Best /easiest spa sanitizing routine

[crowinghen]

I'll be getting my small (245 gallon)  tub in a couple of weeks- it
will have an ozonater. I've been reading about tub sanitizers, and am just getting more confused about which is best. chlorine or Bromine? Are there any good alternatives?
I'm looking for the easiest and   least irritating chemical wise...
also I have an iron filter on my well, but should I  get a hose filter for filling my tub just in case?
 thanks!

Susie

[Spa_Tech]

Picking between chlorine and bromine is a little subjective. Largely this would depend on your personal preferences and sensitivities. I would recommend that you avoid using a floating tablet dispenser and use only a granulated sanitizer. This will ensure that you will only use what you need and avoid costly repairs induced by hypersanitation.

Since you already have ozone, you may want to consider pairing it with a mineral cartridge like Nature2 or Spafrog. This will help keep your chemical use significantly lower- the ozone will provide O3 when you cannot be around to add sanitizer and the mineral cartridge will inhibit bacterial growth.

Prefiltering isnt always necessary, but obviously doesnt hurt. Filtering however, isnt going to make the spa any more sanitary- It will just remove any sediment before going into the tub.

[Chas]

A tub being filled from a private well is a very good example of when to pre-filter the fill water.

 

[crowinghen]

Just checking back in--
 i did use a pre-filter and  decided to go with the bromine... I'll see if I can't keep the level good with a floater. I remembered how much trouble I had with the chlorine and my well water in an above-ground pool that I had. Plus my spa has an ozonater and I heard that bromine is better with that.So far so good with my chemicals--
My readings are like this:
 Total Alkalinity 110
Hardness 130
ph 7.5
bromine is above 10, as i added some granulated bromine and some bleach to get it  going
 as I speak my water is at  around 85 degrees-  waiting for the water to get warm ( and the bromine to drop into place!)!
so far so good- I ended up getting the Lifesmart Luna portable, in case anyone wanted to know-- so far it's great! Just what I wanted an easy inexpensive " starter" tub.

Susie

[999]

I am always surprised to see 136 views and everybody uses sanitizer but so few responses. I am quite new to this myself, but happy to tell you what i an doing.

Started with slow dissolving bromine tablets in a floating dispenser and used non chlorine shock about once a week to oxidise the organic waste. I had two problems. First was that i didn't like the smell and it seems to stick to your skin. The second problem was that the non chlorine shock activates spent bromine. This sent my levels very high so i couldn't use the tub for a couple of days. After 3 months i changed the water and changed to dichlor. I have been using it for two months and find it much better. The water seems cleaner and fresher and i prefer the smell.

I use the method where you add chlorine when you get out. By the time you use it next levels are low, so you don't feel like you are sitting in chemicals. The only downside is that you have to add chlorine every couple of days if you don't use the tub. I use non chlorine shock once a week to rid the tub of chloramines  (spent chlorine) .

I wanted to use an approved sanitizer that I knew was reliable. I do have an ozonator as well so that helps to keep the water sanitized as well.

I use test strips to monitor free chlorine, alkalinity and PH.

I was a bit daunted by the routine to start with but now spend a few minutes every other day and 20 minutes once a week. So far so good. Dichlor suits me at the moment and I wouldnt  recommend Bromine but there are plenty that would.

[Chas]

Bromine in tablet form contains almost half chlorine. Specifically, it is "Tri-Chlor," and that is the worst thing you can do to a spa. I use it in open spas or pools ONLY.

If you really want to use Bromine, buy "Brilliance" Brand. It contains no chlorine, and does not go mental on your cover and pillows.

You will have to add an oxidizer once per week, but the good thing is that you can do so, then leave the cover open for a few minutes, and it's all gone. No attacking the cover, etc.

HTH

[chem geek]

Bromine in tablet form contains almost half chlorine. Specifically, it is "Tri-Chlor," and that is the worst thing you can do to a spa. I use it in open spas or pools ONLY.

That's not exactly true, though it's a technicality.  The more common bromine tabs are BCDMH which is bromochlorodimethylhydantoin.  You can see from its chemical structure here that it has one bromine and one chlorine attached to a DMH core.  It is not Trichlor which looks like this and has 3 chlorine attached to a CYA core.

The other type of bromine tab that is less common is DBDMH which is dibromodimethylhydantoin.  You can see from its chemical structure here that it is the same as BCDMH except that it has two bromine instead of one chlorine and one bromine.

