Replacing Freshwater Iii With Del Ozonator

[Pojo]

We have a hot springs spa Grandee that we've owned for about 7 years. In that time we have gone through 4 freshwater III ozonators, usually shortly after the one year warranty is up. We are extremely frustrated with the poor construction quality and high price of the Freshwater III ozonator. The plastic fittings often just fall apart, and are especially prone to doing so when performing the recommended vinegar rinse procedure. Our dealer just shrugs and says they aren't intended to last a long time. Great!

So instead of plunking down another $375 for a new one, or ordering one for $240 on the internet, I am considering a DEL product.

Do I want to get the DEL Spa Eclipse or MCD-50?

With the Freshwater III product, you need to put the silver ion cartridge into the filter every 3 - 4 months. I saw no mention of this in the DEL literature. Does it not require this, or benefit from it? Just wondering if this is yet another component of the overpriced hot springs spa maintenance ritual that I might be able to free myself from.

Thanks for any and all advice!!

[hottubdan]

We have a hot springs spa Grandee that we've owned for about 7 years. In that time we have gone through 4 freshwater III ozonators, usually shortly after the one year warranty is up. We are extremely frustrated with the poor construction quality and high price of the Freshwater III ozonator. The plastic fittings often just fall apart, and are especially prone to doing so when performing the recommended vinegar rinse procedure. Our dealer just shrugs and says they aren't intended to last a long time. Great!

So instead of plunking down another $375 for a new one, or ordering one for $240 on the internet, I am considering a DEL product.

Do I want to get the DEL Spa Eclipse or MCD-50?

With the Freshwater III product, you need to put the silver ion cartridge into the filter every 3 - 4 months. I saw no mention of this in the DEL literature. Does it not require this, or benefit from it? Just wondering if this is yet another component of the overpriced hot springs spa maintenance ritual that I might be able to free myself from.

Thanks for any and all advice!!

The Silver cartridge works with any ozonator. See many threads on pros and cons of Nature2 (which is what the silver cartridge is).

How do you know you need to replace the ozonator? Are the nipples on the ozonator itself falling apart? Our customers have ozonators lasting 5-7 years or more.

[Pojo]

How do you know you need to replace the ozonator? Are the nipples on the ozonator itself falling apart? Our customers have ozonators lasting 5-7 years or more.

In the past it has died and stopped emitting any bubbles, and the service tech checked it out and declared it dead. It has also had the nipples snap off when removing the tubing to run vinegar through it, which is what happened today when I started my drain/refill maintenance routing.

In the past I have been admonished by the service tech to be sure to run 2 cups of vinegar through it each time I change the water to prolong the ozonator's life. It seems odd that with this recommendation, you also have to deal with a unit that does not seem to be built with this maintenance in mind. If it was meant to have the tubes disconnected I would expect them to have a fitting that screwed off or something other than the tight fit they have.

Thanks for the feedback. Any comment on swapping out for a DEL ozonator and DEL which model is appropriate?

Thanks!

[hottubdan]

How do you know you need to replace the ozonator? Are the nipples on the ozonator itself falling apart? Our customers have ozonators lasting 5-7 years or more.

In the past it has died and stopped emitting any bubbles, and the service tech checked it out and declared it dead. It has also had the nipples snap off when removing the tubing to run vinegar through it, which is what happened today when I started my drain/refill maintenance routing.

In the past I have been admonished by the service tech to be sure to run 2 cups of vinegar through it each time I change the water to prolong the ozonator's life. It seems odd that with this recommendation, you also have to deal with a unit that does not seem to be built with this maintenance in mind. If it was meant to have the tubes disconnected I would expect them to have a fitting that screwed off or something other than the tight fit they have.

Thanks for the feedback. Any comment on swapping out for a DEL ozonator and DEL which model is appropriate?

Thanks!

MCD-50

[Peteyboy]

I like JED ozones. They are Corona Discharge (CD) and have worked very well for us.

[Pojo]

Thank you for the suggestions. I got the Freshwater III replaced under warranty and am back in business for the time being, but will move to one of these alternative ozonators when the warranty expires and the unit fails again.

[djousma]

I'm curious about this vinegar process you are doing. What is it supposed to be doing for you? I have never heard of that, so I'd like to learn something new.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I'm curious about this vinegar process you are doing. What is it supposed to be doing for you? I have never heard of that, so I'd like to learn something new.

The ozone can get a mineral/calcium buildup over time and choke down the opening which can totally stop the ozone from flowing in the line. Vinegar being acidic will break that down and clear it out.

[djousma]

Thanks for the explanation!

Dave