I read this blog post on http://www.saandalbar.org/ and there was no way to respond. So I thought I would give my two cents on this very subject and help this person and anyone else who was having a similar problem.
The Blog Post
"I have never liked the taste or feel of chlorine in my hot tub. Bromine was a little better but it still did not feel good on my skin. At the required parts per million that were recommended for a healthy hot tub it felt like I was sitting in a pool of bleach. When my hot tub dealer recommended the hot tub ozonator I jumped at the chance to reduce the Cl or Br in my water. It took me all of ten minutes to install the Ozonator and most of that was spent in removing the door over the hot tub equipment panel."
The Response
Here is the thing with hot tub sanitation, it is extremely important because it has a small bather load. Think of it like a giant bath tub and imagine using the same bath tub water for everyone in your house every night. I don't know about you but that is really disgusting to me. So you should sanitize it of course. But some people will ask what is the best way to sanitize a small bather load like a hot tub. Well there are many ways to meet different preferences. Here is a list of all the different ways you can sanitize your hot tub and at the end of this post I will tell you what I would recommend.
Chlorine
Good old chlorine is the oldest and most effective way to sanitize water, but since most hot tubs are indoors and people hate the smell of chlorine it can be unpleasant. If you were strictly using chlorine in a HOT spa, the chlorine will oxidize fast and cause that harsh chlorine smell. However even with the smell it still is the best way to sanitize hands down
Bromine
The truth about bromine is that it is like the sister of chlorine. The only real differences between the two are it requires more but doesn't oxidize and give off that harsh chlorine smell. That is why most indoor pools and indoor hotel spas use bromine, that and because it's cheaper than other more effective ways. It is introduced into the spa the same way as chlorine.
Biguanide
This is the Baquacil of spas. It is a peroxide based sanitizer that is soft on the skin and provides a non-chlorine like atmosphere. However due to the manufacturing of some spas, most companies forbid you to use this in your spa because it can deteriorate some plastics. And it's expensive
Mineral Systems
(Recommended) Now to the good stuff. This combines the best of two worlds. The confidence that comes with chlorine sanitation and the lack of a strong chlorine smell. The way this system works is by providing your spa with a build up of silver which is an effective sanitizer. But since silver won't kill instantly you need that little extra backup of chlorine. So with this system you also need to add only 0.5 ppm of chlorine instead of 3.0ppm of chlorine in a normal chlorine spa. So it reduces the chlorine usage by almost 80%. And the silver product is cheap, its a plastic device that floats in the spa or in your spa filter well. The most popular model of this is the
. Check it out or ask your local pool company about it.- A quick note about Ozonators. Most folks think that ozonators that are installed in their spa will take over the job of santiation. Well to answer this posters question, it does not. In fact all an ozonator does is allow water to pass through a tube of ultra-violet light that kills most bacteria, but once that water enters back into the tub it has be contaminated again. Ozonators are great but DO NOT REPLACE PROPER CHEMICAL SANITATION!!!
