Bullfrog upgrades

[tmaestas95]

Any must have addons when purchasing an R series?  Thoughts on Ozone and circ pump?

[Racenut]

I have Ozone and Circ on my R7, we had it on our old tub too.  Wife is sensitive so allows to keep bromine levels lower than without it.  But it's really a personal preference.  I don't believe it really saves money on "efficiency", especially when you factor the upfront cost. Some people consider it one more thing to break, my old one never gave me any trouble and supposedly it was one of the ones that gave circ pumps a bad name.   The BF circ pump is a lot bigger than my old one, and noisier, but only because the other one was totally silent.  You can hear the BF one if you're standing near the tub, but certainly can't hear it running from in the house.

[dporter22]

I thought I wanted the circ pump on my A7, but the dealer convinced me that it wasn't necessary.  I trusted his advice and after a year there haven't been any problems without it.  The regular pump cycle works just fine and is very quiet.

I did get the ozone but don't know how it compares to not having one since this is my first spa. 

[pinhead]

I have the circ pump and ozone in my A7L, I would probably not chose them if I was doing it over.
From what I’ve read ozone works better with bromine, I use chlorine and if I go more than a couple of days without adding chlorine my water gets stale (slight smell and cloud).
The circ pump is kind of jammed in the equipment bay – it appears crowded and may make repairs or pump replacement more difficult. It is not really much quieter than the main pumps which is the reason I chose the circ pump option.
We’ve had the spa for a little over a year and love it!

[Compatico]

Any must have addons when purchasing an R series?  Thoughts on Ozone and circ pump?

My wife is sensitive to ozone so we won't have them in any future tubs. I never noticed a difference in water chemistry or chlorine levels when it was running or disabled in our Arctic tub - I believe it's more fluff than anything else, like a sales gimmick. I think they need to be much larger and have much longer contact with water to be effective.

A circulation pump is not required in any way, but it may help keep the water mixed slightly for more balanced sanitizing, probably not enough to be concerned with though. Originally I was considering it until I got the specs for pumps and compared their power consumption ratings. A circ pump uses more electricity running 24/7 than a jet pump that cycles on for 4 hours of cleaning cycles. If power consumption is a concern, don't get a circ pump.

With Bullfrog focusing on less plumbing, it makes sense to not get a circ pump and reduce the plumbing even more...seems to make sense to me.