To Ozone Or Not To Ozone

[SpaBum]

Long time listener, first time caller.

I am looking at spas and been doing all kinds of research and I think I have come up with one I like. When I was talking to the dealer about options, he told me the ozonator was not necessary. He told me that unless you open your spa every 48 hours to let the ozone out, it will start to deteriorate the plastics and discolor the cover. I saw some examples of this and it was very noticeable. He also said that with proper chemical ,I think he said a cap full of clear(or shock, can't recall) every few days will take care of the things an ozonator will.

He is a maintenance guy turned store owner and seems to know what he is talking about, pretty straight forward, no BS kind of salesman.

My question is, does what he said have merit? I don't mind doing chemicals more often than not if it means my cover and knobs don't discolor. Is this a common thing to tell buyers?

Thanks in advanced for your input.

[waterbear]

There is truth in what he told you.

[tony]

Long time listener, first time caller.

I am looking at spas and been doing all kinds of research and I think I have come up with one I like. When I was talking to the dealer about options, he told me the ozonator was not necessary. He told me that unless you open your spa every 48 hours to let the ozone out, it will start to deteriorate the plastics and discolor the cover. I saw some examples of this and it was very noticeable. He also said that with proper chemical ,I think he said a cap full of clear(or shock, can't recall) every few days will take care of the things an ozonator will.

He is a maintenance guy turned store owner and seems to know what he is talking about, pretty straight forward, no BS kind of salesman.

My question is, does what he said have merit? I don't mind doing chemicals more often than not if it means my cover and knobs don't discolor. Is this a common thing to tell buyers?

Thanks in advanced for your input.

I have disconnected my ozonator for those very same reasons. I shock with 1.5 tablespoons of non chlorine shock once per week to maintain my water.

[Dr. Spa]

He told me that unless you open your spa every 48 hours to let the ozone out, it will start to deteriorate the plastics and discolor the cover.

This part isn't quite correct. Ozone in hot water has a life of only seconds, In air, it's life may be as much as 2 hours. After 2 hours, almost all of it will have reverted back to oxygen. opening the cover 46 hours after the ozone has converted back to oxygen wont make any difference. He was though correct in that it will "bleach out" and plastics above the water line (pillows, underside of cover). Ozone is heavier than air and will tend to sit on the surface of the water where it will accumulate, until it reverts back to oxygen or "blows" away.

[fdegree]

OK, the consensus seems to be that ozone will create discolorization of plastics if allowed to accumulate under the cover. Also, it has been stated, in other topics, that ozone is quite limited in it’s ability to sanitize because it only comes in contact with a relatively small amount of the water. This leads me to a few questions:

1. Is it worth the initial expense when purchasing a new spa?

2. If someone already has ozone in their spa, is it worth the expense (electricity) to allow it to run (assuming water chemistry is diligently maintained)?

3. If it is worth it to allow it to run, how often should it be cycled vs. letting it run 24/7?

Thanks…

[nsin]

I say youll be fine w/o it. just add your sanitizer chlorine/bromine. Unless, your skin is sensitive to chems. fdegree, as far as i can tell ozonators shouldnt draw more that 60-100watts of energy. If you have it, let it run as long as spa is on.

[watersentinel]

Ozone is definately not a requirement. That doesn't mean it's not without it's merits. It is very possible and easy to maintain water without one. I worry when people want to substitute ozone for sanitizer. We've found that ozonators are more suited to oxidize in spas. We've had many service calls where customers say they don't know what's wrong but something is off and it turns out their ozonators aren't functioning. We've also had many customers that don't bother to replace bulbs or chips when they burn out. Headrests and plastic parts can bleach out with or without ozone. Shocking is a big contributor. If you find a spa you like, I wouldn't let an ozonator or lack of one influence your decision. You can always add one later if you decide you want to.

[SpaBum]

Thanks for the input, it sounds like what he said makes sense afterall. I will probably pass on the ozonator, I can see how people can get a false sense of security with it and not maintain the chemicals as they should.

[q95]

My dealer (Sundance) suggests to 'not' pay the extra for one. He said he doesn't have one in his tub either (I didn't stop by his house to make sure). He indicates the accellerated deterioration of the pillows and bottom side of the cover are his reasons.

Of course, a friend of mine has one. He's bought a rather expensive tub and likes the reduced chemicals. He said he doesn't care if he has to replace covers and pillows more often ... like I said, he has a very expensinve tub (non-sundance).