Enzyme Based Water Treatment Review

[my12by60]

We have friends that have been managing their spa water via the system shown in the link below:

http://natureswayspa.com

They have been using this system for two years and gave the system such a good report card that we decided to try it for ourselves. The kit I purchased included a bottle of liquid spa purge product, hose filter to refill through after the purged water has been drained, bottle of liquid water treatment, and two elasticized boot-type filters that go over two of my spa's four spa returns in the footwell of our spa. We followed the instructions for the purge and refill and have been using the system for the past month with great results so far. When I say great results I mean clear water with no chemical smell or any other issues. We add no chemicals whatsoever. I clean my spa's two main cartridge filters and the two return filters once per week using hose water at hose nozzle pressure. I usually use the spa each morning for 15 minutes and most afternoons my kids jump into the spa for 15 to 20 minutes to warm up after using the swimming pool (unheated pool water is still only 70 degrees here in Phoenix area). We do tend to baby our spa water a bit in that the kids go in the pool before entering the spa. I never go in the spa unless I have either showered first or been in the swimming pool. So we may not be putting the sanitation of this system to the same level of test as other spa owners who have sweaty teenagers jumping in the spa loaded up with suntan oil, for instance. But we have no plans to permit our spa to be used in any way other than the current way. We have a Marquis Euphoria.

I have read enough here to know that clear water that smells good does not necessarily mean that the water is totally healthy. Maybe some unhealthy bacteria (biofilm?) is being accumulated in the the water? Maybe the water's characteristics are somehow hurting the longevity of our equipment? I don't know much more than to look at water clarity and to smell the water. My wife manages our pool water (which is always crystal clear) and has a good Taylor test kit. She is leaving the spa water more to me now that we have this new water system. The only drawback to this system that I have seen so far is that I have to clean the filters every week (vs. once per month when we were using granular chlorine after each soak). Otherwise, the system is simple and easy in that I just put in a few drops of the enzymes formula after each use.

Are there any water or other tests that you recommend we do to make sure the water is as healthy as it looks and smells? Any other reasons to be concerned about this type of sanitation system?

[Roger]

We have friends that have been managing their spa water via the system shown in the link below:

http://natureswayspa.com

They have been using this system for two years and gave the system such a good report card that we decided to try it for ourselves. The kit I purchased included a bottle of liquid spa purge product, hose filter to refill through after the purged water has been drained, bottle of liquid water treatment, and two elasticized boot-type filters that go over two of my spa's four spa returns in the footwell of our spa. We followed the instructions for the purge and refill and have been using the system for the past month with great results so far. When I say great results I mean clear water with no chemical smell or any other issues. We add no chemicals whatsoever. I clean my spa's two main cartridge filters and the two return filters once per week using hose water at hose nozzle pressure. I usually use the spa each morning for 15 minutes and most afternoons my kids jump into the spa for 15 to 20 minutes to warm up after using the swimming pool (unheated pool water is still only 70 degrees here in Phoenix area). We do tend to baby our spa water a bit in that the kids go in the pool before entering the spa. I never go in the spa unless I have either showered first or been in the swimming pool. So we may not be putting the sanitation of this system to the same level of test as other spa owners who have sweaty teenagers jumping in the spa loaded up with suntan oil, for instance. But we have no plans to permit our spa to be used in any way other than the current way. We have a Marquis Euphoria.

I have read enough here to know that clear water that smells good does not necessarily mean that the water is totally healthy. Maybe some unhealthy bacteria (biofilm?) is being accumulated in the the water? Maybe the water's characteristics are somehow hurting the longevity of our equipment? I don't know much more than to look at water clarity and to smell the water. My wife manages our pool water (which is always crystal clear) and has a good Taylor test kit. She is leaving the spa water more to me now that we have this new water system. The only drawback to this system that I have seen so far is that I have to clean the filters every week (vs. once per month when we were using granular chlorine after each soak). Otherwise, the system is simple and easy in that I just put in a few drops of the enzymes formula after each use.

Are there any water or other tests that you recommend we do to make sure the water is as healthy as it looks and smells? Any other reasons to be concerned about this type of sanitation system?

But is your spa water clean? You say it's clear and smells good. Clear water and good smelling water have nothing to do with its cleanliness. I don't trust enzymes. Some people do. Bacteria can grow in super clear and none chemical smelling water and they usually do. Chlorine or Bromine gaurantee CLEAN water when used correctly. And there's no smell, with a proper chlorine system.

