Cal Spas LES - Common Water Chemistry Questions

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Sanitizers
Common name Usual chemical name Common brand names
Chlorine sodium dichlor
Both chlorine and bromine are available under
numerous brand names
Bromine sodium bromide
Shock
Common name Usual chemical name Common brand names
MPS monopersulphate MPS Shock, Oxy-Spa, SeaKlear
Dichlor sodium dichlor Dichlor Shock
Note: Dichlor (chlorine) is both a sanitizer and a shock. Monopersulphate (MPS), when used as a shock, can
be purchased alone as non-chlorinated shock or combined with dichlor, which makes it significantly more
eective than MPS alone.
Other chemical additives
Common name Usual chemical name Common brand names
Stain and scale
inhibitor
These are usually proprietary
chemical formulations and
cannot be purchased as a
single generic chemical.
Metal Stain Gone, Scale Inhibitor, Stain and Scale
Preventer, Stain and Scale Defense
Foam inhibitor Foam Gone, Foam Down, Defoamer
Clarifier Water Brite, Spa Bright, Water Clarifier, Clear Water,
Natural Clarifier, Brite & Clear
Do NOT use these in your spa:
• Sodium hypoclorite (household bleach)
• Trichlor
4.9 Common Water Chemistry Questions4.9 Common Water Chemistry Questions
Question: Why is the use a floater not recommended to sanitize my spa water?
Answer: We do not recommend the use of a floater for three reasons:
• The floater is unable to control the rate at which the sanitizer is dissolved into the water. When a
floater is first placed in a spa, the sanitizer level can be extremely high. High sanitizer levels can
chemically burn or discolor the spa’s shell or the underside of the cover. Then, aer a period of
time, the sanitizer level dispensed by the floater will fall to near zero. A low sanitizer level will
allow viruses, bacteria or algae to grow.
• Floaters tend to stay in one area of the spa most of the time, causing this area to be exposed to
extreme sanitizer levels.
• The floater may allow pieces of the highly concentrated sanitizer to fall out and settle on the
floor or seat of the spa shell. These pieces of sanitizer will chemically burn (blister) the spa shell.
Although your spa shell is specifically designed to resist the eects of spa chemicals, no spa
surface can withstand this type of highly concentrated chemical. Remember, chemical abuse is
specifically not covered under the terms of the warranty.