Hot Tub Ozonator Emits Poisonous Gas
Hot Tub Ozonator Emits Poisonous Gas
When you decided to purchase a hot tub, I am sure the salesman went out of his way to tell you all about the great features and benefits of your spa. The power, the comfort and the ease of maintenance were all pointed out with wonderful detail. But did the salesman tell you about the poisonous gas your new sanitizing system creates?
Ozone is a fantastic way to sanitize your hot tub water because it is an all natural solution for water maintenance and yet as effective as bleach. It essentially hyper-oxygenates the water, killing all bacteria, algae and viruses.
There are two types of hot tub ozonator systems. One is basically a high output UV bulb that creates ozone gas and the other is a CD or Corona Discharge type that uses low voltage electricity and a discharge cartridge. Both create ozone (O3).
Ozone is Harmful to Humans
Ozone is harmful to humans. Ozone is known to damage the tissues of the respiratory tract. Regular exposure causes irritation, inflammation and eventually it results in chest tightness, coughing and inflammation of asthma symptoms. Long term exposure can lead to long term damage to the lungs.
Ozonators Must Be Plumbed Properly
The spa plumbing must be properly engineered to avoid harm to the occupants. Ozone has a lifespan of approximately 17 seconds before the molecules change into air or mix with the water to convert back into H2O.
Typically the ozonator is programmed to come on when the pump is on. This will allow the ozone to get sucked into the plumbing and injected into the spa water for sanitizing purposes. The length of the plumbing and the speed of the water must be perfectly timed to keep the “live” ozone from breaking the surface of the water. In other words, the time it takes to go through the plumbing, must be at least 17 seconds. This will keep the poisonous gas from breaking the water’s surface and keep you from breathing in harmful ozone.
How can I tell If I’m Getting an Overdose of Ozone Gas?
The best way to tell if your ozonator is plumbed properly is by using your ability to smell. The odor is similar to the smell after a lightning storm or a good rain. If you experience this odor while sitting in your hot tub, there is a good chance that you are getting an overdose of ozone. Another tell-tale sign is that your spa cover, spa pillows, spa filter lid, etc. are bleached out and deteriorating before their time.
Ozonators are a great, all natural way to reduce your hot tub’s chemical dependency. If you are experiencing a heavy dose of ozone reality every time you enter your spa, or you’re not even sure if your ozonator is working, call us for support. There are some very quick and easy solutions.
You just might be glad you did!
Pets in the Hot Tub Damage Spa Parts
Pets in the Hot Tub?
Not Healthy For Your Pet And It Damages The Spa!
As pet owners, we truly understand how important it is for the family to include their pets into many aspects of their lives. In our home, our children get to grow up with a wonderful American Boxer. She is protective of the children, she has a sweet disposition and she is always willing to play – day or night.
But just like with everything else in our home, there are some rules that must be adhered to:
1. Andy, our Boxer, must keep all four on the floor. She is not allowed to jump on anyone especially the kids. This applies to receiving affection, treats, her dinner etc.
2. She is never allowed in any of the kids beds (this was tough, the kids didn’t exactly see eye to eye on this one). Consistency is the key.
3. No people food. I know that I will probably get some feed back on this one, but it really is nice to own a dog that won’t maul the kids for a bite of their chocolate chip cookie or stare and whine at us while we are eating dinner.
4. No Hot Tubbing! Although I am sure that Andy would love to soak in the warm waters and enjoy the full hydro therapeutic experience, she is not allowed in the hot tub.
It’s not healthy for your pet and it damages the spa!
Even if we reduce the health risk to our pet by adjusting the temperature and lets say we overlook the obvious fur issues and lets say we don’t mind the potential damage to the acrylic, and lets add to it by saying we love our pets so much, that we don’t mind cleaning out dead skin and body oils she most definitely will leave behind. When they enter the warm water, do they know to “hold it”? We just can’t get past the horrible things that happen to the spa parts pumps, heaters and sensors.
Being a service oriented company, we advise against doing any thing that will eventually cost our customers lots of money in spa repairs. Our best advice is to keep all pets out of the hot tub, no matter how cute or dependent they are. It’s not good for them or your spa. If there is anything we might be willing to bend on, it would be that we might, just might let the dog sleep in bed with you this one time.
Keep your pets out of the spa, we promise you will be glad you did!
4 Ways to Thaw out Your Spa
4 Ways to Thaw out Your Spa
By all appearances it seems that spring is upon us. The temperatures seem to be coming up and with this winter being exceptionally cruel for those in colder climates, spring will most certainly be the most highly anticipated event of the year.
Officially, spring starts March 20th. This means more attention will be given to preparing for our annual migration into the back yard. Clearing off decks, cleaning patio furniture, some yard work and let’s not forget buying gas for the Barbeque. Visions of pool parties, cookouts and maybe even some late night entertaining come to mind.
