I have a hydropool serenity spa. 1st year used bromine. This winter i switched to mineral sticks instead of added bromine. I noticed since going to mineral sticks in the summer now that it’s been getting hot the water smells very moldy/mildew. I usuallly dont add anything to the water with the mineral sticks just a weekly dose of shock. should i be adding bromine doses with the mineral sticks? I am purging the tub now and draining and going to clean and refill. Should I just go back to bromine?
Bromine vs mineral
- Thread starter moreira85
- Start date
Minerals is code for metals, and metals don't sanitize the water they only prevent algae. If you have zero bromine or chlorine in the water then there are things growing in it that the metals cannot kill or cannot kill fast enough to be effective. Metals in the water might help keep it looking clear, but they do little to protect against the microscopic things that are actually dangerous.
I'd highly recommend returning to a bromine or chlorine based system. These halogens are effective at sanitizing water and keeping it clear and safe.
I'd highly recommend returning to a bromine or chlorine based system. These halogens are effective at sanitizing water and keeping it clear and safe.
And there is the problem.
Minerals (ionized silver) are effective at killing organic contaminants, including chlorine resistant ones, but very slowly, like overnight. They do not oxidize those contaminants as chlorine or bromine do, so you can get a musty odor and cloudy water even with technically sanitary water. However, they provide little defense against person-to-person contamination, or self contamination. This is why you still need chlorine, bromine, or mps per manufacturers instructions. They say .5ppm fc is all you need, but that means AT ALL TIMES, and .5ppm is gone before you get comfy in the lounger from the contaminants you bring in, even freshly showered, so it is necessary to add chlorine immediately before or after use if not maintaining a constant residual with a floater.
I recommend them as a backup, handy in the event you don't add enough sanitizer to handle everything after use or your floater runs out, and some studies suggest it prevents or decreases biofilm growth as well. However, they do not eliminate or even notably lessen the need for chemical sanitizers/mps, which should ALWAYS be added after use to destroy the contaminants you introduced, minerals or not.