Do I Really Need An Ozonator?

[robin]

If i buy an LA spa the owner of this pool spa store is steering me away for the ultimate water system that is an additional $375.00. she is telling me that she has had to change the circulation pump many times on this tub during the first 3 years. We talked alot about hot tub maintence. I owned an old round Sonoma tub for 20 years and it did not have an ozonater. I had to do all my own chemicals which was pretty easy. I like the idea of the Ultimate water system and would spend the money on it, but i do worry about having to change even more parts as the tub gets older. it has a standard filtration system. any thoughts?

[sharkman009]

If i buy an LA spa the owner of this pool spa store is steering me away for the ultimate water system that is an additional $375.00. she is telling me that she has had to change the circulation pump many times on this tub during the first 3 years. We talked alot about hot tub maintence. I owned an old round Sonoma tub for 20 years and it did not have an ozonater. I had to do all my own chemicals which was pretty easy. I like the idea of the Ultimate water system and would spend the money on it, but i do worry about having to change even more parts as the tub gets older. it has a standard filtration system. any thoughts?

An ozonator is not a neccesity but it will cut down on the amount of chlorine or bromine you use. Youve already owned a spa and it sounds like you had a pretty good grasp on what it takes to take care of the spa.

Just imagine the same routine but you would be using less sanitizer. If you test your spa often the ozonater will allow you to run your sanitizer levels a little lower so you dont get as strong of a chemical smell and feel from the tub.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

If i buy an LA spa the owner of this pool spa store is steering me away for the ultimate water system that is an additional $375.00. she is telling me that she has had to change the circulation pump many times on this tub during the first 3 years. We talked alot about hot tub maintence. I owned an old round Sonoma tub for 20 years and it did not have an ozonater. I had to do all my own chemicals which was pretty easy. I like the idea of the Ultimate water system and would spend the money on it, but i do worry about having to change even more parts as the tub gets older. it has a standard filtration system. any thoughts?

An ozonator is not an absolute MUST have but I know I'd get one every time as they sure do make life easier (if you get a quality CD unit, not a fan of the UV type). I often see the difference in the field between those who have one and those who don't. You can get by without one but it definitely takes more water maintenance without one and more sanitizer (not an incredible amount more but more nonetheless). It sounds to me like they need to figure out why they keep having failed circ pumps and maybe they're steering you away just because they know they have a big issue with those.

[robin]

An ozonator is not an absolute MUST have but I know I'd get one every time as they sure do make life easier (if you get a quality CD unit, not a fan of the UV type). I often see the difference in the field between those who have one and those who don't. You can get by without one but it definitely takes more water maintenance without one and more sanitizer (not an incredible amount more but more nonetheless). It sounds to me like they need to figure out why they keep having failed circ pumps and maybe they're steering you away just because they know they have a big issue with those.

I went for the ozonator after a long talk with the salesperson. One thing for sure have the circulation pump made the spa alot quieter when it is filtering the water. I could barely hear the pump running. a very nice feature when the tub is so close to the living room and house next door. thanks for your advice, i guess i could learn how to change a cir pump someday! robin

[fisrt timer]

I went for the ozonator after a long talk with the salesperson. One thing for sure have the circulation pump made the spa alot quieter when it is filtering the water. I could barely hear the pump running. a very nice feature when the tub is so close to the living room and house next door. thanks for your advice, i guess i could learn how to change a cir pump someday! robin

good job on the UWMS. Did your dealer tell you that you can get the LA wityh an ozonator without the recirculation pump? There are 3 ways to go, one is not ozone & no pump, 2 is ozone and no pump, 3 is the UWMS with ozone and pump. I went with the UWMS as well. My dealer that sells a ton of LA spas hasnt had any problems with them. Sometimes a dealer may try to say things like that in order to sway your opinion toward whatever they have in stock.