[my12by60]

We have friends that have been managing their spa water via the system shown in the link below:

http://natureswayspa.com

They have been using this system for two years and gave the system such a good report card that we decided to try it for ourselves. The kit I purchased included a bottle of liquid spa purge product, hose filter to refill through after the purged water has been drained, bottle of liquid water treatment, and two elasticized boot-type filters that go over two of my spa's four spa returns in the footwell of our spa. We followed the instructions for the purge and refill and have been using the system for the past month with great results so far. When I say great results I mean clear water with no chemical smell or any other issues. We add no chemicals whatsoever. I clean my spa's two main cartridge filters and the two return filters once per week using hose water at hose nozzle pressure. I usually use the spa each morning for 15 minutes and most afternoons my kids jump into the spa for 15 to 20 minutes to warm up after using the swimming pool (unheated pool water is still only 70 degrees here in Phoenix area). We do tend to baby our spa water a bit in that the kids go in the pool before entering the spa. I never go in the spa unless I have either showered first or been in the swimming pool. So we may not be putting the sanitation of this system to the same level of test as other spa owners who have sweaty teenagers jumping in the spa loaded up with suntan oil, for instance. But we have no plans to permit our spa to be used in any way other than the current way. We have a Marquis Euphoria.

I have read enough here to know that clear water that smells good does not necessarily mean that the water is totally healthy. Maybe some unhealthy bacteria (biofilm?) is being accumulated in the the water? Maybe the water's characteristics are somehow hurting the longevity of our equipment? I don't know much more than to look at water clarity and to smell the water. My wife manages our pool water (which is always crystal clear) and has a good Taylor test kit. She is leaving the spa water more to me now that we have this new water system. The only drawback to this system that I have seen so far is that I have to clean the filters every week (vs. once per month when we were using granular chlorine after each soak). Otherwise, the system is simple and easy in that I just put in a few drops of the enzymes formula after each use.

Are there any water or other tests that you recommend we do to make sure the water is as healthy as it looks and smells? Any other reasons to be concerned about this type of sanitation system?

But is your spa water clean? You say it's clear and smells good. Clear water and good smelling water have nothing to do with its cleanliness. I don't trust enzymes. Some people do. Bacteria can grow in super clear and none chemical smelling water and they usually do. Chlorine or Bromine gaurantee CLEAN water when used correctly. And there's no smell, with a proper chlorine system.

I have read what you are saying numerous times. What I am wondering is how do I test whether the water is indeed "clean" (free from unhealthy bacteria)?

[Mikey_in_NY]

I agree with Roger - don't judge the water on appearance and smell only.

You're probably better off moving this post to the water chemistry forum - there's some very knowledgable members there who can advise you further.

[chem geek]

Enzymes are catalysts that accelerate specific chemical reactions. In your case, these enzymes presumably accelerate the oxidation of bather waste (ammonia, urea and various organics) using dissolved oxygen in the water. They are unlikely to kill pathogens quickly if at all (depending on the enzyme).

However, if you read their How It Works page, it says the following:

Clear Choice Spa Water Treatment contains a non-toxic surfactant that breaks down organic waste to a smaller size. The smaller waste particles allow much faster natural oxidation. It also contains a special nutrient or food source that sustains the healthy bacteria we need but will not feed any type of infectious bacteria we do not want. This insures that the system stays alive and healthy between bathers. The final ingredient in our product is a blend of several types or classes of natural enzymes and coenzymes that rapidly start natural oxidation and the self purification of the spa water.

In other words, they are counting on "healthy bacteria" to be in the water so are clearly not killing bacteria. So I don't see how they specifically control Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is the bacteria that causes hot tub itch. This bacteria loves hot tub temperatures and readily forms biofilms and is a fairly pervasive bacteria that may even be on your skin. Perhaps you've been lucky not to have any skin abrasion or cuts where this very opportunistic bacteria can enter your body and cause an itch/rash. They claim that their food source is somehow selective to healthy bacteria but will not feed any type of infectious bacteria. That is just pure bunk.

