The Complete Spa Manual for Homeowners: A Step-by-Step Maintenance and Therapy Guide by By Dan Hardy & with foreword by Daniel Harrison

Author:By Dan Hardy & with foreword by Daniel Harrison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: hot tub, spa, manual, install, benefits, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, reflexology, chromotherapy, Watsu, pumps, skimmers, equipment, jets, drains, plumbing, water, tricks, tools of the trade, parts, repair
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing
Published: 2012-03-26T00:00:00+00:00

Bromine

The chemical name for the brominating tablets used in pools and spas is bromochloro-5, 5 dimethylhydantoin. You can see why they just call it bromine.

Bromine in true form is a reddish-brown liquid. If you look at the chemical name on the brominating tablets, you will notice “chloro” right behind the ”bromo.” That is because bromine needs chlorine or some other catalyst to activate it. By adding a little chlorine to the mix, you have a chemical that will activate when put in water. Normal bromine tablets are 61 percent bromine and 27 percent chlorine but this differs between different manufacturers.

Like chlorine, bromine produces amines called bromamines. Bromamines turn out to be far more carcinogenic than chloramines. Even trace amounts of bromine can trigger severe acne in sensitive individuals.

Although it is a good algaecide, there are some forms of organisms, most notably forms of either a black fungi or algae, that are resistant to bromine, and these bromine products will not kill them.

Although both chlorine and bromine are halogens, or salt-forming, bromine is more stable and less volatile in water than chlorine. Less of the bromine escapes the water as a gas because it has a very high evaporation point, which is what makes it so desirable in a heated spa.

Because bromine tablets already have their own oxidizer, which is chlorine, it is not necessary to use a separate catalyst. This combination makes hypobromous acid, and when joined with a contaminant, it becomes a bromine ion. The buildup of these ions in the water forms what is called a bromine bank. A bromine bank occurs when inactive bromine ions group together in a mass that can be reactivated when chlorine is added.

If a level of bromine ions of 15 ppm or more is present in the water, all the chlorine added is going toward converting bromide ions into hypobromous acid, and none of it will provide chlorine residual. That is why when you use sodium bromide as an algaecide, it eats up so much chlorine. Once the level of bromine drops below 15 ppm, chlorine can start to produce its own hypochlorous acid.

Most spas use bromine as the sanitizer. Some do not like the odor of bromine, but if used in combination with an ozonator, the levels of chlorine and bromine are reduced so you cannot tell if either is being used.

Bromine is more aggressive than chlorine, so managing your chemistry is essential to prevent equipment damage, not to mention unfavorable conditions that can occur for your body. If you have a low pH level in a bromine pool or spa, damage to metal is occurring. Bromine is not as forgiving as chlorine.

When talking with some pool and spa professionals, you probably would find that not many like using bromine. It is not that the product is inferior; some are simply afraid of it. When bromine is unstablized, it can react faster and more aggressively than chlorine. As a rule, the higher the level of bromine, the higher the pH is in the water.

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