I read this blog post on http://www.saandalbar.org/ and there was no
way to respond. So I thought I would give my two cents on this very
subject and help this person and anyone else who was having a similar
problem.

The Blog Post
"I have never liked the taste or feel of chlorine in my hot tub.
Bromine was a little better but it still did not feel good on my skin.
At the required parts per million that were recommended for a healthy
hot tub it felt like I was sitting in a pool of bleach. When my hot
tub dealer recommended the hot tub ozonator I jumped at the chance to
reduce the Cl or Br in my water. It took me all of ten minutes
toinstall the Ozonator and most of that was spent in removing the door
over the hot tub equipment panel."

The Response
Here is the thing with hot tub sanitation, it is extremely important
because it has a small bather load. Think of it like a giant bath tub
and imagine using the same bath tub water for everyone in your
houseevery night. I don't know about you but that is really disgusting
to me. So you should santize it of course. But some people will ask
what is the best way to sanitize a small bather load like a hot tub.
Well there are many ways to meet different preferences. Here is a list
of all the different ways you can sanitize your hot tub and at the end
of this post I will tell you what I would recommend.

Chlorine
Good old chlorine is the oldest and most effective way to sanitize
water, but since most hot tubs are indoors and people hate the smell
of chlorine it can be unpleasant. If you were strictly using
chlorinein a HOT spa, the chlorine will oxidize fast and cause that
harsh chlorine smell. However even with the smell it still is the best
way to sanitize hands down

Bromine
The truth about bromine is that it is like the sister of chlorine. The
only real differences between the two are it requires more but doesn't
oxidize and give off that harsh chlorine smell. That is why most
indoor pools and indoor hotel spas use bromine, that and because it's
cheaper than other more effective ways. It is introduced into the spa
the same way as chlorine.

Biguanide
This is the Baquacil of spas. It is a peroxide based sanitizer that is
soft on the skin and provides a non-chlorine like atmosphere. However
due to the manufacturing of some spas, most companies forbid you to
use this in your spa because it can deteriorate some plastics. And
it's expensive

Mineral Systems (Recommended)
Now to the good stuff. This combines the best of two worlds. The
confidence that comes with chlorine sanitation and the lack of a
strong chlorine smell. The way this system works is by providing your
spa with a build up of silver which is an effective sanitizer. But
since silver won't kill instantly you need that little extra backup of
chlorine. So with this system you also need to add only 0.5 ppm
ofchlorine instead of 3.0ppm of chlorine in a normal chlorine spa. So
it reduces the chlorine usage by almost 80%. And the silver product is
cheap, its a plastic device that floats in the spa or in your
spafilter well. The most popular model of this is the Nature 2 by
Zodiac. Check it out or ask your local pool company about it.- A quick
note about Ozonators. Most folks think that ozonators that are
installed in their spa will take over the job of santiation. Well to
answer this posters question, it does not. In fact all an ozonatordoes
is allow water to pass through a tube of ultra-violet light that kills
most bacteria, but once that water enters back into the tub it has be
contaminated again. Ozonators are great but
DO NOT REPLACE PROPER CHEMICAL SANITATION!!!

Posted by http://www.swimuniversity.com
See the original post he http://www.swimuniversity.com/spa_ch...e_hot_tub.html

"Swim University" wrote in message
...
I read this blog post on http://www.saandalbar.org/ and there was no
way to respond. So I thought I would give my two cents on this very
subject and help this person and anyone else who was having a similar
problem.

The Blog Post
"I have never liked the taste or feel of chlorine in my hot tub.
Bromine was a little better but it still did not feel good on my skin.
At the required parts per million that were recommended for a healthy
hot tub it felt like I was sitting in a pool of bleach. When my hot
tub dealer recommended the hot tub ozonator I jumped at the chance to
reduce the Cl or Br in my water. It took me all of ten minutes
toinstall the Ozonator and most of that was spent in removing the door
over the hot tub equipment panel."

The Response
Here is the thing with hot tub sanitation, it is extremely important
because it has a small bather load. Think of it like a giant bath tub
and imagine using the same bath tub water for everyone in your
houseevery night. I don't know about you but that is really disgusting
to me. So you should santize it of course. But some people will ask
what is the best way to sanitize a small bather load like a hot tub.
Well there are many ways to meet different preferences. Here is a list
of all the different ways you can sanitize your hot tub and at the end
of this post I will tell you what I would recommend.

Chlorine
Good old chlorine is the oldest and most effective way to sanitize
water, but since most hot tubs are indoors and people hate the smell
of chlorine it can be unpleasant. If you were strictly using
chlorinein a HOT spa, the chlorine will oxidize fast and cause that
harsh chlorine smell. However even with the smell it still is the best
way to sanitize hands down

Bromine
The truth about bromine is that it is like the sister of chlorine. The
only real differences between the two are it requires more but doesn't
oxidize and give off that harsh chlorine smell. That is why most
indoor pools and indoor hotel spas use bromine, that and because it's
cheaper than other more effective ways. It is introduced into the spa
the same way as chlorine.

