The Why’s and How’s of Hot Tub Ozonators

Ozone, also known by its more technical name, trioxygen, is a fantastic oxidizer of contaminants lurking in your water.  Let’s talk about why your tub needs ozone and how to provide it without getting too sciencey.

What Ozone Does in Hot Tubs

When ozone is introduced to spa water, bacteria and viruses are destroyed. Additionally, ozone breaks down oils, perspiration, cosmetics, and other inanimate organic contaminants. A true win-win!

Because ozone does these things, you can use far less sanitizer than, say, if you didn’t have an ozonator. Brilliant! This is awesome if you or your family have sensitivities to traditional spa chemicals such as chlorine.

But, How Do Ozonators Work?

It’s not magic, but, in broad strokes, oxygen molecules pass through UV light or a corona discharge (CD) unit to create ozone. Once the ozone has been created, it’s distributed to the hot tub water through an ozone injector.

UV ozonators are old technology but are still available.  Their downside is twofold: they’re not as efficient as CD and don’t last as long. You may ask yourself, “Why would I buy one then?” Great question!

Always opt for a more efficient and longer-lasting CD ozonator.

Hold the phone – My spa doesn’t have an ozonator…

Ozonators are so easy to retrofit, the real issue is why you haven’t installed one yet? Seriously though, for less than $120, and a minimal amount of elbow grease, your hot tub can benefit from ozonated water.

Check out this basic diagram to see how easy it is:

Here’s a guide I wrote detailing the procedure.

Well, that’s all great, but now I have one more thing to maintain, right?

The short answer is yes, but as with everything, you’ve got to pay to play, and maintaining your ozonator is super low pay.

I recommend doing the following at each water change, when you have the access cover open:

• Inspect the ozonator check valve – Is there water above the valve? If so, replace the valve. If water works its way into the ozonator, you’ll have to replace the ozonator itself, so this is worth keeping an eye on.
• Make sure your ozone injector is injecting – Turn on the pump and verify that the hose below the check valve is clear of water.

Since ozonators last around 3 years, I recommend getting an ozone test kit and using it yearly to verify your ozonator is working.

There it is. No more excuses. Get an ozonator today!