Ozonator or no Ozonator

[In Canada eh]

We have been shopping for hot tubs for about a month now and have somewhat narrowed our brand choices.

Now the question is whether or not to purchase the coronna discharge ozonator.  Most salespeople insist it is best to have one.  One sales person though says they never sell them -- its all about proper chemical balance.

Looking for opinions from the experts please!

Also, does anyone know why the Hot Springs ozonator would be $900 versus Bullfrog ozonator at $300?  They are both the coronna type.    

And one other question ... how long should a HS, Caldera or Bullfrog tub last, if its taken care of?  

[Tatooed_Lady]

I'm not an expert in any sense of the word, but I HAVE read a lot of the posts from the "smart guys" here....Ozone is a controversial topic.....some people swear by the ozonator, some swear it's bunk. I've got one (standard issue on the '06 Hot Spring tub), and I'm happy with the water. Of course, that COULD be from the filters, the chlorine, the general water balance, the ozone OR the Nature 2 stick......or it could be that it's a combination of all the above to give me the best water I'm able to have on my limited knowledge of chemistry.
I've seen posts here also (second hand knowledge, sorry) of Hot Spring tubs making it 20 years or more, with SOME problems, but very fixable. Caldera I haven't followed as much, and I THINK the Bullfrog system with the jet packs being removable is relatively new stuff...
I consider tubs to be similar to cars or electronics..... normally I won't buy a "new to the market" item. Let someone else be a guinea pig and wait til the bugs are worked out. If I'm going to dump a bunch of money on something, I'd like to feel it's going to give me as little headache as possible...
Best of luck!

[J._McD]

Ozone is commonly included with a spa purchase and is strongly recommended.  The CD ozonator usually sells for between $295 to $395 us.  I would find $900 cn to be rather expensive.  They all do the very same thing, produce ozone that is injected into the plumbing system.  If you have one, you will know without any question when it stops working.  

You can search the history on this forum and find many ozone debates that will be very educational.  Get the ozone, you should be able to have them include it when you buy the Hot Tub unless they want to just get more money out of you.  The sales person that says they never sell them obviously dosen't know too much about them and I wouldn't take his opinion.

[hottub.pool_boy]

I just got a testimonial that I'll be adding to our website. The gentleman had bought a HotSpring Indoor/Outdoor model (early sovereign) from my dad in 1987. He's had two repairs in the last 19 years, and uses it daily.
We recommend ozone. Except with SoftSoak(non-chlorine)

Good luck. Sounds like you be in hot water soon!!

[Spatech_tuo]

And one other question ... how long should a HS, Caldera or Bullfrog tub last, if its taken care of?  

I always use a car analogy here. If you have a car with 250,000 miles on it you proudly tell how well it's made and how happy you are with it. Truth be told you probably had something go wrong along the way but it was always well worth fixing (new clutch, water pump, etc.). Spas are similar, the good ones may have a couple issues along the way but spas from the long time more spa makers known for quality regulary go past 12 years and yes, sometimes you'll see some 20 yr old ones out there. Hot Springs and Caldera are obviously two long time spa companies who you generally hear good things about. Bullfrog is newer so you really can't say much yet either way but I haven't heard much negative relative to quality.

And as far as an ozonator goes, get yourself a good CD unit and it'll definteily make a diference (I'm not a fan of the UV type).

[hottubdan]

$900 sounds high for HS ozone.  It come standard in US product this year, unless Classic series.

[anne]

I'd like to add to Confused's question: Seems to me that it is not just a question of to ozonate or not to ozonate, but also quality of ozonator. If you compare one CD unit to another, how much difference is there is performance? Both D1 and LA dealers told me very elaborate things about how their ozone systems were superior due to the mixing process, blah, blah, blah. Arctic has Peak and Arctic ozone, Peak being the better and much more expensive, but both are CD units and no one could explain why the one was superior. So is it possible that there is a quality difference between hotspring's $900 and Bullfrog's $300, or is it all smoke and mirrors? I sense a can of worms coming my way........Not trying to steal your thread, Confused, just trying to make your question more confusing!

[jnsjr58]

When I bought my tub ( a floor model) it did not have a ozonator, but was 'ozonator ready' . I was lucky enough to have a ( imo, very knowledgable)manufacturer rep on hand. He seemed to know the product inside and out. After much conversation about the ozonator, ( which he could have VERY EASILY sold me one) the net,net was IHO it was for the most part "Smoke and Mirrors" There was also some new whodickey coming out soon that was sopposed to 'Really' work. I have only had my tub for a month but so far the water has been perfect with VERY LITTLE attention or work on my part.

[tony]

When I bought my tub ( a floor model) it did not have a ozonator, but was 'ozonator ready' . I was lucky enough to have a ( imo, very knowledgable)manufacturer rep on hand. He seemed to know the product inside and out. After much conversation about the ozonator, ( which he could have VERY EASILY sold me one) the net,net was IHO it was for the most part "Smoke and Mirrors" There was also some new whodickey coming out soon that was sopposed to 'Really' work. I have only had my tub for a month but so far the water has been perfect with VERY LITTLE attention or work on my part.

Ozone is not smoke and mirrors.  It definitely has an effect on water chemistry, IMO.  It also has a history.  I've seen my spa with and without ozone and ozone helps.  Whether you feel it is worth the investment is up to you.

[drewstar]

When I was looking for a new tub last year,  an ozinator also was a confusing/interesting feature.  From  I read, it seemed to be a good idea.   My reseach suggested:

Get a Coronal discharge ozinator (As opposed to a UV buld)

make sure there is a long contact chamber for the ozone to mix with the water  (30 + feet?....my knoggin is a bit foggy this a.m.)


And I also read, that for the ozone to really be effective it is best paired with a24 hr circ pump.  Otherwise, the ozone is only working during the filter cycles.

I have a 350 gal tub. I used Dichlor as my main sanitizer, and have a CD ozinator /24 hr circ pump and am very satisfied.   I would recomend one.

$900? That's seems very high.  I would think more like $350

[anne]

30 feet? Ouch. I think mine is just blowing it in almost directly, but I can definitely smell it in the water. At least I THINK that is what I'm smelling.......?

[drewstar]

30 feet? Ouch. I think mine is just blowing it in almost directly, but I can definitely smell it in the water. At least I THINK that is what I'm smelling.......?

I/m guessing at that length  Anne, I'm hopping one of the pros will say what thier tubs have.

[Kyle]

DOn't forget that CD systems need to be maintained.  The contacts need cleaning.  They also can build up nitric acid that may need cleaning with vinegar occasionally.  There are some very sophisticated UV systems on the market that last much longer and require no maintenance than some CD systems.

[In Canada eh]

Thanks everyone.   We did talk to our HS Rep again and he explained the differences in the CD Ozonators (and came down a bit in price).   The HS Ozonator is true CD and does not use a chip while most or all the other ones do use a chip which requires replacing every 5 or so years (although not expensive to replace).

Also, the Bullfrog ozonator offers both a Regular and a High Output ozonator, so now we're seeking to find out from them what the differences are between these two.

So, it appears we will either move forward with a Bullfrog NOW or wait a few months & pay a couple thousand more for a Hot Springs.  Constant Dilemnas ... we just can't seem to find everything we want for the $$ we're willing to spend which is about $8,000 Cdn Taxes In.  The 2  dealers we like sell these 2 products and we've ruled out the Catalina due to the prorated warranty -- thanks to this forum for that alert!

[Tatooed_Lady]

I believe the Grandee has 10' of tubing from the ozonator.....don't ask me where I read that, though.