zBromine rather than dichlor

[marianb]

  When we bought the Sundance Bahia today the dealer recommended bromine over dichlor.  Bromine wld be a once a week tablet rather than daily dichlor.  She said the main problem with bromine is the "after-odor" which can be corrected.
 What I learned from this forum the past few weeks  is dichlor is better, even tho it is daily, ergo more work.
Thoughts?

p.s.  I am still psyched (excited) about getting the spa.
In the words of  the long defunct Dukes of Hazard "YEEEHaaaaaa".

[orlandoguy]

Where did you learn dichlor is better?  I am guessing from most of the posters here?  My personal experience has learned me that bromine is very easy to manage and the only thing I do is fill the floater, shock once a week, adjust the ph and alk a couple times a month and that's about it besides a little clarifier occasionally.  I notice very little odor once the cover been opened a few minutes.

I guess if you try both, you will form your own conclusion, but i ain't switchin.

[hottub.pool_boy]

orlandoguy is right. Biggest thing with brom. tabs is watching the pH. Brom. tabs are low pH. Weekly shocks plus some pH increaser.
We sell Brom. tabs., but prefer setting new spa owners on dichlor. I beleive you'll be using the spa practically daily or more, Brom. tabs can not tell how often the spa is being used. New spa owners are generally disappointed with brom. tab performance alone. With daily use and/or heavy bather load, you'll probably find you'll need to supplement with dichlor or non-chlorine shock.

[orlandoguy]

I actually need to use PH down, NOT up with my bromine routine.

It was explained to me that bromine is better suited for hot water than dichlor, and that dichlor disappears rapidly.  This might be a good thing as dichlor users will say bromine users are soaking in a chemical bath and many bromine uses will say they love their chemical baths.

Either way, I doubt you will ever have an agreement all round on this subject.  

To satisfy my curiosity, I have been thinking about trying a fill with dichlor and will certainly post my impresssions if I ever get around to it.

[hymbaw]

Bromine IS better.................for me. They both work, it's a personal preference thing.

[Tatooed_Lady]

I've tried both (albeit only a couple months with each), and for my summer schedule (BUSY), bromine is the cat's a$$. Fill the floater, set it, and forget it. Clear water 24/7, which I couldn't maintain with dichlor, but that's just me and my experiences. Try one, if you get curious or are disappointed in the results, try the other. See what works for YOU.

[Brewman]

 I don't think it's a matter of which one is better, more of an issue of what you prefer.  For me, dichlor is easier overall than bromine was.  And with dichlor I use way less Ph adjuster stuff.
Of the 3 methods I've tried so far, I'm happiest on dichlor.  I'm also spending less money on chemicals.

[tony]

Who says bromine is better for hot water and why?  I believe there is some misinformation here.

[hymbaw]

The combined effect of HEAT and aeration causes carbon dioxide to off-gas from the water. Carbon dioxides presence in the water allows the formation of carbonic acid (which serves to hold pH down). When CO2 is lost the pH has a tendency to rise. Bromine is less affected by pH swings than chlorine. Therefore, bromine IS more effective than chlorine in hot water.

[tony]

The combined effect of HEAT and aeration causes carbon dioxide to off-gas from the water. Carbon dioxides presence in the water allows the formation of carbonic acid (which serves to hold pH down). When CO2 is lost the pH has a tendency to rise. Bromine is less affected by pH swings than chlorine. Therefore, bromine IS more effective than chlorine in hot water.

I agree that bromine is less affected by pH swings than chlorine, but pH should be more stable using a pH neutral sanitizer such as dichlor than the low pH sanitizer bromine thus negating the wider pH range that bromine is effective.  Both sanitizers have their advantages and disadvantages, but one is as good as the other unless one is totally negligent about maintaining pH...then all bets are off because pH is more important than just sanitizer efficiency.

[Gary]

From my experiences (18 years) people that use Bromine tablets will go through more pump seals, heater... than folks who use dichlor.

Bromine is more stable in hot water but you do have to keep an eye on the pH a bit more.

The clear water thing makes 0 sense. Water with low pH will often be clear.