Hot tub cleaning and maintenance can be a challenge to some people. Like pools, if the water in a hot tub is not properly taken care of, it can become green and create bigger issues later. There’s several components involved in keeping a hot tub clean. When cleaning a hot tub, you should use a chemical sanitizer. The two options are chlorine or bromine, which you use is up to you. These chemical sanitizers kill harmful bacteria and fungi that develop in a hot tub. A hot tub without chemicals creates a breeding ground for harmful fungi and bacteria that can cause infection or disease. The fungi that can develop can even damage your spa to the point of no repair.
The Natural Cleaner
To make caring for a spa easier, the ozonator was created. Ozone (O3) is a purifier created in nature by lightning storms and the sun’s ultraviolet rays. An ozonator is designed to replicate this process by using an ultraviolet light bulb that converts oxygen (O2) in the hot tub water into ozone. The created ozone is then pushed into the spa through the jets. When the ozone comes into contact with the water, it starts to kill those harmful bacteria, fungi, oils, suntan lotion, sweat and more.
Many people like an ozonator because it acts as a natural cleaner. An ozonator is not designed to act as your sole means of cleaning your spa. You should still use a chemical sanitizer to help clean your spa, but you can now use less. Using less chemicals can save you money and reduce any skin, eye, or nose irritation from the chemicals used. When spa shopping, you might hear people talk about “UV” or “ozone”; they’re talking about an ozonator.
The Cost
Many hot tubs are built with an ozonator or offer it as an add on to be added. It’s usually $150 to $450 to install an ozonator onto a hot tub. It’s much easier to add an ozonator to the hot tub when it’s being built versus when it’s already built. MyHotTub offers an ozonator add on for all our spas. As of the writing of this article, to add an ozonator to our resin spas is $79.99, and because more work is involved, $149.99 for our acrylic spas.
