Bromine and Chlorine

[Venissa]

Can you use Bromine and Chlorine in your tub or does it have to be one or the other?  Also, which is typically best for hot tub use if you only use one?

[Dipstick]

They are compatible.

[Venissa]

They are compatible.

Can you use both or just one?

[SerjicalStrike]

You can use bromine and add chlorine as a help.  If Chlorine is your primary sanitizer, you typically either add more chlorine or a non-chlorine shock to shock the spa.

[Venissa]

You can use bromine and add chlorine as a help.  If Chlorine is your primary sanitizer, you typically either add more chlorine or a non-chlorine shock to shock the spa.

Someone had told me never to mix the two so I was confused.  Thanks for your help.

[hottubdan]

Never mix chlorine and bromine [glow]tablets.[/glow]

If you use bromine, and you add chlorine, you are actually activating the bromine.  Bromine remains your sanitizer.

[tony]

Can you use Bromine and Chlorine in your tub or does it have to be one or the other?  Also, which is typically best for hot tub use if you only use one?

You can add chlorine to a bromine spa but you cannot add bromine to a chlorine spa.  To do so would convert your spa to bromine.  To clarify...you should use either a bromine routine or a chlorine routine.  Both work well.  Bromine tabs in a floater will give you a constant sanitizer residual while chlorine is added manually on a regular basis, generally after you soak and on off days.  You shock both systems regularly with either chlorine or non chlorine shock (MPS).  IMO, a chlorine routine is the easiest for a new owner to maintain, others will disagree.  It is my understanding that chlorine is the most widely used sanitizer.  There is not one that is best as they both work well and are registered santizers...it would be what works best for you.

[Brewman]

I started out with baqua-  big mistake, then let the baqua dealer sell me on Brilliance, which was a bromine system for unsatisfied Baqua users, or at least it was back then.  I wan't a big bromine fan, and switched to dichlor,  which works for me.  
 Now I find out that Brilliance was sold off to some other company, not affiliated with Baqua, and they now offer dichlor along with their bromine.

[hottubdan]

Brilliance is still a product line of Arch, as is BaquaSpa.  They also sell a Brilliance brand of chlorine; the same stuff everyone else uses.

[NE-Phil]

I like the simplicity of bromine and I've been using it for over 2 years now. Place the bromine tablets in your floater or use the in-line cartridge (if your spa is set up for that) and forget about it. During busy parts of the year or vacations I can go a week or more without having to add to it or check it.

My Marquis uses the bromine cartridge system. About once every 3-4 weeks all I have to do is open the cartridge and add a few more tablets of bromine to it. Put the cartridge back and I'm set for another 3-4 weeks. If I have a large number of people using the tub, I'll just adjust the cartridge a little bit to allow more bromine in and change it back a day or two later.

Of course, I still have to check the water chemistry every week or two. That goes without saying but it's nice to know that the water is sanitized whether or not I remember.

Also, I understand that chlorine users should put some chlorine in after they've been in the spa, run the jets, leave the cover open for 10-15 minutes to gas off the chlorine and then come back and close it up. With the bromine tablets, when I exit the spa, I just close the cover and turn out the lights. Doesn't get much easier.

Phil