Four spa maintenance tips to freshen up your back yard Spa
1. Drain the spa– If your water has not been changed in some time, a quick drain and fill will remove the “heavy” water and replace it with fresh water that will be easier to manage. No one wants to sit in a pool of chemicals and there is nothing more inviting than a soak in a hot tub with crystal clear water.
2. Replace the filters– Most homeowners ignore this crucial step in proper hot tub maintenance. Just because it looks clean, doesn’t always mean that it is. Often the residue of sweat, dead skin and body oils are still in the paper element of the filter, but they can’t be seen because they have been bleached out. Regularly changing the hot tub filters will keep your spa running more efficiently and prolong the life of your spa.
3. Clean the plumbing– Use a plumbing cleanser and conditioner. This will keep any ickies from building up in your plumbing lines while conditioning your equipment like pump seals and gaskets.
4. Inspect and clean your cover– The cover has been exposed to the elements all winter. It is due for a complete inspection for damaged foam or tears in the vinyl. 90% of all heat loss occurs at the water’s surface. Don’t ignore this first line of defense against inefficient heat loss. It is bound to have a coat of dust and dirt on it. Use a good cover cleaner that will condition both the vinyl and the stitching.
They say that you get what you plan for. Take some time out be good to yourself and plan for a great backyard retreat. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did!
Hot Tub Poachers Beware
Hot Tub Poachers “Beware”
Hot tub poaching is typically a late night event where uninvited guests find a way into your hot tub during the wee hours of the morning. These interlopers are usually inebriated and almost certainly unaware of the consequences.
Because of their hot tub inexperience, they don’t know of all the dangers that can occur when alcohol use and hot tubbing are mixed.
Alcohol becomes exponentially more potent when sitting in a hot tub, so even a small amount can adversely affect the body. The higher water temperatures and alcohol both cause dilation of the blood vessels and lower the body’s blood pressure.
When this occurs a simple maneuver like standing up can cause dizziness, nausea and potentially loss of consciousness. Add dehydration from a day of skiing or hiking and a simple late night adventure into the neighbor’s back yard for some hot tub fun can prove deadly.
As a Gulf Coast Spa owner, the last thing you want to see is your neighbor passed out in your spa. There are a few ways to protect yourself from this type of invasion and potentially any liability.
Secure the Spa Cover
Be sure that all the straps are locked to the spa cabinet on your spa cover. Most covers come with push clips designed to attach the cover to the spa and some will even come with locks that can only be opened with a set of keys.
Install motion sensors – Motion sensors on exterior lighting makes a great deterrent to would be invaders. It is real hard to be sneaky when you have 100 watt flood lights exposing your every move.
Water Alarms
There are alarms on the market today that sound off when an object enters the water. These units are inexpensive and can be installed in minutes.
Obviously we do not condone hot tub poaching, but no matter the circumstance, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and soaking in a hot tub is a bad idea and going solo could prove fatal. If late night soaking is on the agenda, be sure to invite a friend.
You’ll be glad you did!
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The Number One Reason Why I Hate My Hot Tub
Recently a group of hot tub owners were asked what bothered them the most about their spa. They were asked about ease of use, maintenance and other factors pertaining to service.
Consistently, the number one complaint was the difficulty of maintaining their spa. Water chemistry takes up precious time and energy.
Love them or hate them, spas need regular maintenance
This typically means checking PH levels, controlling the sanitizer levels, cleaning the filters, shocking and regularly draining and refilling.
Most people don’t want to talk about all that really goes into the water when we bathe, but every time we decide to take a soak, we leave behind more than you know. No matter how clean a person may be, sweat, dead skin and body oils wind up in the hot tub. Even if part of your hot tub regiment is to shower prior to entering, there is no escaping the “additives”. It’s simply unavoidable.
There is a simpler way. The “green” way just happens to be the simplest and easiest way to treat your water. There are many enzyme based water management systems on the market.
Enzymes to the Rescue
These easy to use systems utilize enzyme technology to eliminate bacteria, body oils and sweat left in the water. The enzymes eat the contaminants and literally remove them all together. In the end, this translates to less time maintaining your spa.
These systems automatically control the PH, they will not scale and are very gentle on hot tub equipment. Some systems simply call for a bottle of enzyme sustain to be added every two months and most people report only changing the water once a year instead of once every 3 months. Even draining the spa is eco friendly. The water can go straight into the grass without damaging the lawn.
Our common goal is to spend less time working on our hot tub and more time relaxing in it. If you are not already using a chem free or all natural solution, try switching to a system that makes life easier.
You’ll be glad you did!
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Should I Go Au Natural In My Spa
Did you know that your swimsuit can potentially be the number one cause of corrosion to your spa equipment?