They then quote the EPA in the following:

The Clear Choice Spa Treatment System can not claim that it kills unwanted bacteria as toxic sanitizers and pesticides do. We can point out that we are a natural bioremediation system. If you research the EPA’s “A Citizens Guide to Bioremediation,” you will find that the EPA describes the perfect bioremediation system as: A closed loop circulating vessel full of oxygen filled water that is enhanced with a nutrient , along with natural microbial products (enzymes, etc.) that accelerate biodegradation and natural oxidation of the targeted waste. They also state that indigenous healthy bacteria in this type of system are rarely displaced by foreign unwanted bacteria.

However, the EPA bioremediation systems (see A Citizen's Guide to Bioremediation" from the EPA) are for waste water treatment (or for polluted soil or groundwater), not for soaking, and they are not at the hot spa temperatures where hot tub itch bacteria thrive. By the way, one of the bacteria that live in the soil is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the bacteria that causes hot tub itch when it is allowed to grow to large numbers -- it's fine when at normal levels in soil, but its uncontrolled growth in a hot tub is another matter. I've said this before in other posts, that the government has no regulations for what you do with your pool or spa with regards to sanitation -- you can soak in raw sewage if you wanted to. I just didn't think any company offering a spa product would take that seriously.

[Shaamus]

IMHO any serious spa water care program will abide by the EPA recommendations for fast-acting sanitizers. Each of the mainstream alternative systems include a recipe with dichlor including ecoone, Aqua Finesse, Nature2, Spa Frog, and Silk Balance.

The bottom line is that left unchecked, some pretty nasty and harmful bacteria can grow in your spa water. Why would people take chances with that?

[my12by60]

IMHO any serious spa water care program will abide by the EPA recommendations for fast-acting sanitizers. Each of the mainstream alternative systems include a recipe with dichlor including ecoone, Aqua Finesse, Nature2, Spa Frog, and Silk Balance.

The bottom line is that left unchecked, some pretty nasty and harmful bacteria can grow in your spa water. Why would people take chances with that?

Thanks for the good feedback from all who have responded.

Do any reliable means exists to test for the presence of any harmful bacteria in spa water?

I hear what you are saying about EPA approved sanitation methods, but I must state that I have lost some faith in the idea that our govt agencies are not unduly influenced big money interests. The FDA and other food and health related agencies have been proven (at least to my satisfaction) to be very influenced by big Pharma, the fast food industry, etc. I don't know much about the EPA, so I won't comment about the EPA. And no, I am not some anti-govt wacko. I just want healthy soaking water.

[Roger]

I hear what you are saying about EPA approved sanitation methods, but I must state that I have lost some faith in the idea that our govt agencies are not unduly influenced big money interests. The FDA and other food and health related agencies have been proven (at least to my satisfaction) to be very influenced by big Pharma, the fast food industry, etc. I don't know much about the EPA, so I won't comment about the EPA. And no, I am not some anti-govt wacko. I just want healthy soaking water.

Chlorine kills bacteria and makes water safe. I'm not sure growing bacteria that's supposed to kill bad bacteria is such a good idea!!! A proper chlorine sanitation system has you soaking in less chlorine than your city drinking water. And there is no smell. Sure add Ozone or mineral purifiers or whatever you like to help reduce chlorine and maintain your water between uses. But KILL bacteria with chlorine or bromine, don't grow it with enzymes.

[my12by60]

I hear what you are saying about EPA approved sanitation methods, but I must state that I have lost some faith in the idea that our govt agencies are not unduly influenced big money interests. The FDA and other food and health related agencies have been proven (at least to my satisfaction) to be very influenced by big Pharma, the fast food industry, etc. I don't know much about the EPA, so I won't comment about the EPA. And no, I am not some anti-govt wacko. I just want healthy soaking water.

Chlorine kills bacteria and makes water safe. I'm not sure growing bacteria that's supposed to kill bad bacteria is such a good idea!!! A proper chlorine sanitation system has you soaking in less chlorine than your city drinking water. And there is no smell. Sure add Ozone or mineral purifiers or whatever you like to help reduce chlorine and maintain your water between uses. But KILL bacteria with chlorine or bromine, don't grow it with enzymes.

I am sure you and many others on these forums have forgotten more than I will ever know about water chemistry. However, all that I have heard thus far is that these enzyme based systems are destined to fail in their sanitation mission because harmful bacteria will inevitably grow in the hot water environment of a spa. Since I have a real world laboratory sitting in my backyard, it seems that I should be able to perform some sort of water test to check for these harmful bacteria. This would confirm what you folks are telling me about an enzyme based sanitation system.