There is nothing wrong with using the more common BCDMH tabs in a spa, especially if that spa starts out with an initial sodium bromide bank since the chlorine in the tab will just activate the bromide to bromine.  Nevertheless, some people find these tabs to be harsher on the skin, probably because the chlorine does exist briefly in the spa water and will react with ammonia in your sweat and urine much faster than it will convert bromide to bromine.  So chloramines can form and those may be smelly or harsher for some people than the bromine-only that exists with the DBDMH tabs.

[TLWR]

I have a similar size tub w/ozone and nature2 mineral stick, we went with MPS and Dichlor.
I remember being in tubs with floaters and they bugged the heck out of me.

One tablespoon (TBS) of both dichlor and MPS as the initial startup.

1 TBS MPS after each use
1 TBS of dichlor once per week

that's it

[999]

To clarify matters. I did not use bromine that contained tri-chlor. It was a Jacuzzi product for a Jacuzzi tub. They did tell me never to use tri-chlor in a hot tub.

[Chas]

I have found that it doesn't matter which bromine tablet you use: if it is in tablet form, it will damage your headrests, cover, and maybe even pump seals. The exception is Brilliance, which contains no chlorine, but it IS NOT in tablet form.

For close to thirty years I have gone out to replace spa covers, and the heavier the old cover is, the more likely it is that I find a floating feeder with bromine tabs. Yes, I will find Trichlor tabs from time to time, generally placed by a pool man who just doesn't really know about spas, but those tubs are usually ready for new seals, new pillows, new cover, and sometimes a new heater.

The other problem I see is that people will observe the bromine levels go sky high, and they wait for it to come down by itself. You have to remove the floater! Be very careful what you set it on, of course, and then you have to remember to put it back in place when the level drops. I would rather simply add a tablespoon of Dichlor every time I leave the spa: run the jets with the lid open, and you have saved the cover, allowed the odor to gas off, and for most people, the next soak will be in water with a lower level of chlorine than you shower in.

I'm a big proponent of the very easy to run Dichlor Regimen. Simple, effective, safe, cheap, easy, and doesn't do as much damage to your expensive pillows and cover. And the water will not have that funky smell, nor that grey-to-white entrained-air cloud that forms when you have a high level of bromine and you run your jets or bubbler.

 

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

ozonator, silver ion cartridge and small amount of MPS/shock after each use is an ideal system in a small spa

[chem geek]

I have found that it doesn't matter which bromine tablet you use: if it is in tablet form, it will damage your headrests, cover, and maybe even pump seals. The exception is Brilliance, which contains no chlorine, but it IS NOT in tablet form.

As shown in this MSDS for Brilliance sanitizer for spas, it is DBDMH.  So if DBDMH tablets (which are more rare than BCDMH) are damaging, then it must be some additive, perhaps binder chemicals.

[Chas]

I don't know how to reply to that - (of course, that has never stopped me before...  )

So I will say this - apparently all of the tablet bromine products I have come in contact with were the bad kind: the type which DID contain chlorine, and which DID do damage to the covers and so on.

And I'll add this: Brilliance is advertising their product as "chlorine free," and since I have sold the stuff for years, with good results (I use it at home, too), I certainly hope that is correct. But not being the chem wizard that you are, I really only have their word to go on. Here is a clip from their web site:

Brilliance® Sanitizer
The principal chemical in the Brilliance product line, Brilliance Sanitizer is a concentrated source of active bromine.  This 100% chlorine-free product dissolves slowly and evenly in spa floaters to provide continuous sanitization of your spa.

 

[gadfly]

Chas and Geek,

I think you are close to agreement, it is just getting lost in the theoretical science... and terms "tablet", "pucks", "chunks", and "sticks".

Brilliance   chunks/sticks    DBDMH      good, but expensive (compared to traditional bromine tablets). 
Normal      tablets/pucks    BCDMH      cheaper, and easier to find... but harder on covers and pillows, and may create the "bromine smell" some find objectionable

[chem geek]

Yes, we are in agreement because DBDMH as in Brilliance contains only bromine (along with DMH) and does not contain chlorine.  And as you say, it's possible that all the other bromine tablets that were used (other than Brilliance) were BCDMH which has both bromine and chlorine which could explain your experience.

I'm guessing that maybe the released chlorine is simply too strong and harsh on spa components because there is no CYA in the water to moderate it (as there is when one uses Dichlor regularly or at least long enough to build up the CYA level).  So maybe if one used Dichlor initially or added CYA explicitly to the water on a refill then the cheaper BCDMH could be used without side effects.  Maybe...