The first priority in any hot tub or spa is to have safe and healthy water and secondarily to keep that water clear and inviting. The pool and spa industry typically uses chlorine and bromine to sanitize – to destroy 99% of micro-organisms in the water. The Ahh-Some Water Conditioner, Clarifier and Bio Cleaner is not a sanitizer, but uses similar processes to keep your water clean and safe. The Ahh-Some Bio Cleaner is spa water treatment created for natural spa maintenance.
How Chlorine Works
Chlorine destroys bacteria though a fairly simple chemical reaction. Chlorine when dissolved in water breaks down into many different chemicals, including hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl-). Free available chlorine (hypochlorous acid) enters through the bacterial cell wall and kills the organism by destroying (oxidizing) the sulfur groups on the cell’s enzymes, causing the cell’s metabolism to stop, resulting in the cell’s death. The difference between HOCl and OCl- is the speed at which they oxidize. Hypochlorous acid is able to oxidize the organisms in several seconds, while the hypochlorite ion may take up to 30 minutes.
Only 10% of the chlorine added to spa water goes on to kill living organisms. The other 90 % of the chlorine oxidizes (destroys) waste products in the water. The byproducts of chlorine oxidation are chloramines, which have very little sanitizing ability. Chloramines have a very strong chlorine odor, and they cause nasal and eye irritation. Shocking the water with chlorine will eliminate excessive chloramines, but it requires raising the spa chlorine level to approximately 10 ppm. Then you have to wait till the chlorine drops to 5 ppm before using your spa. So the cycle of adding chlorine to maintain the 1 to 3 ppm and then shocking the spa to remove the chloramines goes on.
How The Ahh-Some Water Hot Tub & Spa Water Conditioner, Clarifier and Bio Cleaner Works.
The Ahh-Some bio cleaner removes the organic materials in the spa water. All bacteria, whether beneficial or pathogenic, require stable food sources to grow and reproduce. If you remove the food sources, the bacteria will starve and die. As food (organic material) becomes scarce, the bacteria have to compete for the remaining food and often will attack each other (protozoas) thus further reducing the number of bacteria. The naturally occurring process of the Ahh-Some bio cleaner break down organic contaminants (oils, lotions, deodorants, sweat, dead skin cells, etc.) that bacteria feed on, thus removing the food source. This process continues to work for up to one week, using one teaspoon, constantly removing new sources of organics.
Since Ahh-Some bio cleaner is not a sanitizer, minimizing the sources of bacteria and organic materials introduced into the spa, and removing the organics is key to keeping the water clean and healthy. Some additional products are recommended to assist the Ahh-Some bio cleaner in the spa water treatment.
Non-chlorine shock (potassium monopersulfate) gives quick results by oxidizing the organics in the water. Non-chlorine shock should be used at least once a week or as needed. You can use your spa in as little as 15 minutes after adding a non-chlorine shock, but we recommend adding it to your spa after you get out.
The Ahh-Some Bio Cleaner also has water clarifying properties and are helpful in removing oils and lotions. Some work by clumping small particles together so the filter can remove them. Enzyme clarifiers break down the contaminants into harmless components like water and carbon dioxide. Ahh-Some Bio Cleaner should be added weekly for maintenance or daily as needed to clean up cloudy water.
Good filter maintenance can be achieved by rinsing your spa filter to remove loose materials once a week, and clean your filter with Ahh-Some Hot Tub & Spa Filter Bio Cleaner once a month by soaking it in the cleanser, rinsing, and allowing to dry before reinstalling it.
Some Additional information about terms
Sterilization: 100% destruction of all bacteria on the object being sterilized. This process has no use in
recreational water. One cannot ‘sterilize’ a pool or spa. There is simply too much activity – bathers entering and
leaving, air volume changes, large spaces, etc.
Disinfection: 100% destruction of all disease-causing bacteria (pathogens) on the object being disinfected. As
with sterilization, one cannot obtain complete destruction in the pool environment. Although improper, the terms
“disinfection” and ‘disinfectant’ have persisted and are commonly used.
Sanitation: The destruction of microorganisms to levels (usually by 99% or more) deemed safe by public health
standards. This is the proper term to be used with pool / spa water. One “sanitizes” pool / spa water with a ‘sanitizer’.
Oxidation: Simply stated, oxidation is the combination of an element with oxygen. Burning coal (carbon) to produce carbon dioxide is oxidation. This usually means destruction of the substance being ‘oxidized. Oxidation can occur without flames when chlorine oxidizes the organics from bathers in pool water. The substance is oxidized, destroyed or ‘burned out’. Oxidizing does not necessarily mean sanitation. Nor does sanitation necessarily mean oxidation. For example, potassium monopersulfate, a non-chlorine shock commonly used in the pool industry, is an oxidizer but an ineffective sanitizer. Whereas polyhexamethylene biguanide, which is sold as ‘Bacquacil’, is a sanitizer but not an oxidizer.
Calcium hypochlorite is widely used for pool and spa water treatment. This chemical is considered to be relatively
stable and has greater available chlorine than sodium hypochlorite (liquid bleach). It has been estimated that over
90% of the free available chlorine residual is used to oxidize organics introduced into the pool by bathers. Positives
are that it kills almost all bacteria and removes food sources that the bacteria live on. Negatives are that it is caustic
and can cause irritation to skin and respiratory systems even at low doses deemed safe by the EPA. Additionally,
chlorine kills beneficial bacteria that eat organic contaminants in the water, and you have to maintain chlorine levels
for it to be effective.
Sodium hypochlorite solution, commonly known as bleach, is frequently used as a disinfectant. Positives are that
it kills the widest range of pathogens of any inexpensive disinfectant; it is extremely powerful against viruses and
bacteria at room temperature; it is commonly available and inexpensive; and it breaks down quickly into harmless
components (primarily table salt and oxygen). Negatives are that it is caustic to the skin and eyes, especially at
higher concentrations; like many common disinfectants, it degrades in the presence of organic substances; it has a
strong odor; it is not effective against giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium.
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