Sitting in a spa, donning a freshly laundered swimsuit might seem like the modest way to go, especially if the neighbors have a heightened interest in everything that goes on in your backyard. A swimsuit fresh out of the dryer
has a significant amount of soap residue left in it from the washing process. The detergent is especially concentrated if hard water is used. Hard water will not allow the detergent to completely break down.
Hot tub equipment has come a long way over the last ten years. The technology has gotten more efficient and wholly more reliable. Today, the number one cause of spa equipment failure is corrosion. The water in your spa flows through the pump seals, the heater and heater element and as the water evaporates, the topside, control board and cover are affected.
Save the Bubbles for Your Bath Tub
The soap from your swimsuit can cause a tremendous amount of bubbles in your hot tub. Although for some it may seem appealing to have the world’s largest bubble bath in the backyard, there is a price to pay for all the fun.
The detergent will immediately change the PH of the water and leave a hard scale on pretty much everything including your costly spa equipment. Over time the calcified scale will corrode pump seals, cover stitching, heating elements…you get the picture.
If foaming bubbles is an issue, there are de-foaming solutions that can eliminate the bubbles and restore the PH. Any scaling should be dealt with immediately, even if it means draining the hot tub and cleaning it thoroughly. Use a pre-filter for refilling the spa to soften the water and remove the metal contaminates.
Going “au natural” might avoid the issue entirely, but it will certainly give the neighbors something to talk about. To maintain your modesty, try to thoroughly rinse out the swim suits prior to use.
In the long run, you’ll be glad you did!
Early Spa Filter Death
Let’s face it, spa filters are the lifeblood of any hot tub. If they are not maintained 
properly and changed regularly, they can completely shut down your spa. They are vital to keeping the water clean and can directly affect the efficiency and performance of your spa heater. Here are four simple things you can do to extend the life of your filter and subsequently your spa equipment.
- Clean your Spa filter weekly – Spa filters are made up of a dense paper element designed specifically for your spas’ water flow. If the paper element is blocked by dead skin and body oils, it will severely restrict the water flow and slow down the heating process. Longer heating cycles means higher energy bills.
- Soak your filter monthly – There are some fantastic solutions on the market today made to break down body oils and condition the filter for a prolonged filter life. Using these solutions can double the life of a hot tub filter. Don’t forget to clean deep into the pleats where the heaviest debris is.
- Try the Dishwasher – A dingy filter is a good indication that it needs some special attention. Running it through the dishwasher will definitely open up the pores and make it white again. Take care not to run it through the drying cycle. Doing so can damage both the filter and your dishwasher.
- Change the spa filter regularly – Using a filter beyond its lifespan will cause high energy bills and encourage calcium buildup on vital spa parts. By replacing the filters regularly, you are extending the life of your pumps, spa heater and sensors. Following this one simple rule can save thousands of dollars in future repairs.
Your spa filter is the first line of defense not only for spa water clarity and safety, but also for all those vital (and very expensive) hot tub parts. Take the time to maintain your filters. It only takes a few minutes and the time you put into your hot tub now, will repay itself back with years of service. You’ll be glad you did!
4 Ways to Protect Your Spa from Cold Weather Damage
The entire country has seen bitter cold weather this winter. Even in sunny Florida the temperatures have been below freezing for quite some time now and we have been getting lots of questions about how to protect a hot tub against cold weather damage. Below are 4 tips to stay ahead of old man winter.
1. Keep your spa cover free from snow - Spa covers are not designed for heavy snow loads. As the snow falls, keep a broom handy so that you can sweep the top of your hot tub. It might surprise you to know that a foot of really wet snow can weigh as much as 300 pounds! Saggy hot tub covers are an eyesore.
2. Check to be sure the hot tub is running – Out of site out of mind should not be the case with your hot tub. Power outages or fluctuations in power can trip the GFI breaker. Without power, your spa will not heat the water. Even if you are not a winter spa user, check your spa regularly. Don’t let your Gulf Coast Spa freeze! A cracked shell cannot be repaired.
3. Keep the snow out of your winterized spa – If the snow has any chance of melting and refreezing, it can cause catastrophic damage. It is the expansion of frozen water that causes hot tub shells, hot tub pumps and plumbing plastics to crack. Make sure the cover is doing its job.
4. Don’t let your spa freeze! – Warning! If your spa is down for the winter and it has not been properly winterized, be sure to place a small space heater inside the cabinet to keep your spa from freezing.
NOTE: Take extra precautions when using a space heater. This should only be a temporary solution until service work can be performed and not a permanent solution. Keep the space heater away from all spa parts including the spa motor, spa control system and spa jets.
When it is cold outside and there is snow on the ground, a backyard gathering is usually not the first thing that comes to mind. Most people ignore it until things thaw out and spring arrives. But if you are a hot tub owner, take the time to check on your backyard investment.
