Silver Ion vs other Sanitation System

[NickJ]

Moved from Here

Will the silver ion content keep the water safe (no germs and bacteria) if there are NO bathers but the water is cold? I understand at 104 degrees F the MPS added before each use acting "with" the silver ions is an effective sanitizer but I don't want to keep our Jacuzzi heated all the time we aren't using it. My goal is to have a system (silver ion, ozone, etc.) that will keep the water safe without constant balancing for months until we decide to use it and at that time I will re-establish bromine (or chlorine) and PH and TA levels. In the past we've always drained and cleaned it and re-established bromine level and PH and TA every time we used it. Consequently we almost never use it. I want something to keep it safe when not used but allow adding the chemicals without having to drain it when we want to use it. Is that feasible? And if so would a mineral cartridge like Nature2 added every few months accomplish this as well as an ion generator? One concern with an ion generator is I have no way to measure the ions whereas adding a cartridge at appropriate intervals would seem to guarantee the ions are actually there.

ae to the silver ions

Silver + MPS + Ozone can be an effective sanitizer at hot tub temperatures. In cases where that can't keep up and the water gets cloudy, it is common to add chlorine. The simplest thing to do is use household bleach (unscented/regular) as your chlorine source, since it is easy to get and use.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Define “cold” water?

Are you actually letting the hot tub cool all the way down or are you just letting it go to a standby temperature?

MPS + silver is ineffective at “room temp” water and bacteria can grow. The tub needs to be running on a schedule and held at a standby temp (typically 95-97F) with an ozonator providing periodic injections to keep the bacterial growth in check.

If the tub is going to be unused for a month or more, then simply draining it and blowing out the lines is the most effective way to store it. You still need to clean and balance it on startup but that’s true of any sanitation system.

And, while I’m sure this is not what you want to do, if the tub is really being unused for long stretches of time, then perhaps it’s time to get rid of it altogether? Why keep up the expense if it’s not being used?

 

[NickJ]

My wife keeps saying that but we made the mistake of building a Jacuzzi "ROOM" around it back in 1988 which was before we knew how little we would use it. We added the 12 X 15 room with 12' wide and 4' foot wide glass doors that open out onto the exterior pool patio. The floor is concrete although covered with carpet with a sunken opening for the Jacuzzi and there's a 4 X 6 skylight centered above the off-center Jacuzzi. It would be very hard (and expensive) to claim that room for another purpose. Plus it has exterior ventilation only so no HVAC ducts to or from it. The Jacuzzi is covered (hard cover you can walk on) and we leave interior doors open so it stays conditioned but when using it (rarely) we close the interior doors and open the exterior doors.

You understand my objective - keeping it clean even when allowed to drop to 70 degrees - so is there any solution? What if I maintain "very high" chlorine levels? High enough to work even if PH is allowed to rise. I don't mind doing some maintenacne. Perhaps weekly since I maintain our pool year round but back when we tried using the Jacuzzi weekly (30 years ago) I recall it seemed almost impossible to keep it balanced. I guess if I actually got it to the point it didn't have to be drained every time we want to us it I might find we'd use it more.

But we're now going on 72 so I am not sure if we would or not. Since it is interior and any excess ozone might make it into our indoor air I'd prefer the silver ion solution if it will work but do you think I'd still need both and is my concern about ozone escaping valid? Maybe that's not an issue?

Thanks again for your advice.

Define “cold” water?

Are you actually letting the hot tub cool all the way down or are you just letting it go to a standby temperature?

MPS + silver is ineffective at “room temp” water and bacteria can grow. The tub needs to be running on a schedule and held at a standby temp (typically 95-97F) with an ozonator providing periodic injections to keep the bacterial growth in check.

If the tub is going to be unused for a month or more, then simply draining it and blowing out the lines is the most effective way to store it. You still need to clean and balance it on startup but that’s true of any sanitation system.

And, while I’m sure this is not what you want to do, if the tub is really being unused for long stretches of time, then perhaps it’s time to get rid of it altogether? Why keep up the expense if it’s not being used?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I can see how that would make it difficult. Here’s my suggestion - follow the instructions here for the Dichlor/Bleach method of running a hot tub to get it started and balanced. It takes a bit of work in the beginning to learn how much chlorine demand your tub has but yours should have a very low demand. I would then suggest you consider buying and installing a Saltron Mini salt-water chlorine generator. Once you get it dialed in, it should able to maintain enough of a chlorine residual on it’s own so that you can get away from adding chlorine every day. You’ll still want to dump the tub every 3-4 months (maybe 6 months at most) for proper hygiene. I would also suggest you use Ahh-some to purge your tub before starting the Dichlor/bleach method...I’m willing to bet a box of doughnuts that you’ll be grossed out by what purges from your plumbing lines.


Ahh-Some Plumbing Purge -

Home - Ahh-Some Water Cleanser for Your Pool, Hut Tub, Jet Bath, Swim Spa and Washing Machine

Dichlor/Bleach Startup/Maintenance Prcoess -

How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

Solaxx CLG20A Saltron Mini Drop-in Salt Chlorine Generator for Hot Tubs & Swim Spas Up to 2000-Gallons -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QC5UZ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apu_cWEwBb2CD95E4

 

[Arobbert]

I use a Peristaltic pump with liquid chlorine. It works great for keeping a constant low level of chlorine. You would just run it at a very low setting to maintain a minimal level, then add the correct amount to oxidize bather waste when you use it. You would need to experiment a bit to get the right setting so that it wouldn't build up to much chlorine when unused for a long period of time. You could add an additional timer that would run it every other day if needed. Once you get it dialed in it would require very little maintenance.

Below is a link to this type of product. You could probably use the smallest one.

https://www.rola-chem.com/peristaltic-pumps/

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nick,

I use the Saltron Mini Drop-in Salt Chlorine Generator that Matt linked above.. It works perfectly for us.

Thanks,

Jim R.