Is there any way to test my spa water for harmful bacteria or other problems related to this type of sanitation system?

Absent such an ability to test the water, over the next six months if none of my family ever develops the "spa itch/rash" mentioned by Chem Geek, then can we assume the system is actually working?

[Dr. Spa]

Is there any way to test my spa water for harmful bacteria or other problems related to this type of sanitation system?

An electron microscope, followed by visual identification.

[chem geek]

Absent such an ability to test the water, over the next six months if none of my family ever develops the "spa itch/rash" mentioned by Chem Geek, then can we assume the system is actually working?

The absence of disease or symptoms does not mean the system is working. Getting sick from pathogens in the environment is a statistical probability sort-of-thing. There were many pools in the Pinellas County, Florida pool study (over 10%) that had zero chlorine and about half of those had high bacterial counts that would be deemed as unsafe. Nevertheless, there were no "outbreaks" reported. That doesn't mean people didn't get sick and didn't report it to their doctors or that those doctors didn't report this to the health authorities, etc. It's merely a spectrum of risk and by soaking in unsanitized water you increase your risk. It's not a "definitely will get sick" sort of thing, no more than being in a chlorine pool or spa is a "definitely won't get sick" sort of thing, though the probabilities are hugely different in these two situations.

I don't want to scare you, but I want to get real with you on this issue. Take a look at this post where I had earlier compiled hot tub itch/rash/lung incidents reported on this forum. Notice that most of these were due to low or no sanitizer while the next most common reason was a presumed high Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level from 1-2 months or more of Dichlor-only use. The high CYA would lower the hypochlorous acid concentration which is the primary sanitizing chemical in that system. There was also a report of Legionnaire's Disease in this post from improper sanitation at a hotel. Yes, the odds of having these problems are low, but they are not that close to zero when a sanitizer is not used. With proper use of an EPA-registered sanitizer that passes EPA DIS/TSS-12, this risk is reduced to near zero for most pathogens. The main exception is for protozoan oocysts, particularly Cyrptosporidium, since that is very chlorine resistant, but enzyme, metal ion, and other alternative systems don't help there either -- microfiltration, UV and ozone are better for Crypto though unless you invite someone over to your spa who has diarrhea, it's unlikely for Crypto to get into your spa. Note that the only EPA approved sanitizers for pools and spas are chlorine, bromine and Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB while in addition for spas (only) Nature2 with MPS is also approved.

As I've written before, the government does not regulate sanitation of residential pools and spas. Commercial/public pools and spas must use EPA approved sanitizers as dictated by state (and sometimes county) regulations. I don't understand why you would trust and believe someone selling a commercial product who has an obvious financial incentive to sell you something over the facts that have led the CDC, EPA and other government agencies to recommend, and all states (or counties/cities) to regulate and enforce, the use of sanitizers in commercial/public pools and spas. They simply saw the same sort of correlations I listed in my post on this forum in terms of many more problems with pathogens when a sanitizer is not used. Before strict enforcement of sanitation, there used to be a lot of reports of illness from people using improperly sanitized public pools (there are still some, but the number of such pools is greatly reduced) such that now most outbreaks in properly sanitized pools are due to Crypto for the reasons I've given above. At least the incidents of fecal bacterial infections is way, way down. You can get some sense of this from this article and this article.

[Shaamus]

If you went swimming at a hotel pool and contracted legionaire's disease, you (or your lawyer) would probably wonder if the hotel had maintained the proper level of fast acting sanitizer to keep the bacteria killed. Why would you have a different standard at home? There are some things in life that you can back off on the recommended safety standard. Do you need to always wear nitrile gloves when working with rubbing alcohol like OSHA says? However, when soaking semi-nude in a pool of hot water potentially with invisible organisms that can make you very sick I don't think it's time to start hoping the good bacteria (which you can't see) is keeping all the bad bacteria (which you also can't see) in check. Is there a test strip that reads the good bacteria vs. bad bacteria?

Just not worth the risk in my opinion. Ozone + Nature2 or Frog + 1-2ppm of dichlor then shocking with MPS. It's easy, it's low chlorine and it's safe.

