Ozonators – What are they?
Mar 05
When speaking with friends who also have hot tubs, a topic that is always coming up in conversation is how we maintain the hot tub chemicals and the different techniques used to shock a hot tub. The most common chemicals used are chlorine and bromine. Bromine is more expensive than chlorine, but is not as aggravating to the skin. Many people who have sensitive skin use bromine over chlorine. Some hot tubs already come with a sanitization system built into the hot tub which is called an Ozonator. Having heard many different things, I decided to do some research on them to see if it is worth it for spa owners to have them placed in the spas, or for future spa owners to have them already built into the their new tub.
An ozonator is a mechanism in your hot tub that uses ozone gases which are inserted into the spa’s water. It acts as a potent sanitizer that breaks up most of the bacteria and viruses in the water as well as algae and yeasts. It can reduce the odor in the spa and chloramines. It also breaks down body oils so your water will look clean and clearer then if you were just using bromine and chlorine. Ozone also oxidizes soap, deodorant, hair spray, cologne, makeup, perfume, body lotion, hand cream, saliva and urine. By using an ozonator you will be able to maintain your bromine and chlorine dilution at the low end scale when testing the water. Used with the sanitizer ozone helps kill bacteria, germs and viruses. People I have talked to who have an ozonator say that they only have to change the spa water every 8-12 months, instead of every 3 months when just using chlorine and bromine.
The quality of the water will be dramatically better with the combination of ozone and chlorine or bromine than with chlorine or bromine by itself. The ozone will not only break down harmful chemicals it also causes the total dissolved solids to clump together so the filter can catch them easier.
Ozone is also perfectly compatible with alternative systems such as Cleanwater Blue, Nature2 mineral purifier and Spa Frog. One thing to remember though is Ozone does not replace your current sanitizer. Ozone has a very short life of about 15 minutes and alone it is not as effective as a sanitizer. For the ozone to be more effective you want to run the ozonator at least 4-6 hours per day.
If you have an have an ozonator, or are thinking of having one put in your hot tub, you will still have to filter the water as often because impurities are continually being introduced into the water. The ozonator will destroy most of them, but there will still be some microscopic contaminations that will need to be filtered out of the water.
You should know that if you do have an ozonator your hot tub cover will require a little extra care, you do have to remove the lid completely for about 20-60 minutes a week so that ozone can breathe as if it remains trapped in the cover it can eat away at the plastic barrier allowing water in.
After viewing different opinions online, many consumers feel that their ozonator is helpful in maintaining their spa’s water chemistry. While others believe it is not essential and too expensive. After factoring the cost to have it replaced, the damage it can cause to a hot tub cover, I advise researching all options before purchasing an ozonator for your hot tub.