[robin]

good job on the UWMS. Did your dealer tell you that you can get the LA wityh an ozonator without the recirculation pump? There are 3 ways to go, one is not ozone & no pump, 2 is ozone and no pump, 3 is the UWMS with ozone and pump. I went with the UWMS as well. My dealer that sells a ton of LA spas hasnt had any problems with them. Sometimes a dealer may try to say things like that in order to sway your opinion toward whatever they have in stock.

well the UWM system circ pump is under warranty for the first years of ownership and they have to change them for free so i am sure this is an issue for the dealer. But i am glad i got the UWM system anyway. i was told i could have those 3 options but i went with the UWM with circ pump because as i said when it is filtering you can almost no noise. really nice for me and my neighbor. robin

[thestallion]

well the UWM system circ pump is under warranty for the first years of ownership and they have to change them for free so i am sure this is an issue for the dealer. But i am glad i got the UWM system anyway. i was told i could have those 3 options but i went with the UWM with circ pump because as i said when it is filtering you can almost no noise. really nice for me and my neighbor. robin

Yes they are quiet, and that is really their biggest benefit. However at the expense of being quiet you give up water turnover and the breaking of the waters surface during filtering. Many of todays makers have acknowledged this by having the bigger pumps turn on during the day or going to a much larger circ pump than was previously used. A small 24 circ pump does do a some things well but it is lacking in other areas.

[sharkman009]

Yes they are quiet, and that is really their biggest benefit. However at the expense of being quiet you give up water turnover and the breaking of the waters surface during filtering. Many of todays makers have acknowledged this by having the bigger pumps turn on during the day or going to a much larger circ pump than was previously used. A small 24 circ pump does do a some things well but it is lacking in other areas.

The reason most manufacturers have their jet pumps turn on every day is because the water in the jet lines do not get circulated and can get stagnat. They dont have them turn on because the circ pumps dont turn the water over fast enough.

A small circulation pump running 24 hrs is more than adequate for most spas when calculating turnover rates.

As far as breaking surface tension of the water the only time that is an issue in my opinion is while the spa is being used. As people sit in the warm water body oils come to the surface and need to be skimmed off.

When people are sitting in the spa they usually have the jets on and that is adequate to skim the water and keep it clean.

The rest of the time the cover is on the spa and debris in the water is not an issue.

[thestallion]

The reason most manufacturers have their jet pumps turn on every day is because the water in the jet lines do not get circulated and can get stagnat. They dont have them turn on because the circ pumps dont turn the water over fast enough.

A small circulation pump running 24 hrs is more than adequate for most spas when calculating turnover rates.

As far as breaking surface tension of the water the only time that is an issue in my opinion is while the spa is being used. As people sit in the warm water body oils come to the surface and need to be skimmed off.

When people are sitting in the spa they usually have the jets on and that is adequate to skim the water and keep it clean.

The rest of the time the cover is on the spa and debris in the water is not an issue.

You are right the small circ pumps can not pull the water though the main plumbing. As for the surface tension drop a piece of thread in a spa that only uses the small circ pump and come back in the next hour or the next day it won't matter because the thread will still be floating on the top. The surface of the water should be broken.

[sharkman009]

You are right the small circ pumps can not pull the water though the main plumbing. As for the surface tension drop a piece of thread in a spa that only uses the small circ pump and come back in the next hour or the next day it won't matter because the thread will still be floating on the top. The surface of the water should be broken.

With most spas the cover is on the spa 95% of the time and as I said the other times the spa is being used with the pumps running which skims the water when the tub would be open and exposed to debris entering the spa.

The bottom line is if you ask customers that own a Hotspring spa how often do you open your spa and find debris floating in your spa you would be hardpressed to find one that has problems keeping their water clean or finding debris floating in their spa.

