The key to keeping your hot tub water clean boils down to the sanitizer. This is the stabilized chemical that kills bacteria and unwanted contaminants. It comes in the form of little pucks or granular. You have a couple of options for your sanitizer: chlorine or bromine. But which is better? This is the age-old debate. There are a few factors that differentiate the two. Depending on your own personal needs and preferences, one sanitizer might suit you better than the other.
Strength
Chlorine is certainly stronger than bromine. It cleans the water faster by attacking the contaminants by immediately combining itself with them. The suggested range in which you should maintain your chlorine level is between 2ppm – 4ppm.
To say chlorine is stronger than bromine is not to say bromine is ineffective. Bromine is very successful in maintaining the cleanliness of your water as it also attacks unwanted contaminants. Bromine, however, is not as strong as chlorine, meaning you require a higher level of this chemical in your water to keep your water clean. The recommended range for bromine is 4ppm – 6ppm.
Comfort
Many of us are sensitive to the sanitizers in our hot tubs. It’s impossible to say which sanitizer is better for you without you trying them out. Typically, though, chlorine is harsher on your skin than bromine. But, depending on how your skin reacts to these chemicals, the opposite might be true for you.
Your hot tub sanitizer can directly affect your relaxation if you absolutely can’t stand its smell. Although the smell of chlorine is often described as clean, the smell can sometimes be too potent for some noses. Bromine tends to have a softer scent that some find more enjoyable. Again, your preferred scent is personal and difficult to predict.
Maintenance
Ease of maintenance is often a deciding factor when it comes to choosing which sanitizer is best for you. In my own experience, the desired level of chlorine is much easier to maintain than that of bromine. I find bromine fluctuates quite easily despite being a stabilized chemical. It requires more time to build up in the water, but it can also drop quite quickly. Even though chlorine might be easier to maintain, you still have to keep your eye on its levels in the water.
So which is better? Chlorine or bromine? Well, I can’t tell you. Depending on your preferences, you might choose one over the other. You might even have to try both in order to decide. Either way, by using chlorine or bromine, you’ll be keeping your water sparkling clean.