Your top priority as a spa owner is to keep the spa water sanitized. Sanitizers kill pollutants such as algae and bacteria. Oxidizers burn up accumulated waste products such as sweat, body oil, shampoo, soap and organic wastes. Healthy spa water needs both a sanitizer and an oxidizer. Chlorine and bromine are common sanitizers that also oxidize.

Q Which sanitizer should I use ?
A Chlorine is commonly used in swimming pools, but is unstable at high temperatures and its effectiveness drops drastically with pH variations which make it unfavoured by many experts. Chlorine byproducts (chloramines) are ineffective sanitizers and cause discomfort to bathers through their smell and irritation properties. The strong smell at the swimming baths is not chlorine – it’s chloramines!
Bromine is the kinder, gentler spa sanitizer and is more stable at higher temperatures than chlorine. Bromine is effective through a wide range of pH values and forms byproducts (bromamines) that are converted back to being effective sanitizers.
Many experts recommend the use of bromine in spas for these reasons.

Q How do I get the sanitizer into the spa ?
A There are several methods of introducing sanitizers into the spa water, but the most frequently used are powder (referred to as “dosing”), slow release bromine tablets in a floating dispenser and disposable bromine cartridges such as the Frog system.

Q How do I check my sanitizer level ?
A The simplest method is to use test strips such as Guardex Insta-Test. Simply dip in the water, swirl and then compare the colour of the relevant pad to the colour chart provided on the box. Free available chlorine should be maintained between 3 and 5 ppm and bromine between 4 and 6 ppm.

Q What is ppm ?
A Parts Per Million. This is frequently used to replace mg/l (milligrams per litre) and is a measure of the amount of one material in another.

Q Can I reduce the sanitizer levels if I use minerals in my spa ?
A Yes. The addition of minerals such as those used by Spa Frog allows the free chlorine level to drop to between 0.5 and 1ppm and bromine to between 1 and 2ppm. However, you must ensure the mineral cartridge in is replaced regularly following the manufacturer’s guidelines (normally every 4 months).

Q What is “shock” ?
A Shock is a concentrated form of sanitizer that’s used to oxidise the spa water by burning up dead bacteria, algae and bather wastes that have not been removed through routine sanitation and filtration. These wastes reduce the power of the sanitizer, making the water dull, cloudy and potentially irritating to skin and eyes. It is normal to shock a spa on a weekly basis or immediately after heavy use, using a product such as Swimmer Non Chlorine Shock or an advanced product such as Guardex Shimmer.