[Amanda]

I think an ozonater is a good way to help control the amount of sanitizer in the water but does nothing else. If a circ. pump option is offered, I would check on the amount of gallons per hour. Some are only 9-10 gallons per minute... others can offer over 30 gallons/ minute. Balboa makes a very good UV bulb ozonater with a plasma cell instead of tradition ballasts that had a tendancy to "go bad" much faster. Since the ozone is a fairly inexpensive option and I happen to be sensitive to chemicals, I think it is definately worth it.

[thestallion]

With most spas the cover is on the spa 95% of the time and as I said the other times the spa is being used with the pumps running which skims the water when the tub would be open and exposed to debris entering the spa.

The bottom line is if you ask customers that own a Hotspring spa how often do you open your spa and find debris floating in your spa you would be hardpressed to find one that has problems keeping their water clean or finding debris floating in their spa.

Thats not the point and also how many Hot Springs customers are told at time of sale "oh by the way if you are not going use the spa for a few days than be sure and hit the clean up cycle to purge the plumbing lines". This is not a knock on Hot Springs it is just that for most benefits (quiet operation) they come at a cost. Also what happens when you have extra use in a Hot Springs spa can you program it to add for the extra people. Say you have a spa the runs 2 hour filter cycles twice a day and you have guests over for a weekend and your spa is going to be getting some extra heavy use most spas that filter in 2 hours cycles can be bumped to 4 hours to off set the extra use. All I am saying is that there are trade offs to each.

[sharkman009]

Thats not the point and also how many Hot Springs customers are told at time of sale "oh by the way if you are not going use the spa for a few days than be sure and hit the clean up cycle to purge the plumbing lines". This is not a knock on Hot Springs it is just that for most benefits (quiet operation) they come at a cost. Also what happens when you have extra use in a Hot Springs spa can you program it to add for the extra people. Say you have a spa the runs 2 hour filter cycles twice a day and you have guests over for a weekend and your spa is going to be getting some extra heavy use most spas that filter in 2 hours cycles can be bumped to 4 hours to off set the extra use. All I am saying is that there are trade offs to each.

First if you want to point out a fault on a system learn about the system you are talking about. If you look back at my post I said most spas with 24 hour circ systems dont circulate water from the jet lines. That is not the case with a Hotspring. The circ pump is drawing water from the filter compartment and the jet lines.

So the jet lines on a Hotspring dont have to be purged.

As far as excessive swimmer loads the turnover rate with the small circ pump is more than adequate to deal with heavy loads. It is actually overkill for regular use.

If it wasnt able to maintain the spa you know as well as I do that with as long as they have built spas this would be something compettitors would be all over.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

As far as excessive swimmer loads the turnover rate with the small circ pump is more than adequate to deal with heavy loads. It is actually overkill for regular use.

If it wasnt able to maintain the spa you know as well as I do that with as long as they have built spas this would be something compettitors would be all over.

Another point could be made that since Hot Springs jet pumps draw all their water through the filters there should be less need to run the pumps as part of a clean cycle after heavy bather load compared to a standard circ pump spa where the jet pump water has a bypass.

[sharkman009]

Another point could be made that since Hot Springs jet pumps draw all their water through the filters there should be less need to run the pumps as part of a clean cycle after heavy bather load compared to a standard circ pump spa where the jet pump water has a bypass.

Good point.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Good point.

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal and tip your waiter.

[sharkman009]

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal and tip your waiter.

Now that you mention it the veal does sound good.

[thestallion]

Guys come on now. It filters the same way with one person or 6 people using the spa please do not try and say it does not matter. We all know the water is dirtiest after a spa is used and if it used by more people than normal it is a real benefit to be able adjust your filtering to accommodate the extra use. By the way you sharkman brought up Hot Springs not me I only replied to the post about them. As for the line's how long does it take to purge them as the water that goes through them basically does so at a dribble. Hey Hot Springs builds a good product and stands behind it very well. But there are genuine choices that are just as good from other makers and depending on what you feel is best may be a better way to accomplish the same thing. But its what you feel is best for you.