[my12by60]

If you went swimming at a hotel pool and contracted legionaire's disease, you (or your lawyer) would probably wonder if the hotel had maintained the proper level of fast acting sanitizer to keep the bacteria killed. Why would you have a different standard at home? There are some things in life that you can back off on the recommended safety standard. Do you need to always wear nitrile gloves when working with rubbing alcohol like OSHA says? However, when soaking semi-nude in a pool of hot water potentially with invisible organisms that can make you very sick I don't think it's time to start hoping the good bacteria (which you can't see) is keeping all the bad bacteria (which you also can't see) in check. Is there a test strip that reads the good bacteria vs. bad bacteria?

Just not worth the risk in my opinion. Ozone + Nature2 or Frog + 1-2ppm of dichlor then shocking with MPS. It's easy, it's low chlorine and it's safe.

All right guys. I feel like I now have a pretty good handle on the risks that I am running if I decide to stay with the enzyme system without additional sanitizers. I appreciate all of the good responses.

I read Chem Geek's thread on rash/itch problems. My two cents on this is that quite few cases are likely due to the level of toxins in the spa user. Before my wife straightened out my ***, I was the worst eater in the world. I have never been overweight, so I would feast on all sorts of terrible food -- whatever tasted good to me. All sorts of toxins accumulate in the body from this sort of ***. When we first bought our spa and starting soaking, I was having all sorts of weird skin problems. My ultra healthy wife had no problems with the water. Looking back, I am now convinced that the extended soaks in hot water were helping to bring out some of the toxins in my body and giving me the skin problems. Passive sweating as we do in a spa is recommended for toxin removal, so long as the water itself is not toxic due to excessive use of harmful chemicals. I am not qualified to debate what is or is not "excessive" use of chemicals, but I do think chemicals are probably getting more blame than they deserve for skin problems of new spa users.

[chem geek]

I read Chem Geek's thread on rash/itch problems. My two cents on this is that quite few cases are likely due to the level of toxins in the spa user. Before my wife straightened out my ***, I was the worst eater in the world. I have never been overweight, so I would feast on all sorts of terrible food -- whatever tasted good to me. All sorts of toxins accumulate in the body from this sort of ***. When we first bought our spa and starting soaking, I was having all sorts of weird skin problems. My ultra healthy wife had no problems with the water. Looking back, I am now convinced that the extended soaks in hot water were helping to bring out some of the toxins in my body and giving me the skin problems. Passive sweating as we do in a spa is recommended for toxin removal, so long as the water itself is not toxic due to excessive use of harmful chemicals. I am not qualified to debate what is or is not "excessive" use of chemicals, but I do think chemicals are probably getting more blame than they deserve for skin problems of new spa users.

Some of the rash incidents may have been due to irritations or chemical sensitivities (though remember again that the most common problems were with NO sanitizer in the water, not too much), but some were confirmed by doctors as Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria using culture tests and the hot tub lung incident was confirmed as well though most of the examinations by doctors were visual where it is pretty obvious to distinguish between the bumps of a bacterial infection vs. a chemical rash (also based on delay of symptoms; not getting worse on re-exposure; time to heal, etc. -- see this link). It is also insulting to the woman who contracted Legionnaire's disease that somehow she could have prevented it if only she had eaten right.

Yes, keeping your body healthy is one way to have your immune system better fend off infection, but removing the source of infection itself is also extremely effective and usually more so. Your reasoning would have us to go back to the days where we drank unsanitized water and spread cholera because, after all, we should have just been eating better. Or perhaps we should not have developed vaccines against polio (which my wife contracted as a child, by the way, because the vaccine was not yet available in her area) because at the age of 3 she obviously wasn't eating right. Let's get everyone eating right and then re-release the smallpox still stored away in some laboratory to see how well we are doing. Come on now...

You're going to believe whatever you want to, but just don't call it any sort of scientific reasoned analysis. The idea that one sweats out any significant amount of toxins is pure bunk (see here, here, here, here and try and find any peer-reviewed scientific study that shows anywhere close to the amount of toxins excreted in sweat than normally processed by the liver to kidneys through urine or removed through feces). Again, I don't understand how you can give more credence to someone with a financial incentive to sell you something than you do peer-reviewed scientific research (especially multiple papers not funded by those with special interests).

[Roger]

All right guys. I feel like I now have a pretty good handle on the risks that I am running if I decide to stay with the enzyme system without additional sanitizers. I appreciate all of the good responses.

