Ozonator Question

[gcgalt]

I have just purchased a Great Lakes tub that has an ozonator. Could someone explain how an ozonator works and does it have any replacement cartridges etc. Does the ozone run out? Sorry if I seem a bit slow, it's just that we did alot of shopping around and talked to so many people that my brain is addled with spa details and options.

Any help would be very much appreciated!!!!

[Hot H2o]

I have just purchased a Great Lakes tub that has an ozonator. Could someone explain how an ozonator works and does it have any replacement cartridges etc. Does the ozone run out? Sorry if I seem a bit slow, it's just that we did alot of shopping around and talked to so many people that my brain is addled with spa details and options.

Any help would be very much appreciated!!!!

Call your local dealer. If you didn't get it from a spa dealer call the manufacturer or A-Tex Family Fun Center at 512 451 8353

[dlynn]

I have just purchased a Great Lakes tub that has an ozonator. Could someone explain how an ozonator works and does it have any replacement cartridges etc. Does the ozone run out? Sorry if I seem a bit slow, it's just that we did alot of shopping around and talked to so many people that my brain is addled with spa details and options.

Any help would be very much appreciated!!!!

There are two kinds of Ozonators, both types create Ozone. They do not have any cartridges or require any service until they wear out, when they wear out the bulb type needs a new bulb unit and the other type needs a new microchip. The bulb type does not last as long as the electronic type, but both types should run for several years without any maintance or supplies. The Ozonator produces Ozone which is just 3 parts Oxygen. Ozone is a natural part of nature, it is produced in nature by Ultra Violet light and it helps keep the air clean. You can smell ozone right after a rain storm. Ozone cleans the water in your spa and with an Ozonator you do not need to use as many chemicals. Ozonators work best with Bromine, but can be used with other chemical methods as well. With an Ozonator you only need to keep Bromine at 1 ppm instead of 3-5 ppm as recommended without an Ozonator. You regulate the amount of Bromine by the settings on your Bromine Floater. Keep the compartment in your floater full of Bromine tablets and adjust it so it maintains 1 ppm by setting how much water enters the floater. Continue to do a shock treatment weekly. Hope that helps.

[pg_rider]

How do you know when a CD ozonator needs a new chip? Does it stop making the bubbles or is there a more definitive indicator?

[gcgalt]

There are two kinds of Ozonators, both types create Ozone. They do not have any cartridges or require any service until they wear out, when they wear out the bulb type needs a new bulb unit and the other type needs a new microchip. The bulb type does not last as long as the electronic type, but both types should run for several years without any maintance or supplies. The Ozonator produces Ozone which is just 3 parts Oxygen. Ozone is a natural part of nature, it is produced in nature by Ultra Violet light and it helps keep the air clean. You can smell ozone right after a rain storm. Ozone cleans the water in your spa and with an Ozonator you do not need to use as many chemicals. Ozonators work best with Bromine, but can be used with other chemical methods as well. With an Ozonator you only need to keep Bromine at 1 ppm instead of 3-5 ppm as recommended without an Ozonator. You regulate the amount of Bromine by the settings on your Bromine Floater. Keep the compartment in your floater full of Bromine tablets and adjust it so it maintains 1 ppm by setting how much water enters the floater. Continue to do a shock treatment weekly. Hope that helps.

Answered all my questions, thanks!

[Chas]

How do you know when a CD ozonator needs a new chip? Does it stop making the bubbles or is there a more definitive indicator?

Most CD ozone systems have a chip or chamber which needs to be replaced after 9000 hours of operation. That's just over one year if it runs around the clock.

The bulbs in UV type ozone systems usually go for about two years. The funny thing is that they can get to a point where they are not producing any usable amount of ozone even though they may still light up.

Some of the better ozone systems, like the Del Eclipse and the ones used on HotSpring, Tiger River and Caldera spas will go for ten years or so with no service or replacement parts.

[dlynn]

How do you know when a CD ozonator needs a new chip? Does it stop making the bubbles or is there a more definitive indicator?

I do not know if a unit is producing Ozone as long as it is producing bubbles, maybe someone here can tell us. Ozone after performing its cleaning process is converted into Oxygen which would still produce bubbles, but I do not know if a non working Ozonator will still produce air bubbles which contain no Ozone. There are water test kits available to detect Ozone, so this is probably a good thing to get after the unit is about one year old. Ozone does not stay in the water very long so taking water into a dealer for testing may not be the answer either. Some spas have a process which runs the ozone through a series of tubing that is long enough that most of the Ozone is actually used up before it even gets into the tub so it will not just evaporate into the air and be lost, so most of the bubbles you see are actually just Oxygen anyway.

[Dr. Spa]

Air is passed through an ozonator, and if it's working oxygen in the air is converted into ozone. If the ozonator isn't working, air still passes through the ozonator, nothing is converted to ozone, and the air comes out into the spa.