[Brulan1]

I think an ozonater is a good way to help control the amount of sanitizer in the water but does nothing else. If a circ. pump option is offered, I would check on the amount of gallons per hour. Some are only 9-10 gallons per minute... others can offer over 30 gallons/ minute. Balboa makes a very good UV bulb ozonater with a plasma cell instead of tradition ballasts that had a tendancy to "go bad" much faster. Since the ozone is a fairly inexpensive option and I happen to be sensitive to chemicals, I think it is definately worth it.

UV also uses a little more electric than a plasma cell. I agree DEF. Ozonator.

[sharkman009]

Guys come on now. It filters the same way with one person or 6 people using the spa please do not try and say it does not matter. We all know the water is dirtiest after a spa is used and if it used by more people than normal it is a real benefit to be able adjust your filtering to accommodate the extra use. By the way you sharkman brought up Hot Springs not me I only replied to the post about them. As for the line's how long does it take to purge them as the water that goes through them basically does so at a dribble. Hey Hot Springs builds a good product and stands behind it very well. But there are genuine choices that are just as good from other makers and depending on what you feel is best may be a better way to accomplish the same thing. But its what you feel is best for you.

I realize I brought up Hotspring but you made the statement "how many Hotspring customers are told "oh by the way if you dont use your spa for a few days make sure you hit the clean button to purge the lines.

The point I was trying to make to you is that you DONT have to purge the lines on a Hotspring spa.

Another point that spa tech made that you totally missed was the no bypass filtering. When the tub is being used there is NO water passing through the sytem that is not being filtered so the argument can be made that the water in a Hotspring spa will be cleaner even after heavy usage than competitors filtering systems.

[East TX Spa]

This is what they're trying to say as a picture is worth a thousand sales pitches:

You don't HAVE to set timers or filtration cycles or program a HotSpring Spa. When you get out, hit the CLEAN button, throw a little sanitizer in there, close the spa, and go enjoy the rest of your day worry free!

That's about as simple as I can make it for some of you folks.

Terminator

[sharkman009]

This is what they're trying to say as a picture is worth a thousand sales pitches:

You don't HAVE to set timers or filtration cycles or program a HotSpring Spa. When you get out, hit the CLEAN button, throw a little sanitizer in there, close the spa, and go enjoy the rest of your day worry free!

That's about as simple as I can make it for some of you folks.

Terminator

Are things slow in Texas?

[East TX Spa]

Are things slow in Texas?

We've been extremely busy up until the last week. It's always slow around here leading up to Tax Day but then it takes off like a greased goose until August. Sales are up over this point last year and last year they were up 21% over the year before, so life is good! How about ya'll?

Terminator

[sharkman009]

We've been extremely busy up until the last week. It's always slow around here leading up to Tax Day but then it takes off like a greased goose until August. Sales are up over this point last year and last year they were up 21% over the year before, so life is good! How about ya'll?

Terminator

We were slow January through mid March then it hit the fan. We cant hardly keep up. Now its warming up and everyone wants their pools running on top of spa sales going crazy!

[fisrt timer]

Not that it botheres me but from another website, someone said that Hotsprings tubs are the ONLY company to do 100 percent filtration without bypass. Funny thing is that LA spa says that they do 100 percent filtration. I never looked a the hot spring filtration, it never mattered to me because I didnt like the rest of the tub. But, I think the hot spring and LA use the same type if filtration. Fabric filter bags that can be placed in the dishwasher. Am I correct? I dont know since I never looked at the hot springs filter. How can hot springs say they are the only ones with the 100 percent no bypass? I am trying to post a pic for the first time so dont get mad if it doesnt come out. Personally the filtration wasnt a big decision maker for me. I was really focussed on being comfortable in the tub, not the filters.

How do you post a picture on here? I see the insert image button button but it only wants to have me pput in a url. The picture is on my local drive. Well, I will see if the link to the website will work.