Whoneedsavacation

Well, the strips I use claim to measure TOTAL bromine, both free and combined, which implies to me that it thinks it is reflecting bromide ions and hypobromous acid as well as other compounds. But what you say is more consistent with my unscientific data, which is that this morning the test strip pad failed to change color in the slightest. I threw a tablet into the filter basket, refilled the floater, and threw in a tablespoon of MPS for good measure, under the assumption there was still some bromine in the bank. This evening, it indicates an over-abundance, which suggests it's measuring the result of oxidation as the tabs don't tend to dissove that quickly. Right?

I've done some searches here and on the internet at large, and I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what my test strip is actually doing chemically. I have read that they measure "oxidation potential" and can register chlorine, bromine or MPS. I have also read that "current generation" strips actually measure total bromine, both combined and free forms. These don't seem to be consistent statements. What chemical reaction is actually causing that color change?

Oh, no, Magoo, you've done it again! Once more I have gotten distracted with various things (this is the 3rd time) and failed to notice the floater was out of tablets until the free bromine reading on the test strip dropped all the way from robust to zero. Under these circumstances, should one really add more sodium bromide as well as tablets, or not? Here is what I think I know, you can tell me where I've got it wrong: We add sodium bromide at startup to establish a bromine bank, that is a reserve of bromine We put tablets in a floater to provide for a controlled release of bromine and chlorine. The chlorine oxidizes the bromine into hypobromous acid which is the agent that actually kills off the nasties. The bromine in the tabs also contributes to the "bromine bank", it's not all used up reacting with the chlorine. We periodically shock (I use MPS) which also oxidizes the bromine into hypobromous acid. When we test with a test strip for total bromine level, it doesn't literally measure bromine atoms, it measures the oxidation potential of the water calibrated to bromine. When the floater runs out of tabs, all the chlorine is used up oxidizing bromine... but is the bromine bank also depleted if the test strip pad for total bromine (which should indicate both free and combined bromine) shows no reaction?

FWIW, here's where bromine seems to be advantageous. I've left mine for up to 10 days completely unattended, freshly shocked and with a full floater, and come home to find it pretty much exactly as I left it, chemically. If you travel often, there may be an advantage to a bromine floater system.

Add to your list of cons: can't use line/jet cleaner and it will take time to reheat after adding cold water (on 110, our small tub takes 24 hours with a full refill in warm to hot weather). Also, there is nothing quite as nice as brand new, fresh water. Am curious what others think, though, if you could limit a full refill to once or twice a year this way.

Sounds about right to me. I assume the Bromine concentrate is sodium bromide. I am curious about using the dishwasher to rinse the filters, has anyone else done that? Sounds like it might be worth a try!

It can be used with chlorine or bromine. Unless you are using an EPA approved sanitizer, you are running some risk that it won't effectively sanitize your tub. IMHO, I'd try chlorine or bromine first and only go with something "alternative" if you find you can't tolerate chlorine or bromine. I think most people do fine with a properly maintained chlorine or bromine tub. Many tubs have just plain too high a level of sanitizer.

I have the one with the locking ring in the first picture on the linked thread. I tried several other models before that, this is the only one that has worked well for me. I wouldn't put it in the filter basket. For one thing, it won't circulate as much, although the water will be circulated through it. Since the water will be pulled through it there, it may un-do some of the adjustability you want with the locking ring. The guy that set up my tub from the dealer said to just throw a couple of tablets in the filter basket every once in a while.

If I'm understanding this system properly, it sounds as if there is no EPA-registered sanitizer in use. So you are taking some risk. Unless the "salt" in question contains bromine or chlorine in some usuable form. I believe MPS used as shock needs some free chlorine or bromine to react with. Ozone alone is not considered sufficient, but it does allow for less added chemical, I believe. (I'm really only familiar with bromine tablet sanitization, since that's all I have hands-on experience with). I am aware of bromine systems that use periodically added sodium bromide and MPS rather than a bromine floater (the tabs we use in floaters contain chlorine as well). Perhaps the "Salt" in this system contains sodium bromide? If I were the OP, I'd be asking the dealer what the active sanitizer in the system is.

