Bromine Floater

[marks]

I am going to switch to a Bromine floater on my next water change (comming up soon).  My question is: How do you use the floater in the SPA? Do you just throw it in and let it float around or do you try and tie it off somehow?

[drewstar]

On my old bromine tub, we just let the floater, float around and do it's thing.  Setting the openings to the apropriate size/setting takes some trial and error.

A lot of folks take the floater out when they soak.

Why the change?

[Brewman]

We just let ours float around, but removed it when we used the spa.  Somewhere or other I read or heard that having the floater in with all the heavy jet action would release too much bromine, or something.
Anyway, we pulled ours out when we soaked.

[JeffB]

I recommend tying the floater with a string to a hand rail, air valve, or other convienent point. The problem with bromine floaters is keeping the bromine level consistent. If you tie the floater, it stays in the same area of the tub all the time and gets a pretty consistent water flow around it, thus keeping the rate of dissolving fairly constant. I think this is really important if your tub filters with the low speed on a two speed pump for set filtration cycles. I now have a tub with a high flow, 48 frame, circ pump. I still tie the floater to get a consistent water flow around it, but it does not seem to be as critical. The other factor for consistent bromine levels is experimenting with the variable opening on the floater to get the level of bromine you want. I have 24 hour ozone and use a frog mineral stick in the circ pump filter. I try to keep the bromine at about 1 to2 ppm. Right now, I have the floater almost closed. My water is clear and there is very little chemical feel to the water.   Jeff

[marks]

Guys,

Thanks for the info.  My tub has a high flow circ pump.

Drewstar,

I am switching beacuse I am routinely away for 3 or 4 days a week and can not get the wife to add Dichlor.   This causes the water to go cloudy.  I thought I would give the bromine floater I try.

[Brewman]

It's been said that occasionally shocking a dichlor spa with MPS will help the cloudiness.

[Tatooed_Lady]

marks, I'm with you on this one. I started with dichlor, but found that the water got cloudy within a couple days if I wasn't on top of things....and my husband doesn't want any responsibility for adding chems to the tub. Turns out that the bromine floater has actually been a godsend for me, since it's easy for me to get too busy to remember that I haven't opened or used the tub in a week.....and the bromine keeps things crystal clear.
I just toss it in, let it float around, and when I think of it hit the "clean" button on my grandee to get the water moving (24 hr circ pump, no clean cycles). I just purchased the Brilliance brand floater with the little mesh sleeve on it, along with their bromine granules. Reason being, the bromine I've been using is all of about HALF bromine, and most of the other half is chlorine. I'm trying new things until I'm totally happy with the results, and if nothing else, DRAIN AND REFILL!  Best of luck to you!

[Brewman]

I used the Brilliance stuff, and if I was to ever go back, I'd use it again.  It wasn't the cheapest stuff on the shelf, but I liked that it was all bromine- nothing else mixed in.