Ozone/spa blanket observation...

[kervis]

My neighbors gave me their old pool cover.  I cut it into several hot-tub sized squares in order to use them one by one, over the years, as a spa blanket.

(The cover was only a year old--they had neglected it, left it outside and it tore, etc.  So it is not old and worn out from use--I cut off the good parts to use and it is like new)

I have been noticing a slight discoloration and figured that it may have been an old leaf stain from it's pool cover days.

Today however, I really noticed that it is a nice roundish, brownish spot, directly over my ozonator!  The rest of the cover is spotless and looks a bit bleached out on the bottom.  The top is fine--it is just brown in that one spot on the bottom.

I wonder if I had not been using this spa blanket, if my cover would have a brown spot on it?  :-?

Do you think that the spot is from the ozone, the heat that comes out there as well, or a combo of the both?

[jfish63]

Im my hot tub I have a chamber (I think you call it) that has a lid with a holein the center there is charcoal in the lid. If you take off the lid there is a filter in there and in the center oh that is a diffuser for the ozone. I rotate my cover because of the discolorization in that spot. The vinyl also seem to be stiffer or more brittle in that spot. i am sure it is from the ozone. If I keep the tub all winter I will need one of Docs covers.

[gturn]

My neighbors gave me their old pool cover.  I cut it into several hot-tub sized squares in order to use them one by one, over the years, as a spa blanket.

(The cover was only a year old--they had neglected it, left it outside and it tore, etc.  So it is not old and worn out from use--I cut off the good parts to use and it is like new)

I have been noticing a slight discoloration and figured that it may have been an old leaf stain from it's pool cover days.

Today however, I really noticed that it is a nice roundish, brownish spot, directly over my ozonator!  The rest of the cover is spotless and looks a bit bleached out on the bottom.  The top is fine--it is just brown in that one spot on the bottom.

I wonder if I had not been using this spa blanket, if my cover would have a brown spot on it?  :-?

Do you think that the spot is from the ozone, the heat that comes out there as well, or a combo of the both?

I have been wondering if I need a spa blanket as well.  My Ozonator has one of those coils where the water from the ozonator goes around in circles for about 20' before it is released into the tub so most of the ozone is supose to be used up before it gets into the tub.  But I wonder if it would still help to get a blanket.  The bottom of my cover is always covered with water drops when I take it off.  I havn't noticed any discolorization or brittleness of the cover yet but it is not very old. My ozonator runs 24 hrs per day with a 30 gpm circulation pump.  The ozone bubbles are released at the bottom of the tub.

[sledjunkie]

When I spoke with Artesian tech support, they had told me you will see a brown circular discoloration on the underside of your cover above the ozonator port. If you have the upgraded propure system (which is a chamber system for artesians) the discoloration is alot less noticeable if noticeable at all.

[drewstar]

When I spoke with Artesian tech support, they had told me you will see a brown circular discoloration on the underside of your cover above the ozonator port. If you have the upgraded propure system (which is a chamber system for artesians) the discoloration is alot less noticeable if noticeable at all.

On new fill ups it's not unusual for me to get a brown ring aroung the ozinator port on the bottom of my tub. It wipes off easly.   I don't see any brown on the underside of my cover.

Does the brown discoloration on the blanket wipe off?

Anyone now exactly what this brown discoloraztion is?

[kervis]

When I spoke with Artesian tech support, they had told me you will see a brown circular discoloration on the underside of your cover above the ozonator port. If you have the upgraded propure system (which is a chamber system for artesians) the discoloration is alot less noticeable if noticeable at all.

On new fill ups it's not unusual for me to get a brown ring aroung the ozinator port on the bottom of my tub. It wipes off easly.   I don't see any brown on the underside of my cover.

Does the brown discoloration on the blanket wipe off?

Anyone now exactly what this brown discoloraztion is?

How very interesting that you would ask that!  

I just went outside and wiped at it with my finger, then my hand, then to be really sure, wiped it with a white paper towel--Yes, it wiped off but not thoroughly-- it still looks a bit stained  (I didn't scrub at it!)  It wasn't slimy.  It doesn't smell.

