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Your CALDERA spa has been thoroughly tested during the manufacturing process to ensure reliability and long-term customer satisfaction. A small amount of water may
have remained in the plumbing after testing and, as a result, may have spotted the spa shell or the spa siding prior to delivery. Before filling the spa, wipe the spa shell
clean with a soft rag. The following instructions must be read and followed exactly to ensure a successful start-up or refill.
CAUTIONS
• Do NOT fill the spa with hot water, as tripping of the high-limit thermostat may result.
• DO NOT CONNECT POWER TO AN EMPTY SPA. Power to the spa automatically activates critical components within the spa, such as controls, heater, and
other systems. If power is supplied to these components prior to the spa being filled, the components will be damaged, and this may result in a non-warranty
component failure.
• DO NOT use your spa after filling until all of the steps listed below are completed.
• DO NOT add chlorine if treating your spa with polyhexamethylene biguanide (Biguanide, PHMB, eg. BaquaSpa
®) sanitizer.
• Before filling your spa for the first time, remove the equipment compartment door and check to ensure that the unions on either side of the pump(s) and heater
are hand-tight.
1. CLOSE ALL DRAINS, remove the filter compartment cover, skimmer basket, weir, and filter. Fill your spa through the filter compartment using the
CleanScreen™pre-filter that attaches to your garden hose. The water level of your spa should be maintained at a level one inch above the highest jet in the spa.
Reinstall the filter and then the skimmer basket, and weir once the spa is filled.
IMPORTANT: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation does not recommend that the spa be filled with “softened” water, as this may damage the spa’s equipment.
2. AFTER THE SPA HAS BEEN FILLED with water and the equipment compartment door is secured, power must be applied to the spa.
• FIRST activate power to the subpanel from the main house panel.
• NEXT open the door of the electrical subpanel and reset the GFCI breaker.
• FINALLY, close and secure the subpanel door.
3. TO CHECK THE OPERATION OF THE JET SYSTEM and to purge any remaining air from the heating system, push the “JETS” button on the control panel (for
Kauai) to run the jet pump(s) on high speed for one minute, press soft button next to JET MAX for all other models. Once the jet system is fully operational (as
indicated by strong, non-surging jets), priming of the spa is complete. Turn off the jets by pressing the soft button next to "JET OFF".
If you do not feel a steady
stream of water from your jets, refer to the instructions for priming the pump in the SPA TROUBLESHOOTING section in the back of this manual.
IMPORTANT: Be sure that the diverter is in the middle position.
4. SET THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL to the desired temperature between 100°F (38°C) and 104°F (40°C), then place the spa cover on the spa and allow
the water temperature to stabilize (approximately 24 hours). Make sure you secure the cover in place using the cover locks. Periodically check the spa water
temperature. When the water temperature climbs above 90°F (32°C), proceed to the next step. The spa temperature is pre-programmed to reach 100F (39°C),
and will normally do so within 18 to 24 hours. You may change the water temperature by pressing the OPTION hard button then press the soft button next to
Temperature, (press soft button next to
on the control panel to raise the temperature, or lower temperature by pressing soft button next to ▼). After a few hours,
the water temperature will remain within 3˚F (1.5°C) of your selected temperature.
5. USING A TEST STRIP AND APPLICABLE CHEMICALS adjust Total Alkalinity (TA) to 40-120 ppm, Calcium Hardness (CH) to 50-150 ppm, then spa water pH to
between 7.2 and 7.8. These procedures are listed in the “Water Quality and Maintenance” section.
OPERATION NOTE: Adjusting the Total Alkalinity as the first step is important, as out-of balance TA will affect your ability to adjust the pH correctly and will prevent
the sanitizer from operating effectively.
IMPORTANT: Activate the Clean cycle (Press the soft button next to CLEAN on the home screen) before adding spa water chemicals directly into the filter
compartment. Make sure all diverter valves are set to the middle position.
6. SUPERCHLORINATE THE SPA WATER by adding 1½ teaspoons of MONARCH chlorine (sodium dichlor) per 250 gallons (950 liters) of spa water, then activate
the Clean cycle by pressing the soft button next to CLEAN on the home screen.
7. TEST THE SPA WATER FOR CHLORINE RESIDUAL. If the residual is between 3 and 5 ppm on the test strips, go on to the next step. If the residual is less than
3 ppm, activate the Clean cycle, and then retest.
IMPORTANT: For Canada, if you are only using the bromine cartridge, your bromine levels should be between 3.0 - 5.0 ppm.
8. IF USING FROG INSTALL FROG bromine and mineral cartridges. Dial the mineral cartridge to setting 6 and snap into the top space of the cartridge holder. Dial
the bromine cartridge to setting 3 and snap into the bottom space of the cartridge holder.
WARNING:High sanitizer levels can cause discomfort to the user’s eyes, lungs and skin. Always allow the sanitizer level to fall to the recommended range before
using the spa.
IMPORTANT: Each time the spa is filled with water, you must remove and reinstall the FROG cap, even if you are not replacing the cartridge, in order to properly
prime the jet pumps.
9. RECHECK the Total Alkalinity (TA) 40-120 ppm, Calcium Hardness (CH) 50-150 ppm, then spa water pH at between 7.2 and 7.8.
OPERATION NOTE: Make sure you adjust your Total Alkalinity and pH correctly, this will affect
the sanitizers effectiveness.
The spa is ready for use when the spa water has circulated and the bromine level remains between 1 and 2 ppm or chlorine level remains between 3 and
5 ppm.
OPERATION NOTE: For proper water circulation during the ten-minute Clean cycle the following steps should be performed.
• Place the diverter valve in the middle (split flow) position
• Place air control levers in OFF position by rotating clockwise
START-UP AND REFILL PROCEDURES