Value Of Adding Ozonator To Well Performing Spa

[mader]

I am 3 weeks into ownership of my first spa. Loving it.

I am using a bromine tablet floater. Ph, hardness, alkalinity, all good. Bromine on the money at no ozonator levels.

Now, the manufacturer sent me a Del Ozonator kit. It was backordered. My question is should I even install it? I know that I can keep the bromine levels lower, but I still have to have the floater, right? I can narrow the holes in the floater, etc.

Are they any other benefits beside having to buy less bromine tablets?

Thanks,

Mark

Forgot to mention. It is the spaeclipse model. It is a self contained unit with a hose kit.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I am 3 weeks into ownership of my first spa. Loving it.

I am using a bromine tablet floater. Ph, hardness, alkalinity, all good. Bromine on the money at no ozonator levels.

Now, the manufacturer sent me a Del Ozonator kit. It was backordered. My question is should I even install it? I know that I can keep the bromine levels lower, but I still have to have the floater, right? I can narrow the holes in the floater, etc.

Are they any other benefits beside having to buy less bromine tablets?

Thanks,

Mark

Forgot to mention. It is the spaeclipse model. It is a self contained unit with a hose kit.

1) I would definitely add it. I'm not sure how effective that unit is (all zoonators are defintely NOT created equal) but ozone works well in conjunction with bromine. I'm not much of a bromine fan in teh first place so if it is effective on lessenign the amount of bromine you use you will be happy.

2) If it's not on your spa because it was back ordered I'd be asking the dealer to install it since it's not your fault they didn't have it in time of delivery. I've seen too many installed improperly (even by people who should know how to install one) so you want this done properly.

[mader]

1) I would definitely add it. I'm not sure how effective that unit is (all zoonators are defintely NOT created equal) but ozone works well in conjunction with bromine. I'm not much of a bromine fan in teh first place so if it is effective on lessenign the amount of bromine you use you will be happy.

2) If it's not on your spa because it was back ordered I'd be asking the dealer to install it since it's not your fault they didn't have it in time of delivery. I've seen too many installed improperly (even by people who should know how to install one) so you want this done properly.

Thank you. What don't you like anout bromine? The smell or something else?

The instructions with it are really straightforward, so i will give it a go.

[hottub.pool_boy]

The ozone will help with the bromomines. Those build up over time and can produce a choking smell. Bromine's great. Works in a wider range of water conditions than chlorine, not putting something in after each use...etc. You should be needing to add Ph+ every week. Brom. tabs will drag down the Ph. Have fun!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Thank you. What don't you like anout bromine? The smell or something else?

The instructions with it are really straightforward, so i will give it a go.

I just do not like the smell of a bromine spa and have had many customers make that same complaint. Addtionally, a chlorine regimine is very simple to keep up (both are easy actually) so I VERY much prefer chlorine to bromine and I'd add that a Nature 2 cartridge along with the chlorine is an added boost. However, others may disaggree with my bromine comments so please realize that this is not a warning, just an opinion. While some will say that ozone works even better with bromine, I still can't get beyond teh "chemical soup" smell. Try both and decide for yourself!

(BTW, if you use chlorine, you can switch to bromine without changing the water but if you start with bromine you'd have to drain before trying chlorine)

[mader]

The ozone will help with the bromomines. Those build up over time and can produce a choking smell. Bromine's great. Works in a wider range of water conditions than chlorine, not putting something in after each use...etc. You should be needing to add Ph+ every week. Brom. tabs will drag down the Ph. Have fun!

Thanks. I've been wondering about the need for weekly PH+. I have to test strip kits. One says my PH is a bit low and TA a bit low to. The other kit has those levels right on!

What's the best test kit to get? I have heard the kits with droppers and vials are the best?

Thanks again.

[waterbear]

Thanks. I've been wondering about the need for weekly PH+. I have to test strip kits. One says my PH is a bit low and TA a bit low to. The other kit has those levels right on!

What's the best test kit to get? I have heard the kits with droppers and vials are the best?

Thanks again.

Best test kit for bromine is the Taylor K-2106....Pricey but worth every penny. When you consider that you spent thousnds of dollars on your spa is about $60 really a lot of money for a good test kit? It will make balancing your water much easier in the long run!

If you are using bromine you need to start with sodium bromide in the water to create your bromine bank. This is even more important with an ozonator since it takes several weeks for tabs by themselves to dissolve enought to create the 'bank' and until they do any chlorine in the tabs (yes, there is chlorine in bromine tabs...this is what activates them) will tend to get destroyed by the ozone..

As far as pH dropping....both bromine tabs and MPS shock are acidic and will cause your pH to drop. You can lessen this by switching from an MPS based shock to liquid chlorine for shocking. The easiest liquid chlorine to use in a hot tub for shocking is laundry bleach. One cup of regular (5.25%) or 3.4 cip of ultra (6%) bleach will effectively shock 250 gallons (but you need to have your bromide bank established in the water first by adding the sodium bromide on filling or you will end up with a chlorine spa.).

As for the pros and cons of bromine vs. chlorine....IMHO, chlorine is less work overall but requires a bit closer watching to maintain proper sanitizer levels. It is less likely to cause any rash or sensitivity (bromine is a known sentizier), and a properly maintained chlorine spa has practically no odor even with free chlorine levels at about 6 ppm. Bromine has a distinct chemical odor. Chlorine is MUCH less expensive to run than bromine.

Bromine is a better choice for indoor spas (less chance of forming TMH's...byproducts of halogen sanitation that become a problem in indoor installations, it is not as fussy about temperature and pH....but is does require more fequent water balancing since it tends to have a negative impact on total alkainity. It is easier to maintain a proper sanitizer level even if the spa gets ignored for a short time (if you are using a 3-step bromine system with tabs in a floater).

I have personally kept spas using both systems and I can tell you that I definitely prefer chlorine over bromine although a chlorine spa is not as forgiving of a week or two's neglect as a 3-step bromine spa is.In the long run I found chlorine to be less work even if it does take more frequent attention (read 'daily or at best every other day', not that different from a pool kept on chlorine!)

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