Ozonators in Hot
Tubs And Spas
By Vince Bergan June
2006
Although nearly all portable spas manufactured today either come
with ozone or are "ozone ready", there is little scientific proof
that ozone is as beneficial as is commonly thought. The question is
this. Should you get the ozonator or not?
There are claims that say ozone use will decrease chemical usage in
spa water care. By how much? There is no data, only anecdotal
reports.
The problem is that ozone is a very unstable oxidizer. It can be
measured in the spa water. It is usually detected near the ozone
injector hole but not in the corners of the spa. It is known to
have a short life and "gases off" quickly out of the water. Because
of these facts, it seems an ozonator does not provide the necessary
constant level of residual sanitizer in the spa in between uses. So
ozone can't be depended on to eliminate the need for a residual
sanitizer. Another sanitizer system must still be used along with
the ozone.
The typical hot tub ozonator is only oxidizing the water that it
bumps into. So based on all that I have read, an ozonator is
clearly optional. You can live nicely without one. I don't have one
on my own spa. A few spa manufacturers have come to this same
conclusion and do not recommend ozonators. They will sell them to
customers who want them. In fact, we will sell you one also if you
want it. We'll respect your own decision on this.
However, having said this, there two exceptions to the rule. First,
you should know that Jim Arjuna designed a 35 foot long ozone
mixing chamber that goes into the Super Custom Series of spas. This
mixing chamber, along with a powerful ozonator, dissolves the ozone
thoroughly in the water before it is released into the spa. This
eliminates the rapid gassing off and assures the ozone is used to
its maximum advantage. Jim designed this system after discussions
with experts in the use of ozone in water treatment. Secondly, the
Spa Specialist recommends an ozonator if you are going to use the
ECO One sanitizer system.
Personally, I use the Instant Ions (copper/silver/zinc ions)
without an ozonator because it is simple and inexpensive. I feel
that I use very small quantities of chemicals. I have very clear
fresh smelling water. I have never had an episode of cloudy water
or scum at the water line. I use 1/2 tsp of dichlor and 2 teaspoons
of non chlorine shock after I get out of the spa each use. I use a
bit more if there are 3 or more users. I also shock once weekly per
instructions. I pay close attention the the pH of the water. I
can't imagine that I would use much less chemicals if I had an
ozonator. I use so little as it is.
There are debates on all the spa/hot tub forums regarding ozone and
other water treatments. Lots of complaints about scum lines and
cloudy water. Until some one does some objective unbiased research
on spas and ozonators we will never have the sort of data needed to
make definitive conclusions on how ozonators should be used in
spas. My guess is that this is still an evolving issue. So stay
tuned and check back with us again on this topic. This is my take
on the subject.