I read Chem Geek's thread on rash/itch problems. My two cents on this is that quite few cases are likely due to the level of toxins in the spa user. Before my wife straightened out my ***, I was the worst eater in the world. I have never been overweight, so I would feast on all sorts of terrible food -- whatever tasted good to me. All sorts of toxins accumulate in the body from this sort of ***. When we first bought our spa and starting soaking, I was having all sorts of weird skin problems. My ultra healthy wife had no problems with the water. Looking back, I am now convinced that the extended soaks in hot water were helping to bring out some of the toxins in my body and giving me the skin problems. Passive sweating as we do in a spa is recommended for toxin removal, so long as the water itself is not toxic due to excessive use of harmful chemicals. I am not qualified to debate what is or is not "excessive" use of chemicals, but I do think chemicals are probably getting more blame than they deserve for skin problems of new spa users.

I hear a coo-coo clock off in the distance. I eat terribly, and compared to your "super healthy" wife I am probably a slob. I don't take care of myself at all and when I soak in chlorine, I have never ever had any problems. Matter of fact the stuff I sweat out gets killed so fast by the chlorine it will make your head spin. There's the opposite end of the spectrum for you.

[my12by60]

All right guys. I feel like I now have a pretty good handle on the risks that I am running if I decide to stay with the enzyme system without additional sanitizers. I appreciate all of the good responses.

I read Chem Geek's thread on rash/itch problems. My two cents on this is that quite few cases are likely due to the level of toxins in the spa user. Before my wife straightened out my ***, I was the worst eater in the world. I have never been overweight, so I would feast on all sorts of terrible food -- whatever tasted good to me. All sorts of toxins accumulate in the body from this sort of ***. When we first bought our spa and starting soaking, I was having all sorts of weird skin problems. My ultra healthy wife had no problems with the water. Looking back, I am now convinced that the extended soaks in hot water were helping to bring out some of the toxins in my body and giving me the skin problems. Passive sweating as we do in a spa is recommended for toxin removal, so long as the water itself is not toxic due to excessive use of harmful chemicals. I am not qualified to debate what is or is not "excessive" use of chemicals, but I do think chemicals are probably getting more blame than they deserve for skin problems of new spa users.

I hear a coo-coo clock off in the distance. I eat terribly, and compared to your "super healthy" wife I am probably a slob. I don't take care of myself at all and when I soak in chlorine, I have never ever had any problems. Matter of fact the stuff I sweat out gets killed so fast by the chlorine it will make your head spin. There's the opposite end of the spectrum for you.

Easy guys. Chem Geek summed things up best when he said we are all going to believe what we are going to believe. We all take in info from all sorts of sources and form our own opinion of what is true or false. This is so whether we are talking about hot tub sanitation, health and ***, faith, etc. You guys have been helpful in presenting much useful info on hot tub sanitation and I thank you again.

[my12by60]

Just following up on my experience thus far with the enzyme-based water treatment system now that I have been using it for almost a year. So far I am satisfied with the system. The apparent stability of the water during periods of non-use is the main advantage that I see of the enzyme system vs. my prior practice of throwing in a scoop or two of chlorine after each daily soak. The only thing I never liked about the chlorine system was that the water always seemed to want to turn green if I was away for any number of days and the sanitizer became used up. I never had any issues with chlorine so long as I used the tub every day and threw in a scoop after soaking. The enzyme system is the same in that I add a few drops of the enzyme solution after each soak. The difference is that the water will always be clear if I don't use the tub for 3 or 4 days. We went on an RV trip this summer for about 2 months and came back to perfectly clear water. All that I did was added some extra drops of solution and gave the filters a thorough cleaning before leaving. The enzyme manufacturer recommends cleaning the filters weekly, which I have been doing (except when we are traveling). So that is an extra minor chore vs. the monthly filter cleaning that I used to do when I was using chlorine.

I have not had any sort of rash, itch or other skin or health problems thus far. I know that this does not prove that the water is healthy and does not guarantee that no such problems will ever develop. I am just reporting the results as they stand thus far. I will do another report in another year or so. I am not trying to tout enzyme systems as being better or worse than chlorine/bromine or any other method. Just putting my real world experience out there for those that read these forums as I do looking for such observations.

[waterbear]

IMHO, this is a subtle marketing post for this product. Since it's pretty much been debated to death I am locking the thread.