Biguanide
This is the Baquacil of spas. It is a peroxide based sanitizer that is
soft on the skin and provides a non-chlorine like atmosphere. However
due to the manufacturing of some spas, most companies forbid you to
use this in your spa because it can deteriorate some plastics. And
it's expensive

Mineral Systems (Recommended)
Now to the good stuff. This combines the best of two worlds. The
confidence that comes with chlorine sanitation and the lack of a
strong chlorine smell. The way this system works is by providing your
spa with a build up of silver which is an effective sanitizer. But
since silver won't kill instantly you need that little extra backup of
chlorine. So with this system you also need to add only 0.5 ppm
ofchlorine instead of 3.0ppm of chlorine in a normal chlorine spa. So
it reduces the chlorine usage by almost 80%. And the silver product is
cheap, its a plastic device that floats in the spa or in your
spafilter well. The most popular model of this is the Nature 2 by
Zodiac. Check it out or ask your local pool company about it.


A quick
note about Ozonators. Most folks think that ozonators that are
installed in their spa will take over the job of santiation. Well to
answer this posters question, it does not. In fact all an ozonatordoes
is allow water to pass through a tube of ultra-violet light that kills
most bacteria, but once that water enters back into the tub it has be
contaminated again. Ozonators are great but
DO NOT REPLACE PROPER CHEMICAL SANITATION!!!

This last statement is a complete falsehood. Spa ozonators disolve ozone into
the water. The ozone sanitizes the water. The water is not exposed to the UV.
The ozone does reduce chlorine or bromine usage and the needed concentration,
similar to what you've written about the mineral systems.

This puts doubt in everything else you've written.

Bob F.
I'm sure some would beg to differ on your comments. You are more than
welcome to do this research on your own and you will find out exactly
what an ozonator does. There is nothing wrong with having a ozonator
in your spa, although there is also nothing wrong not having one. But
I would have no reason to lie to my readers or give them false
information.

Swim University wrote:
Bob F.
I'm sure some would beg to differ on your comments. You are more than
welcome to do this research on your own and you will find out exactly
what an ozonator does. There is nothing wrong with having a ozonator
in your spa, although there is also nothing wrong not having one. But
I would have no reason to lie to my readers or give them false
information.

Both UV and ozone have bactericidal properties at the time of application
but do nothing thereafter to protect the water from later addition of
bacteria whereas free chlorine in the water can.

Both UV and ozone have bactericidal properties at the time of application
but do nothing thereafter to protect the water from later addition of
bacteria whereas free chlorine in the water can.

That was the point I was trying to make if I didn't make it clear
Thank you for the back up Clot!

"Swim University" wrote in message
...
Bob F.
I'm sure some would beg to differ on your comments. You are more than
welcome to do this research on your own and you will find out exactly
what an ozonator does. There is nothing wrong with having a ozonator
in your spa, although there is also nothing wrong not having one. But
I would have no reason to lie to my readers or give them false
information.

Oh come on...we all know who's lining your pockets. ;-)

olddog

"Swim University" wrote in message
...
Bob F.
I'm sure some would beg to differ on your comments. You are more than
welcome to do this research on your own and you will find out exactly
what an ozonator does. There is nothing wrong with having a ozonator
in your spa, although there is also nothing wrong not having one. But
I would have no reason to lie to my readers or give them false
information.

Show me some real info verifying your statement.

I have researched and used ozonators for my spa. The UV is nowhere near the
water in any I have seen. Show me a few links to ones like you describe. I bet
they a hugely more costly than the ones I describe (~$100), which are the only
ones I have ever seen sold.

There are UV purifiers for drinking water that function as you describe, but
they are not called "ozonators".

Now I even more reason to doubt your data.

On Oct 30, 3:29*pm, Swim University wrote:
Bob F.
I'm sure some would beg to differ on your comments. You are more than
welcome to do this research on your own and you will find out exactly
what an ozonator does.


Maybe you should do the research first. For someone with
SwimUniversity as a screen name, you don't know much about ozone
generators. Bob F is correct. Your statement that ozone generators
just pass the water through an ultraviolet light that kills the
bacteria is totally false. The ozone generators I'm familiar with do
not even pass the water through the ultraviolet light at all. They
use an ultraviolet light to generate the ozone, which is then routed
as a gas into the water. And it's the oxidizing effect of the ozone
that kills the bacteria.




There is nothing wrong with having a ozonator
in your spa, although there is also nothing wrong not having one. But
I would have no reason to lie to my readers or give them false
information.

You just did give false information.

"Swim University" wrote in message
...

Both UV and ozone have bactericidal properties at the time of
application
but do nothing thereafter to protect the water from later addition of
bacteria whereas free chlorine in the water can.

That was the point I was trying to make if I didn't make it clear
Thank you for the back up Clot!

Omitted so far is how frequently the OP drains and (cleans
and) refills his pool. I have no hot tub but our Jacuzzi is
emptied after each use.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)