It looks like a rust/iron color.

I have never had a ring around my ozonator like you described, or a stain anywhere else like that either.

[sarlex]

do you have a high metal count in your water(irons etc)?  Chances are the brown discoloration is being caused by your ozone system oxidizing the iron in your water?  This is why you see it most prominately after a water change.  Get rid of the iron and you should get rid of the brown slim.  Looks like your ozone is working!

[kervis]

do you have a high metal count in your water(irons etc)?  Chances are the brown discoloration is being caused by your ozone system oxidizing the iron in your water?  This is why you see it most prominately after a water change.  Get rid of the iron and you should get rid of the brown slim.  Looks like your ozone is working!

No.  I am on city water.  I would have to double check, but when I looked up my city's particular water testing on-line, everything was way below "notification level".  In fact, numbers were so low that a while back,  I posted about the necessity of using Metal Gon if there were no metals to be gone!

A few of the crew here said that the $8 bottle was cheap insurance and to just use it.  Due to the great info from all of you here, I did NOT even follow Chas' Law!    I got my tub July 4-ish and have yet to change my sparkling water.  I'd sure change it more often if I didn't HAVE To add $8 Metal Gon and $8 Spa Down (almost whole bottle) at every fill.

Anyway...IF I have ANY metals/minerals, whatever, iron is NOT one of them.  

This "stain" has been gradually appearing on my pool cover spa blanket for the last 3 months.  I can't remember when I first noticed it.  It is directly up above from where the ozone/heated water outlet is.  This outlet is on the very bottom of my spa.

No slime, no ring, just a rust/iron colored stain on the blanket.

[gturn]

do you have a high metal count in your water(irons etc)?  Chances are the brown discoloration is being caused by your ozone system oxidizing the iron in your water?  This is why you see it most prominately after a water change.  Get rid of the iron and you should get rid of the brown slim.  Looks like your ozone is working!

No.  I am on city water.  I would have to double check, but when I looked up my city's particular water testing on-line, everything was way below "notification level".  In fact, numbers were so low that a while back,  I posted about the necessity of using Metal Gon if there were no metals to be gone!

A few of the crew here said that the $8 bottle was cheap insurance and to just use it.  Due to the great info from all of you here, I did NOT even follow Chas' Law!    I got my tub July 4-ish and have yet to change my sparkling water.  I'd sure change it more often if I didn't HAVE To add $8 Metal Gon and $8 Spa Down (almost whole bottle) at every fill.

Anyway...IF I have ANY metals/minerals, whatever, iron is NOT one of them.  

This "stain" has been gradually appearing on my pool cover spa blanket for the last 3 months.  I can't remember when I first noticed it.  It is directly up above from where the ozone/heated water outlet is.  This outlet is on the very bottom of my spa.

No slime, no ring, just a rust/iron colored stain on the blanket.

Better to have the stain on the blanket than on your cover, does your cover still have water drops on it when you remove it or does the blanket keep them from forming.

[kervis]

Yes, my cover has some water drops on it, but a great portion is dry.  I wonder if that will change though as the weather is getting colder.  In fact, we have snow flurries falling from the sky as I write this at 7:35am--yikes!  

I did not do a great job cutting the liner to fit exactly over all of the water.  (because I have several more to experiment with)  Someone here suggested that when I replace it, I use a washable market to outline the tub accurately and that is what I will do.  For now, however, we'll just see how it goes.  I'm curious to see how long it will last.   I have also thought that if my next piece is big enough, I could try leaving it hang over the edge to get a seal that way.  I think that heat would escape out of the channels between the puffed up parts though.  

I leave the cover off for the 10-minute clean cycle and I leave it off a full hour when I shock with dichlor--I don't quite get the MPS/some dichlor shock thing yet, but I would like to learn it!

I figured I'd try the spa blanket thing as it was free.    I am thinking that since most of the cover has stayed dry for the 3 1/2 months of ownership, that if I keep up on it, it will help prolong the life of the cover.

Time will tell...

Anyone care to enlighten me further on what the brown spot is and why it is happening?  Just curious.  Thanks!