Hot Tub Life Articles

What the Heck is Non-Chlorine Spa Shock

For years, spa owners have been keeping their water crystal clear by using Spa Shock on a weekly basis. Just like "shocking" a pool, Spa Shock quickly raises the sanitizer level of the spa water, killing off any of the bacteria that may be present. Unwanted bacteria in spa water can cause skin irritation, rashes, odors and cloudy water. The down side of "shocking" a pool or spa can sometimes be a strong chlorine-like chemical odor, eye irritation and bleaching of bathing suits and covers.

Leave it at the folks at DuPont to come up with a great new chemical for Hot Tub Spa use - Potassium Monopersulfate - or more commonly known as "Non-Chlorine Spa Shock".

The best benefits of this type of spa shock product is that it is easy and convenient to use, it maximizes your existing sanitizer efficiency (normally Bromine) by killing and eliminating contaminating waste and it will not produce irritating chemical-smelling odors. It also restores sparkle and clarity to dull water and it will not bleach or fade bathing suits or spa covers. It assists with the bacteria killing, with no unwanted side effects.

Now let’s get a little more technical. Potassium Monopersulfate is a powerful, odorless oxygen-based versatile oxidizer that will work in conjunction with chlorine, bromine and most alternative sanitizing systems including ozone. Hot Tub Spas are treated with sanitizers to protect bathers from harmful pathogens, but sanitizing alone is not enough.

Bather waste and external factors contribute to the buildup of organic contamination - especially since most residential spas hold only 250-350 gallons of water. Remember, 2 people in a 200 gallon spa are equivalent to 200 people in a 20,000 swimming pool ! Regular oxidation is required to eliminate these contaminants and promote maximum sanitizer efficiency and water clarity.

Potassium Monopersulfate is ideal for oxidizing spa water because it reacts very quickly to eliminate bather waste, increases existing sanitizer efficiency and enhances water clarity and bather comfort. Best of all, it eliminates the need to shock the spa with heavy chlorine-based products which can cause chemical smelling odors and nasal irritation.

There are a few significant drawbacks to using chlorine based spa shocks alone. When used in heavy doses, chlorine can react with contaminants in spa water to produce foul smelling and irritating combined chlorine compounds called chloramines. Chloramines can be simple compounds like monochloramine, or they can be quite complex like the organic chloramines which actually resist oxidation by free chlorine and persist long after chlorine shocking.

Chlorine shocking can also raise chlorine residuals, which you may not want in a brominated tub. This can be especially important if your hot tub is inside, where air circulation is a problem. One of the reasons that people use bromine in a spa is to reduce the chemical odor, both in the water and in the indoor air around the unit. Potassium Monopersulfate will not cause these unwanted odors when used as a weekly shock.

The one point we must emphasize is that Potassium Monopersulfate cannot be used upon the initial fill up of a hot tub. You must use regular Spa Shock for that. It is not a disinfectant when used alone. A normal level of sanitizer must already be present in the water for Potassium Monopersulfate to react correctly.

When used properly, it will eliminate chloramines, ammoniated compounds, oils, soaps, perspiration, urine, and odors as well as enhance disinfection and sanitation by regenerating the existing chlorine or bromine in the water. We are sure you’ll like it !