Like most people, you probably invested in a spa to have your own personal sanctuary to escape the aches, pains and tension that comes with life. What you didn’t expect was the challenges of spa maintenance. Constantly adding chemicals to keep the spa balanced and clean can become a chore that nobody wants to do, kind of like walking the dog and cleaning up after it. Well the drudgery of maintaining a spa has finally come to an end with the introduction of a chlorine generator.

What makes the ColorChlor and TechniChlor different?

Simplicity, economy and pure relaxation are what you can expect from using the ColorChlor. No more driving to the spa store to buy expensive spa chemicals and no constant testing and adding chemicals are needed to keep your spa in an inviting state. You will also find that the water in a ColorChlor treated spa is like nothing you have ever experienced before. Your water will have a silky-smooth feel without offensive chemical smell, and no itchy, dry skin when you get out – these are problems associated with traditional chemical treatments.

What’s wrong with traditional spa chemicals?

When you bathe in a salt water spa , get out, dry off and go about your evening without feeling the need to take a shower.  Your skin, suit and towel will smell as fresh.  Your skin will be silky smooth.

With all that said, here is how you can really start enjoying your spa with minimal effort and pool supplies purchased from any grocery store for a fraction of what you would pay at a spa store.

1. Put a Chlorination system in your spa according to the directions supplied. It is important to start with fresh water and a clean tub in order to obtain the results expected.
2. Add recommended amount of salt to the spa water.
3. Check the alkalinity of your spa water and adjust to 80-120 PPM if needed. This will help maintain optimal pH levels. Common baking soda is all you need to increase alkalinity. If your alkalinity is too high, you can lower it with pH adjustments listed next.
4. Adjust pH. If you needed to add baking soda, wait 2-3 hours before performing this step. To lower pH add small amounts of white vinegar. To bring alkalinity down maintain a pH of 7.0-7.2 for a week and test again. Low pH can also be increased using a small amount of baking soda. The ColorChlor will also slightly increase your pH so as long as it is 7.0 you don’t need to adjust it.
5. Check your water every month and adjust if needed. Every 2 weeks if heavily used.

This is all you will have to do in most cases. Should you experience any difficulties send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to assist you.

Take a look at this You Tube video. It is also brought to you from the folks at Definitive Water Tech.

How to use the ColorChlor and it’s blinking user interface.  There really isn’t anything to it.  Even your kids can handle it!

There is also a decent look at just how the light show works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2jVG_bN6nU&eurl=http://www.definitivewatertech.com/&feature=player_embedded

Here is an awesome web page showing just what the ColorChlor’s light show looks like.

http://www.definitivewatertech.com/cclightshow.html

This is always something people ask about and we haven’t had the time to take a good set of pictures or video, so thanks a ton to Definitive Water Tech!

A recent newsletter by the APSP states the concern over declining hot tub sales. My opinion on this after talking to many hot tub owners is that they are tired and frustrated with hot tub maintenance. They never imagined what a chore it would be after spending thousands of dollars on something they wanted to enjoy, not end up dreading.

By adding a salt water chlorine generator, half those chores are handled for you – and you get fresher sanitized water to boot!

Now for those who already own spa’s – ther are more than 5,000,000 in the States alone – the chlorine generators will save you a great deal of money.  The SpaChlorinator.com products only require salt, vinegar and baking soda all readily availabe in your local grocery store and without the markups added by the pool chemical specialty stores.

Both the TechniChlor and ColorChlor salt water chlorine generators require electrical power. They will continue to operate and sanitize your spa without the spa turned on, but electricity must be kept on to their power supplies.

If there is a short power outage, the units will adjust their output to straighten things out when the power comes back on. You can count on them performing this if the power comes back within a half day or so. For longer periods, other precautions and remedies may come into play.

If you know there is going to be an outage and can plan accordingly, pick up a small bottle of liquid chlorine at a local pool store. By adding a large shock right before the power is lost, you will help the warm water to resist the buildup of algae and bacteria. Of course, you should not use the spa during this period. Just let it sit, covered and warm waiting for the power to come back on.

If you didn’t get a warning the power was going out to the spa and chlorinator and will be off for some time (days), we recommend another course of action. You should uncover the spa and try to cool off the water as quickly as possible (cooler water breeds less bacteria) and add liquid chlorine or bleach if you have it around the house. If your outage is being caused by inclement weather, you may not be able to open the cover very far if at all. In this case you may need to add chlorine again later once the water has cooled on its own. Either way once the water has cooled, recover the tub to keep dust and debris from falling in.

Image via Wikipedia

ControlOMatic is in the final test phase of the ColorChlorHP and TechniChlorHP. The HP – High-Power versions of these two salt water chlorine generators add a third titanium plate which nearly doubles the chlorine output. The HP version will easily handle a SPA up to 2,000 gallons and even small pools to 5,000 gallons. The chlorine usage for pools is much less than a SPA’s because of the lower water temperatures. The HP versions will be available in January 2009 and the list price is $475 for the ColorChlorHP and $420 for the TechniChlorHP.