If you have any questions about how to winterize your spa, please contact our free technical support line toll free at 866-829-3660.
We highly recommend using your spa all winter. It is a great way to heat up the core and relax your joints and muscles. Brave the cold and use it. You’ll be glad you did!
Should I be concerned about the sebum in my spa?
Ever wonder why your fingers and toes get all wrinkly after a good soak in the hot tub?
We didn’t know the answer, so we decided to conduct an experiment ourselves. We started with all types of people; older people, younger people, big people and little people. We changed the spa temperature, using cooler water and working our way up to the max at 104 degrees. Note: This is a very scientific hot tub experiment.
Our conclusions didn’t take us very far. We now know (and knew all along) that sitting in a hot tub produces wrinkles in the finger tips and the toes. Everyone who soaked in the spa wound up with pruned digits. Everyone except our neighbor’s nine year old boy named Ralph who only got wrinkles on three of his fingers, but that could be from any number of other anomalies.
We got nowhere with our experiment so we did a little more scientific hot tub research. We found out that the human body produces a very specialized oil called sebum (pronounced: see-bum). This oil lubricates, moistens and protects your skin. And it also happens to provide your skin with super waterproofing ability. Without it, your body would just soak up water like a sponge.
Sitting in your Gulf Coast Spa or hot tub simply washes the sebum off of the outer layer of skin. This allows the fingers and toes to absorb the water and thus causes our skin to plump up and look funny. The condition is only temporary and soon goes away. Your body will just make more sebum.
In conclusion, sitting in a hot tub can change the way your body looks and feels in more ways than one! Just for fun, get some friends or family together to see how long it takes you to wrinkle up. You will be glad you did!
Hot Tub Cold Storage-step by step
As the winter weather brings lower temperatures and the snow becomes more prevalent, we have been getting many requests to provide proper spa winterizing instructions.
Below, we have broken it down into two categories. The first is a list of the items that will be necessary to winterize your hot tub. The second is a step by step guide to draining and preparing your spa for cold storage. Once the spa has been drained, the entire process should not take more than an hour.
Things needed to winterize a hot tub:
Garden Hose
Shop Vac
Recreational Vehicle (RV) Plumbing Anti-Freeze
Screw Driver
Step by Step Instructions to winterizing a spa:
DRAIN THE HOT TUB
Remove cover and turn primary pump on high speed.
Line up one end of the hose with one of the performing jets.
Prime the hose with the high pressure coming from the jet and allow the water to drain into the yard or pool. Be sure to place the hose at the lowest point inside the spa footwell when fully primed.
Once the hose is fully primed, turn off the electricity to the spa.
Allow the hot tub to drain completely.
CLEAR THE LINES
From this point, our goal will be to completely remove all the water from the spa including water from the equipment and plumbing system. As water freezes, it expands. Expanding water can crack hard PVC plumbing, filtration canisters and in some cases, even the spa shell.
Once the spa is drained, be sure to remove all the water from the hot tub foot well and seating areas.
Remove the equipment access panel and shut off the water by closing the shut off valves. Disconnect the heater lines (these are hand tightened unions at each end of the heater barrel).
Disconnect the pump unions at the front of the pump and the side or top.
At this point all of the plumbing has been disconnected. Nothing left to do now but to clear the hot tub plumbing lines of any residual water.
Use the Wet Vac to force air through all the jets, the suctions in the bottom of the spa, and the filter box. Be sure to clear all the water. Remember, any water left is a potential opportunity for spa damage.
The water will blow towards the heater and pump connections. You may want to have a bucket handy or towels handy to soak up the excess water.
Pour a small amount of RV Anti-freeze into each jet, all the air injectors (if you have a blower system), and into the bottom of the filtration area and its plumbing. This will keep any residual water from freezing and it will not hurt the spa plumbing system.
All the plumbing has been taken care of. Next step is to take steps to prepare the equipment for cold weather storage.
CARE FOR THE EQUIPMENT
The pumps don’t need to be removed, but we need to make sure that there is no water left in the “wet end” of the pump and motor. Most pumps will have a petcock valve that can be removed by unscrewing it. Removing this valve will allow any water in the pump to vacate. NOTE: DO NOT BREAK THE VALVE. If your pump does not have this feature, fill the pump with RV Anti-freeze.
If you have a spa control system that can be removed easily (Power Depot), then remove the spa pack and heater. Bring it indoors for safe keeping. Otherwise, just make sure that there is no water left in the heater barrel.
That’s pretty much it. Once finished, be sure to replace the spa cover and the equipment panel. Your hot tub is ready to withstand the harsh conditions of winter without sustaining damage. Replacing a hot tub is very expensive; take the time to properly winterize your spa and avoid costly repairs. You will be glad you did!
For additonal tips and information or technical advice on winterizing your spa, please contact your free spa technical helpline at SpaShopper.com
