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Do you think using a Nature 2 cartridge maakes any difference in your water care / water quality?? I don't have ozone in my Caldera Moorea, haven't had any big problems with Dichlor in my 6 months of ownership. Just wondering if it would cut down on adding chems to the water.
Just FYI, N2 is classified by the EPA as a sanitizer.
I've been asking myself this same question. One thing I've learned that is important, is the fact that the epa doesn't give guidelines for swimming pool or spa water. Sanitizers and disinfectants including N2, chlorine, etc. are registered as pesticides. They test them against blood borne pathogens, viruses, etc. The products we use in our spas are being tested as if they were treating medical waste, bodily excretions of an infected person, etc. To be registered with the EPA as a disinfectant you must be effective against the stated pathogens, viruses, etc. To be a sanitizer you must kill 99.9999% of the pathogen, virus, etc. in 30 seconds or less. Some products can be used as both a disinfectant or a sanitizer if you follow different useage instructions. The epa's requirements for pesticides are far more stringent than guidelines for healthy swimming water proposed by the CDC and other public health organizations. I think Tony makes a good point in that silver cartridges have no oxidation capabilities and our spas have a strong need for this. I think the dichlor we add does alot more oxidizing than sanitizing, because most of us just aren't adding that many pathogens into our water. We are mostly adding sweat, dead skin, etc. There is someone on another forum that is purchasing a spa pilot chlorine generator for his spa. Even with that product, you have to add MPS before and after every soak. I think that with N2 you can virtually eliminate chlorine useage, but you are substituting it with MPS which is just another chemical. So N2 is a low chlorine product but not a low chemical product. Tony has told me before that when following N2's instructions, he had to use much more MPS than the amount of dichlor he is now using. I think the product does work if you add enough oxidizer. As individuals we just have to decide it that's right for us.
I found a combination of N2 and ozone would enable my water to last longer when there was no use. N2 alone or ozone alone did not give the same results (for me). Ozone is a powerful oxidizer and my experience seems to validate what N2 states...N2 with a lot of oxidizer will work to sanitize your spa, especially when no one uses it and is not overwhelming it with bacteria.I found that heavy users don't get as much a benefit from either N2 or ozone.
I agree with your first paragraph. I don't agree with the second one. Heavy users will certainly get a benefit as well (especially from a good CD ozone unit) but they certainly have to utilize their chlorine because ozone and N2 only do so much. If a spa his going to have multiple users getting ozone is REALLY a wise move IMO.N2 and ozone are great to have but NOT with the idea that you'll use MUCH less chems but more from the standpoint that you'll run into fewer issues where you are chasing your water to clear it up. Sure less chasing leads to less chems but not in a major way. Fighting with water quality is a pain and from that standpoint I’m a huge Ozone fan and to a lesser degree a fan of N2 as well.