinity are still in range add the next 3rd of salt to the spa, wait an hour, test water, adjust pH and alkalinity if needed. Then add your remaining 3rd of salt needed.
Step 5: Test Salinity:
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Please ensure you confirm salinity level is in the desired salinity range (2200-2500 ppm) by bringing in a water test or by using Salt Test Strips.
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Test your salt level and add more salt whenever you add water.
Step 6: Enjoy your Spa!
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The tub will need some attendance after your initial balancing, so make sure to test twice a week for the first couple weeks.
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When figuring out your chlorine dosing, it’s best to take your usage into account. The average use for a spa is 2 people for 15 min, 3 times per week. If you are exceeding this, you may need to increase your shock cycle / salt generator output.
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Directions on adjusting your salt generator output can be found here:
Core Series Spa - Adjusting Onzen Output
Classic Series Spa - Adjusting Onzen Output
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Adding fresh water to your spa is common because of evaporation and use. When topping off, make sure to retest the water an hour after topping off.
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Most water in the area is high Alkaline. When high Alkaline water is added to a balanced spa, the Alkalinity and pH of the water tends to rise.
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Adding water also dilutes the water in the spa. This can cause the chlorine reading to decrease, so make sure to address that drop off when it occurs.
Weekly Maintenance:
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Testing the water is crucial when maintaining the spas balance. The temperature and use of the tub dictate how often you will add additional chemicals.
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Spas with cleanable filters should be taken out and rinsed at a minimum of every two weeks. A full chemical soak and clean is recommended whenever draining the tub.
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Most of the water in MN is rich in metals, so we have a chemical or prefilters to combat that. If you have reusable/cleanable filters, make sure to add a few oz of metal remover when topping off the spa.
When testing and adding chemicals, follow this order of operations:
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Test the water: Bring a water test in or use test strips to ensure your pH=7.2-7.8, Alk=80-120, and FCl=1-3ppm.
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Balance pH: If pH is high, lower pH with Spa Down using no more than 2 tablespoons of Spa Down at a time on weekly maintenance. If Alk is high and pH is OK, there is no need to make any adjustments until the pH is high again. If Alk & pH are high, add Spa Down. If Alk is low and pH is OK, monitor pH until the pH gets low then add 1 tbsp. Alk increaser and retest/repeat every two hours until pH is OK; or just add water to the spa which will raise pH and Alk then test again.
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Oxidize: If you use spa less than 3 times a week, turn on pumps & add 1 tbsp. Shock/Oxidizer every 2 weeks & leave cover open 1/2 hour. If you use the spa 3+ times a week, turn on pumps & add 1 tbsp. Shock/Oxidizer once a week & leave cover open 1/2 hour. If you have a large bather load, with a long bathe time, make sure to shock right after.
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Add optional weekly maintenance treatments such as Enzymes, Stain & Scale Control, Unique, Water Clarifier, new pre-filters, or Scum Balls.
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Test salinity - if the salinity is below the range of 2200-2500, add additional amounts of salt in half cup doses.
Later on…
Drain, clean and refill the spa every 3-6 months by following this process: Remove the filters and anything floating in the spa. Add 1/2 bottle SeaKlear Spa System Flush. Turn all pumps, jets and water features on high speed & let the spa run for 30 minutes or overnight at low speed if convenient. Drain & clean the spa shell, use a small amount of Spa System Flush on sponge or terrycloth to wipe residues. Reinstall clean filters, refill, and balance spa water. Here is a full guide on this process: How to flush your spa!