SpaChlorinator specializes in the the hottest new technology in the spa and Hot Tub market today – Chlorine Generators

High Tech Spa Accessory

If you are looking for a method to lower spa maintenance and operating costs while greatly improving water quality, then adding a chlorine generator should be your first addition.

Lower Spa Maintenance

By adding a chlorine generator the daily need to measure chlorine and add chemicals will be virtually eliminated.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Adding a chlorine generator can reduce your costs on chemicals by up to $300 and year

We want all of our customers to enjoy their spas and hot tubs as often and as long as they want without having to worry about what chemicals they are exposed to. So SpaChlorinator.com now offers the best two Salt Water Chlorine Generation Systems for your spa or hot tub: the ColorChlor and the TechniChlor made by ControlOMatic.

Why ControloMatic? They are one of the oldest and most recognized and reputable leaders for chlorinators and automation systems in the spa industry today.  They have over 15 years experience designing and producing chemical automation systems for pools and spas and over 20 years experience in the swimming pool industry servicing, repairing & training in recreational water facilities ranging from 200 to 1.8 million gallons of water.

Here are some benefits you get from a chlorine generation system:

• Crystal clear water, containing very low levels of natural salt
• Sweet smelling air to breath while bathing and under the cover
• Silky soft skin that is not dried and flaking
• Significantly less time testing and treating your water
• Significantly less expense for keeping the water this way

Here are some things you lose with a chlorine generation system:

• No more packaged chlorine, shock treatments or algaecides
• No more exposure to chlorine powders, liquid spills, dangerous storage, etc
• No more red eyes, green hair, dry irritated skin
• No more smell of chlorine in suits, towels or bed sheets
• No more worries about your children or pets getting into chlorine or bromine

With so many different choices to sanitize your hot tub available, how do you know which on to use? The answer is not always easy to come by as there are a lot of opinions, almost to the point of putting 5 people in a room, asking the question and getting 10 different answers!

In the 23 years I have been in this business, I have seen many things come and go and come again but few ever really do what they claim. I have even been suckered into many of them myself.

Traditional Pool Chemicals

For decades, traditional chlorine and bromine tablets and powders have been the dominant players in the marketplace. They are widely available and you can get started with them for under $100.00. The problem with these products is not so much the chlorine or bromine itself, but all the other “stuff” needed to carry the chlorine and bromine molecules. As these other ingredients dissolve and build up in the water, they actually inhibit the chlorine or bromine from being able to oxidize the contaminants which leads to poor water quality. This is the reason you need to frequently drain a hot tub to keep the water clear.

Another problem with chlorine and bromine tablets is the fact that they are extremely low in pH which causes your water to become very aggressive as the pH and total alkalinity start dropping to low levels. This causes metal parts to deteriorate potential discoloration to the shell and of course eye and skin irritation.

Ozone Sanitation Systems

Ozone is a very effective oxidizer provided you have enough being properly introduced into the water. It’s only real downfall is that it is highly unstable and only lasts a short period of time so there is no residual of ozone in the water. It doe make for a very effective supplement though. If you do have ozone, it is necessary to replace the cartridge every couple of years in order to keep it producing an effective level of ozone.

Mineral Treatments

Now we have mineral treatments which have plenty of arguments for and against them. These are typically copper/silver ions being introduced into the water by passing water through a cartridge filled with beads containing low levels of copper/silver ions. The ions have the ability to kill bacteria and algae but at a slower rate and they will not oxidize impurities so they can be filtered out. Minerals are also likely to fall out of solution when the pH goes up and then stain surfaces, skin and clothing.  Ozone in high enough quantity will actually oxidize the ions so they end up in the filter. Minerals must have a supplemental oxidizing agent in order to make the water acceptable to use.

Bromine Generation

Bromine generation was a short lived fad that showed promise but was found to have produced questionable by-products and would work great for an undetermined amount of time and then suddenly crash.

Chlorine Generation

Chlorine generation has been the best option in the alternative sanitizer category because it actually makes pure chlorine that is highly effective in keeping water clear & sanitary as long as it is properly used. Chlorine generation also is good as it recycles. The electrolytic cells split ordinary salt into chlorine and sodium. When the chlorine is used, it reverts back to salt and the process begins all over again.

Quality chlorine generation systems that are properly sized and maintained have proven themselves over a long period of time. They continually produce chlorine at a user selected rate to satisfy the demand of their particular situation. Chlorine generation users also have the benefit of clearer water, increased comfort and ease of maintenance. Chlorine generation has become so popular that it is now installed in approximately 50% of all new pool construction.

Morton’s also offer a much more convenient 4lb box of salt suitable for Hot Tubs and SPAs.  You can find Morton’s Canning and Pickling Salt in most grocery stores – probably on the bottom shelf. 

Canning and Pickling Salt is over 99.5% pure and dissolves quickly.