Choosing the right spa starter kit

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Chlorine or Bromine?

One of the most common questions we get asked from spa and hot tub owners is which is the best sanitiser to use – Chlorine or Bromine? There are many theories out there as to which is better, however we decided to gain firsthand experience and run our test hot tub on both in order to provide you with a practical answer. The conclusion we came to is that both are perfectly suitable sanitisers, however bromine does boast three crucial advantages over chlorine, which we believe makes it a more suitable sanitiser for hot tubs.

Less odorous – Running your spa on chlorine can create a strong chlorine smell in the water even when the chlorine level is kept within the recommended range of 2-4 ppm. Although this is perfectly normal it can result in an unpleasant bathing experience. Bromine is less odorous than chlorine and as a result this smell doesn’t exist and a more pleasant bathing environment can be enjoyed.

Effective at a broader pH range – The recommended pH level for a chlorine spa is 7.2 – 7.6. This is because the effectiveness of the chlorine as a sanitiser significantly decreases at higher pH levels. Bromine on the other hand, is an active santiser at pH levels of 8.2, therefore the pH level can be maintained at a much broader range of 7.2-8.2. This allows more flexibility when controlling the pH level and is particularly beneficial for hard water areas where the incoming water supply naturally contains high pH and alkalinity levels.

Slower dissolving – Regardless of which sanitiser you use, both are available in tablet form and ideally should be used in conjunction with a floating dispenser. The main difference we experienced is that bromine is much slower dissolving than chlorine and as a result it is a lot easier to maintain the correct sanitiser level in the water. This is crucial in order to reduce the amount of work involved in maintaining your hot tub.

To make this a fair argument it is only right that we look into the disadvantages of using bromine over chlorine. As bromine is slow dissolving it can have difficulty in recovering an adequate concentration after the hot tub has been heavily used or is started up after being emptied. In this case you need to add another sanitiser such as oxy shock or stabilised chlorine granules just to boost the level. Another disadvantage is price, as bromine is a little more expensive than chlorine.

Despite these drawbacks we firmly believe that the advantages of using bromine over chlorine far outweigh the disadvantages. As a result we would always recommend using bromine as opposed to chlorine in a hot tub.


Hard or Soft Water?

Did you know that your water supply plays a significant role in how you go about maintaining your hot tub water? The water supply in our homes is usually referred to as hard or soft and it is important to know your water supply as it will affect some aspects of your hot tub maintenance.

A quick way to determine whether you have hard or soft water is to take a quick look in your kettle. If you can see signs of scale then your water supply will be classed as hard. If you can’t then it is likely to be soft. If you are unsure you are best to check with your local water board.

If you live in a hard water area then you need to be aware of two main issues; scale and a high pH level. It was mentioned earlier about the build up of scale in your kettle. The chances are it will be a similar picture on the internal pipe work and heater in your hot tub. If left untreated then this could eventually cause significant damage, especially to the heater. With this in mind it is important that you use a scale inhibitor such as our Stain and Scale Inhibitor, which is found in our hard water kits.

The main chemical that makes water hard is calcium bicarbonate. The calcium part is the hardness whilst the bicarbonate is the alkalinity. As a result the second problem you will probably encounter is a high pH level and high alkalinity level. Both of these issues can be rectified by adding a pH Reducer, which is usually sodium bisulphate. If you do live in a hard water area it may be prudent to run your hot tub on bromine as you can maintain a pH level between 7.2 and 8.2. If you run on chlorine then you must maintain a pH level between 7.2-7.6.

If you live in a soft water area then the opposite will happen as your water supply will have a low pH level and low alkalinity level. First of all you need to get your alkalinity level right and you can do this by adding an alkalinity builder, which is sodium bicarbonate. Once you have added this you will find that it slowly also brings your pH level into the desired range.


Which kit should I choose?

To summarise, we have tailored our starter kits to suit the different water supplies and we recommend that you purchase a kit which is suited to your water supply. By doing this you will enusre you have all the chemicals you need to run your hot tub effectively and with minimum trouble. The choice of whether you go with chlorine or bromine is up to you but whichever you go for the key is to maintain the correct chemical levels in the water. If you do you will be able to relax and enjoy your new tub with no trouble at all!