No Bromine?

wenchris · Jul 24, 2012

Have had a Sundance Spa for 2 weeks now, first fill was a nightmare. Came with a "starter chemical kit" that probably should have went in the garbage. There was so much stuff in the cloudy water that I emptied it (I had no idea what was in there) and followed the bromine sticky....thank you...This spa is 320 gal. and is equiped with Clearray which is a ultraviolet light that sanitizes the water????? OK whatever....i filled and balanced the water then added 2 oz of sodium bromide, then added 3/4 cup of 6% bleech. 3 bromine tabs in the little feeder by the filter and everything was fine. The bride and I had a soak last night and after I added 1/4 cup of bleech to stay on top of things.....this morning checked water, crystal clear but bromine just about 1 using TF-100 kit that I use for the pool. The woman at the spa store when I talked to her before I emptied it said because of the Clearray bromine won't show up, which i think is BS :rant:

...thoughts on getting the bromine up and keeping it there? Also is it a good idea to add the 1/4 cup of bleech after we soak?
Thank u Jimmy

chem geek · Jul 24, 2012

If you aren't using bromine tabs in a feeder, then you definitely need to add some oxidizer (bleach being the least expensive) to keep activating bromine in the water. Bromine will get used up from bather load (and also when there isn't any bather load, but much more slowly). The UV might be breaking down some bromine -- that's possible -- but more likely is that it just got used up from your bather load.

If you aren't using a bromine tab feeder, then every person-hour of soaking may need around 3-1/2 teaspoons of Dichlor or 5 fluid ounces of 6% bleach or 7 teaspoons of non-chlorine shock (43% MPS) to oxidize the bather waste. Adding these amounts to a bromine spa (one that has sodium bromide added to it initially) will create bromine to oxidize the bather waste. Bromine, just like chlorine, is a consumable. You need to keep adding more either by activating it using an oxidizer or by adding it via bromine tabs.

Vette · Jul 24, 2012

I'm trying to learn more about bromine, so I'm gonna ask Chem Geek a question here, sorry for jacking your thread for the moment.

When you say "consumable," from what it sounds like it just gets 'deactivated' or something. Is that correct? And oxidizing it reactivates the bromine in the water? But adding tabs adds fresh, correct? So doesn't unactivated bromine build up when you use tabs, or does something else happen to it?

chem geek · Jul 25, 2012

You are correct on all counts. When bromine gets used/consumed, it turns into bromide. When you add an oxidizer to the water, it turns the bromide back into bromine. And yes, when you add tabs, the bromine in them when used/consumed turns into bromide so you build up bromide, but that's just a salt so doesn't matter. To start this process, you need to add bromide initially to the water so you have some that can be activated by an oxidizer (unless you just start off using tabs, but they usually don't add enough bromine quickly enough if you soak every day).

Chlorine is similar except it only goes one way (with one exception). When chlorine gets used/consumed, it becomes chloride. Oxidizers used in pools don't work on chloride. The only exception is the saltwater chlorine generator that converts chloride to chlorine.

wenchris · Jul 25, 2012

That's my problem , I am using 3 bromine tabs in the feeder. Checked this morning crystal clear, but the bromine is about 1.5 ppm , that's after adding 1/2 cup of 6% bleach after my wife and I soaked last night. So basically I want to get to the point that I add enough bleach after our soak so that by the next night the bromine is between 2 and 4 before we go in, correct? Could the spa store be correct that the Clearray Light is making the bromine not readable by the test??? I still find that hard to believe because the owners manual says to keep the bromine at no less than 2 ppm with the Clearray operating and 2 - 4 ppm without it. Anyway were is my bromine...bather load like you explained? Thanx for your input....Jimmy

chem geek · Jul 26, 2012

Yes, you want to target 2-4 ppm bromine at the start of your soak. So add more bleach after your soak and yes, it's probably bather load using up most of the bromine. The bromine tab feeder probably isn't turned up enough to be able to handle your bather load. They are designed more for background dosing in between soaks such as for those who use a spa only on weekends. I don't know if the UV system is using up bromine or how much. It isn't preventing you from reading the bromine level -- that's for sure. All it could do is possibly break down bromine similar to the UV in sunlight (though the UV system is mostly at lower wavelengths).

wenchris · Jul 26, 2012

Ok, good, starting to get the grasp of this... Check the bromine level this morning and it was 1.5 ppm same as the yesterday morning, only difference was that I put in 3/4 cup 6% bleach after our soak last night, thinking that I would hit the 2-4ppm before we soak tonight. So I'm thinkin that the uv light may be breaking down the bromine also....
Thanx Jimmy