Unless there is a urinary tract infection, urine, be it human or canine, is sterile. It's the remnant fecal matter, for both species that you worry about. Or drool -- mouths are pretty dirty from a micro-organism standpoint, especially human mouths! But urine has no bacteria.

Many here think a test kit is better than strips. As the previous poster, not sure why you'd want to measure MPS. I have been happy with Leisure time brand strips (I have a bromine system, but they make strips for chlorine). I have been far less happy with less expensive pool store brand strips, which I found much harder to get an unambiguously readable result with.

Yes, let us know. I was wondering, too.

I have no idea what a "disk sanitizer" is. Did he at least tell you what the active ingredients are? Sometimes the setup guys are not whizzes when it comes to the chemicals! Mine just tossed a couple of bromine tabs in my filter basket and said to do the same every few days. Was WAAAAAY too much bromine for our size spa, even when it was new and we were in it every day without fail!

Right. I just meant it's nothing to mess with. I'd take it very seriously. HHT, best wishes for your son!

OK, it probably IS normal flora gone mad, so maybe I'm the equivalent of 10 bathers... think I'll wait until my infection is no longer symptomatic, though.

MRSA is not a "normal" staph germ. Just catching it early is not sufficient, it's a resistent strain. So I'd superchlorinate/shock/whatever before getting back in. And you might want to let your M.D. know in case he or she thinks prphylactic treatment of some sort is warranted.

Have you hosed the debris off the filter?

Bromine. I try to keep it around 3-5ppm, but it's often a little on the high side. I do try to keep on top of it, use MPS after each use or once a week whichever comes first, change it regularly, all that good stuff. Let me add that my concern was more the quantity and type of bacteria I might at this point deliver into the tub... not sure how many strains of bacteria the EPA tests for, but I'd think they'd be concentrating on human e.coli and other "normal" flora, in the amounts you'd find on healthy skin.

OK, I don't have an infection FROM a hot tub, but I do have a nasty case of cellulitis in, of all places, my ear. The M.D. suspects a bug bite was the root cause. I was not in the tub for the better part of a week before I got this so I really think it's not related to the tub. I did get in the tub once after I had started, in retrospect, to get it, before I realized what was going on. I shock every time I use the tub, and I gave it an extra dose after the diagnosis for good measure. 1) Can I be confident that my tub is now safe to enter, despite the fact that I may have deposited a few extra non-typical bacteria? 2) Is there any reason to think that I shouldn't enter now, from the point of me contaiminating it, as long as I don't submerge above the shoulders?

You need something with the nature 2 to have a "sanitized tub". The website for Nature2 indicates it is intended to be used with chlorine and just allows you to have a somewhat lower level of chlorine. I'm no expert, I haven't used the mineral systems at all, but I do know they don't kill bacteria at a high enough rate to be considered safe alone.

I shock after each use (most of the time) or once a week, whichever comes first.

The soft water will want to be hardened to bring up the CH.... I don't actually have experience with well water, though, and I'm not sure which choice of TA at fill is actually better. I'm sure it's not your personal hygenie... it's probably the guy standing behind you making rabbit ears.

Oh, washing your butt won't eliminate all e-coli introduction into the water anyway.... human beings aren't sealed....

MPS is non-chlorine shock using monopersulfate. Dichlor is a form a chlorine, dichloisocyanuiric acid. I use bromine and when I keep the levels where they should be, odor and irritation are minimal to nonexistant. I guess that most people who have problems with bromine and chlorine odor and irritation use more than they really need. The Natural plus shock still won't give you the level of protection the EPA requires. I think it's up to you how much risk you want to take. If the effect is too slow, you don't get the bacteria population down very much before you introduce more, and even though some of the population is being killed off, it can be growing faster than it's decreasing.

I personally can read the Leisure Time strips for bromine much more easily than the other brands I've tried FWIW. I find water maintainence quite easy, actually. I just have to be careful not to get too complacent and let the bromine tabs run out! Aside from that I occasionally need to add some baking soda, occasionally it seems to want some clarifier or extra shock or enzyme product and I shock after use or once a week whichever comes first. It took one and a half fills to get it down, but now it's very little effort for me.