jerome Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 Are there any alternatives to chemicals that will really work? Such as UV filters such as the ones used on house water? I know that the ph will still need to be balanced but I am interested in the sanitation of the water. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 Are there any alternatives to chemicals that will really work? Such as UV filters such as the ones used on house water? I know that the ph will still need to be balanced but I am interested in the sanitation of the water. Thanks. They work along WITH your chemicals. It's not as if we're asking you to fill your spa with radioactive material. Chlorine is a good thing, not a bad thing. If you try to avoid it you're both foolish and kidding yourself IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 They work along WITH your chemicals. It's not as if we're asking you to fill your spa with radioactive material. Chlorine is a good thing, not a bad thing. If you try to avoid it you're both foolish and kidding yourself IMO. spatech is right! You need an EPA approved sanitizer. There are only three of them--chlorine, bromine and biguanide/hydrogen peroxide (Baquaspa, SoftSoak, Revacil, etc.) I personally think chlorine is the easiest to use with the fewest problems. ALL other sanitizer systems (ozone, ioniozers and "mineral" systems (they put copper, silver, and/or zinc into your water so are hardly chemical free!), enzymes, magnets, UV light, etc. are all auxillery systems that need to be used with a sanitizer. Some of them can help reduce your sanitizer demand (Ozone is GREAT with bromine systems), others are pretty much worthless and just drain your wallet. One thing to remember is that contact time is important in santizing. You can't compare a house water sanitizing system to a spa. A spa has contaminents added to it constantly while it is in use from the bathers and needs to have enought fast acting sanitizer in the water to deal with this. A house water system does not and santizers that require a longer contact time to be effective can work. This is the most misunderstood fact about ioniers and mineral systems. Metal ions have a very slow kill time and can't act fast enough to kill pathogens that are intorduced into the water while soaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerome Posted November 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 They work along WITH your chemicals. It's not as if we're asking you to fill your spa with radioactive material. Chlorine is a good thing, not a bad thing. If you try to avoid it you're both foolish and kidding yourself IMO. hey unreal one (bowing) the problem is I am highly reactive (read very itchy rash) to clorine and bromine and am about to try bacquaspa if that causes the same thing I wanted an alternative befor I just sold the spa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 hey unreal one (bowing) the problem is I am highly reactive (read very itchy rash) to clorine and bromine and am about to try bacquaspa if that causes the same thing I wanted an alternative befor I just sold the spa. For people twho have a true sentivivity to halogens (chlorine and bromine) then biguaide is about the only alternative there is! It is an effective sanitizing system. Biggest drawbacks are the price, the more frequent filter cleaning, and the possibility of water mold forming. Other than that it might just be the ticket for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmilinBare Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 FWIW, the only problem I have with BaquaSpa is the accumulation of brownish-goo-tub-ring for a week or so after I change the H2O. No biggie. It comes off, easily, with a swipe of a scrubbie laced with BaquaSpa surface cleaner. I change out the plastic filter every 3 months, when I empty and refill the tub, even if it looks like it is barely soiled. I guesstimate that between BaquaSpa products and filter cartidges, it's costing me $350.00 a year for water treatment. We love BaquaSpa. Gentle on our skin. Guaranteed to get favorable comments from guest tubbers. Easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamictiger Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 There is a system which can be used as an alternative to the three previously mentioned. You can use either an ozonator or Ultraviolet light with this. It is very much more expensive to maintain. The chemical is Hydrogen Peroxide. This is not normally used as it is a bit on the slower side and very expensive compared to chlorine based products. From memory you need about 40 ppm to acheive adequate sanitation and you need an additional sanitiser like UV or Ozone as well. Test kits are usually available from scientific supply services and the chemical is usually available via the chemical companies that supply your pool shop - we use 50% solution. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Shrink Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 FWIW, the only problem I have with BaquaSpa is the accumulation of brownish-goo-tub-ring for a week or so after I change the H2O. No biggie. It comes off, easily, with a swipe of a scrubbie laced with BaquaSpa surface cleaner. I change out the plastic filter every 3 months, when I empty and refill the tub, even if it looks like it is barely soiled. I guesstimate that between BaquaSpa products and filter cartidges, it's costing me $350.00 a year for water treatment. We love BaquaSpa. Gentle on our skin. Guaranteed to get favorable comments from guest tubbers. Easy to use. I have to agree with the positive comments about BaquaSpa, which I've been using since we got our Sundance in August. I do have one question though. Sundance emphatically states that you should not clean the filter, but rather replace it when the time is right. We were given an extra filter with our tub and will make the exchange in the next couple of months. But we never rinse or clean the filter, as per clear and serious recommendations. Of course, with BaquaSpa we do get a bit of the goo, which isn't tough to control. I don't really see much if any in the filter, but I'm wondering if anyone else has a Sundance and follows the same guidelines, or are they simply trying to sell more filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 There is a system which can be used as an alternative to the three previously mentioned. You can use either an ozonator or Ultraviolet light with this. It is very much more expensive to maintain. The chemical is Hydrogen Peroxide. This is not normally used as it is a bit on the slower side and very expensive compared to chlorine based products. From memory you need about 40 ppm to acheive adequate sanitation and you need an additional sanitiser like UV or Ozone as well. Test kits are usually available from scientific supply services and the chemical is usually available via the chemical companies that supply your pool shop - we use 50% solution. HTH To the best of my knowledge this has not been approved as a sanitizer by the EPA in the United States, however hydrogen peroxide in conjunction with biguanide has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueSpas Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Has anyone tried Aqua Finese? I use it in my Spa tub and have a store of which everyone loves it. 2 scoops once per week and thats it. No chlorine or Bromine. I can send anyone additional info if they like. uniquespas@peoplepc.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 See this thread for more discussion on AquaFinesse. You can see from their website that they say the following: When used in combination with a good working ozone or silver ion system, no additional sanitizers are needed. However, the National Spa and Pool Institute (NSPI) recommends that hot tub owners maintain a minimum level of 1.5-ppm chlorine in the spa water. To meet these standards, we strongly suggest using the provided sanitizing tablets as directed in the slow-release dispenser. Soon, your water will be in the best shape of its life-no pH products, clarifiers or additional chemicals needed! So it is recommended to have at least some chlorine in the water, mostly to kill pathogens quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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