TechniChlor

[paulitzlee]

I have an old hot tub.  It came with the house. It's in great shape, but it's almost 30 years old.  The date on it says 1983.  i don't know the maintenance history, but everything seems to work fine; heater, jets, lights, etc...  It has been taken care of impeccably.

There are no "pumps".  The old owner said when I run the jets, it causes a vacuum that sucks water into the filter.  That's how the water goes through the filter.  There is a flap-type door between the main tub and the filter compartment.  When the jets run, the water pressure causes this flap to open, allowing water in the filter compartment.

My wife complains the tub smells like bromine and won't go in.  I have been researching bromine alternatives and found "TechniChlor", a plug-and-play salt water chlorine maker.

Can this be used with an older model hot tub that doesn't have pumps that circulate the water continuously?  The water only circulates when the jets are on, which is when I use it, once per day in the summer, for about 45 minutes.

Any feedback on this?  The solution sounds great and it has great reviews.  Plus, after initial setup, it looks more maintenance-free, since it determines how much chlorine to make and uses minimal salt.  But can it be used if the water only circulates once per day?

Thanks for any feedback you may have on this.

[d00nut]

You have jets.... but no pumps?  You have to have a pump.  The salt system should only work when your pump is on.  Salt needs to pass through the cell in order to produce chlorine to sanitize your spa.  Seeing as your spa only runs 45 minutes a day, I don't see how the system would produce enough chlorine to make your spa "safe" to use.

[wmccall]

I think he means no circ pump.

[Flyonthewall]

before you take the plunge on something that probably won't work well in you application try flushing out the pipes with spa system flush.  then try augmenting your bromine with non chlorine shock or replenish (shock/chlorine hybrid).  make sure the filter is clean and in good repair as well. 

[paulitzlee]

Is it possible my tub DOES have circulation pumps?  I'm kind of new to this, but the old owner told me the jets double as circulation pumps.  The water was pretty clean for about 3 months only using the jets for 45 mins per day and using a bromine floater with bromine tablets.

What year did hot tubs starting having circulation pumps?  Mine has a date of 1983.

My wife hates the smell of bromine, hence my interest in salt water systems.

[d00nut]

Is it possible my tub DOES have circulation pumps?  I'm kind of new to this, but the old owner told me the jets double as circulation pumps.  The water was pretty clean for about 3 months only using the jets for 45 mins per day and using a bromine floater with bromine tablets.

What year did hot tubs starting having circulation pumps?  Mine has a date of 1983.

My wife hates the smell of bromine, hence my interest in salt water systems.

If your jet pump doubles as jets and filtration, then no, you do not have a circ pump.  Have you looked into the nature 2/shock/dichlor system?  That would be a better way to go than bromine if your wife hates the smell.

[Wizard]

You do not need circulation for the TechniChlor to work. It drops in the spa.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

You do not need circulation for the TechniChlor to work. It drops in the spa.

depends on the unit...one is made to "drop in" and the other is made to be plumbed into a circulation line...fyi I have customers using both and they all have reported good results, the biggest praise is usually the water lasts much longer using Salt vs. traditional methods

[Chas]

Couple of things which I hope might help:

Most people using bromine in a floating feeder think of it as 'automatic.' It's not. You have to test regularly, and be sure to pull the floating feeder out of the tub when the brom level gets too high. That can help with the smell, but Bromine systems in general do have a smell.

You need to do regular water changes on bromine: every four months is good, every three is better.

I would strongly encourage you to do a very thorough water change and go to Dichlor. (chlorine) There are dozens of threads around here to help you run a very simple regimen, but the basics are:

Balance the water as before
Add a small amount of Dichlor as you exit the spa, every time. Takes time to ge the exact amount, but could be a teaspoon.
Put in just enough chlorine so that you have a barely readable level of chlorine the next time you go to use the spa
Always leave the lid open and the jets running for at least five minutes after adding Dichlor to the tub.

It works, has no odor at all if done correctly, and you are soaking in less chlorine than most people have in their tap water.
And it's cheaper...


 

[Wizard]

If you are considering a salt system try the saltwater spa scriptures. Many enjoy their saltwater spas more then ever.