to ozanate or not to ozanate that is the?

[wade]

are the advatages worth the $ ???am told by dealer that ican expect to spend about $1400 for the best they have to offer.is acheaper one out there,or is it worth the$ will having an ozanter reduce the amount of chlorine i have to use .what about the cover.ihave heard that ozone destroys cover.any help is allwaysappreciated.

[HotTubMan]

Wade;

You are refferring to the Arctic Peak Ozone system, right?

I dont know if it is worth that much (I don't mean the dealer is overcharging, I dont know the dealer cost), but it is better system. For those that dont know, the system in question uses a circ pump and extended tubing and multiple contact chambers.

I think you would enjoy benefit from a CD or Plasma system.

An ozone system can hurt the cover. So can consistently high levels of cl/br.

HTM

[Spatech_tuo]

am told by dealer that ican expect to spend about $1400 for the best they have to offer.

$1400, seriously? CD ozone usually costs $200-400 depending on the unit. UV is less expensive, less effective and requires a bulb change about every 1½ yrs (and its not a $3 bulb). For $1400 I'd expect a VERY good CD unit and a factory rep at my house every weekend to mix drinks for me and mow my lawn.

[HotTubMan]

$1400, seriously? CD ozone usually costs $200-400 depending on the unit. UV is less expensive, less effective and requires a bulb change about every 1½ yrs (and its not a $3 bulb). For $1400 I'd expect a VERY good CD unit and a factory rep at my house every weekend to mix drinks for me and mow my lawn.

In Canada, they retail their "peak ozone" system for $2K.....

[Chas]

In Canada, they retail their "peak ozone" system for $2K.....

Be still my heart !!

[JPKeirstead]

While the Peak Ozone System is very expensive, there are is a reason.  The components that we put together to build this system are very expense.  

1)  We use a corona discharge ozone generator that was designed for swimming pool applications.  It produces 500mg/h of ozone at a concentration of 1400ppm.

2)  Because we are producing so much ozone, we have to adequately mix it and then destroy any off-gas that has not dissolved into solution.  To do that we require:
 a)  A special circulation pump that is capable of performing in a highly corrosive application.  The pump we use costs more then a standard jet pump.
 b)  We then need a mazzei injector to help break up the ozone so that in can more readily dissolve into solution.
 c)  From there we need a stainless steel static mixing column with ,high surface area Tri-pac in it, to further help mix the ozone into solution
 d)  Then it goes into another stainless steel off-gas chamber, which is designed to draw off any undissolved gas.
 e)  The undissolved gas is then drawn through a catalytic filter, which converts the ozone back to oxygen.

This system is extremely effective.  No question.  It is not for the customer looking to save money.  It is for the customer who would like to limit chemicals as much as possible.  Please, before anyone jumps on me, I am not suggesting for a moment that it eliminates the need for sanitizer.

James

[Chas]

Sounds impressive.

Do you have to replace or service the catalytic filter?

[JPKeirstead]

You shouldn't.  However, it could be replaced if it was is not performing as expected.

[Steve]

Thanks for the details James. I guess the obvious question would be to compare it to other quality ozone units available that require much less maintenance compared to ozonators of the past and eliminating the need to replace the chip every 20-24 months. These units are sold at around $250-$300US I believe.

Is there anything that will show the payback time of your ozonator as opposed to the more conventional units? What is the warranty on this peak ozone unit? Thx,

Steve

[JPKeirstead]

Hi Steve,

Actually it is quite a bit bigger then the other ozone generators I have seen in any spa.  So it is more expensive then $200-$300.  And it is more then just an ozone generator, it is a system, that not only produces ozone, but also mixes it into solution.  However, you have made a great observation.  I think that payback on this system, if one was only measuring their savings on chemicals, would be measured in years.  I believe the real advantage to the system is how little chemical is required to maintain quality water, and in the ozone's ability to oxidize other contaminants in the water.

We warranty the Peak Ozone System for five years.  

James

[Steve]

Thanks James. For the record, and I believe I speak for many here, I do appreciate your feedback and insight and the way in which you present it.

This has always raised an interesting debate and even though I work for a manufacturer that has ozone standard with all models, the question is and has always been, just how much does ozone reduce chlorine use and what is the actual benefit to the consumer.

Would you agree with the statement that we as an industry are unable to determine this figure and attach a meaningful dollar value to the end user of the financial benefits of ozone?

How do you then correlate a payback for the benefit of going to such an advanced and costly system? Meaning, if I were a customer, how would I be able to determine if spending this additional amount would benefit me from a financial and maintenance standpoint understanding the core benefits of a generic ozone system and comparing it to yours?

I agree that payback for ozone is calculated in years as it is with virtually any ozone system on the market today. The fact remains that none of us have been able to put a true dollar & cents value to it and therefore can not give an accurate response. Do you agree with this?

Steve

[Spatech_tuo]

This is one of those occasions where some look at ozone differently. I don't think we should try to justify ozone's usefullness based on a reduction in chems. I say this for 2 reasons:

1) Ozone's main advantage is it helps keep the water clean/clear and results in EASIER water care. This is huge if you've ever seen people's frustrations in caring for their water. If it helps make the spa experience easier it makes the experience much more pleasurable.

2) It doesn't reduce chems that much. I'm a firm believer that while it should technically mean less chlorine need its not much and I advice people not to purposely try to reduce their chlorine use because of ozone because chlroine is too important.


Having sauid that, I'm still floored by the thought of an ozone system being $1400. I'm sure it works well but so do the other CD systems that cost $250-350.

[HotTubMan]

Dimension 1 hads a system that is similar in principle and design to what JP has described.

There are differences, subtle and large. The two largest would be the generator & circ pump. D-1 uses the Plasma/UV bulb. D-1 uses a Laing circ pump. By the sounds of things the two items would be less expensive to replace than on the Arctic system.

I think I would have difficulty "upselling" the D-1 UltraPure system for $1000-$1500, thankfully it is a standard feature on a Dimension 1, which could help account for the higher price point on the Reflections & Bay collections.

[wade]

thanks for the info .i will have to do a little more research on any other ways of reducing my chlorine.it still seems to be what causes my skin problems.although changing to granular rather than chlorine floater seems to have helped.thanks again.                                                                 wade

[Vinny]

Wade,

Have you gone to Doc's site and look at the FAQ section for Vermonter's and Northman's way of chlorinating your spa. It seems that if you follow their regiment you will soak in close to zero or zero chlorine while maintaining a safe tub.

Although I don't have a tub yet, I do plan on using their advice. It seems that a lot of people follow the their advice and don't have any problems with their water.

Just my 2 cents.

Vinny