Spa pool regs and water treatment

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Spa pool regs and water treatment

nofam

1094 posts

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#289861 4-Oct-2021 15:55

I'm looking at getting a hot tub next year, and was wondering if anyone has experience with using colloidal silver or simple silver to sort the water? I was also wondering if it was possible to combine ozone treatment and something like one of the above? Any tips on things to get/avoid when looking at all the different models too, as there seems to be a heck of a variance between models, with not a lot of obvious differences.

And with the regs regarding things like a minimum height of 760mm, does that mean you can't recess them into the ground, or build decking up around them, a la this kind of thing?

Compare Sapphire Spa Pool Specifications | Sapphire Spas NZ

tchart

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#2789166 4-Oct-2021 16:14

Height is there for fencing exemptions. If a small child can get to the surface like they could in your photo then the area would need to be fenced - the photo looks like an enclosed area so would likely have appropriate doors to gain access to the spa.

So no it can't be recessed like that without fencing.

Although not ideal in that photo it would be trivial to put a pool fence along the top of the deck.

UncleArk

110 posts

Master Geek

#2789192 4-Oct-2021 16:45

The shown photo at the beginning of the thread would not be compliant for using a cover.

F9.3.1
Residential pools must have or be provided with physical barriers that restrict access to the pool or the immediate pool area by unsupervised young children (ie, under 5 years of age).

F9.3.2
Barriers must either -
(a) surround the pool (and may enclose the whole or part of the immediate pool area); or
(b) in the case of a small heated pool, cover the pool itself.

In the case of a small heated pool, the means of restricting access referred to in Performance F9.3.1 need only restrict access to the pool when the pool is not in use.

Performance F9.3.2(b) applies only to those small heated pools where the top surface of every wall of the pool is at all points not less than 760 mm above the adjacent floor or ground and the walls of the pool inhibit climbing.

In regard to barriers, there's not enough information in the picture to determine how much of the building itself can be considered as compliant barriers. Is the areas not shown in the photo an enclosed courtyard only accessible by doors and windows which could be made restrictive to young children?

In short, as a previous poster has stated... barriers (not necessarily traditional "fencing" like was required under the former Act that got repealed in 2017) are needed.

chevrolux

4962 posts

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#2789197 4-Oct-2021 16:54

My understanding of the height thing is that it can be unfenced if it's at ground level, but it has to have a lockable lid. But reading that above, that's obviously not the case. I got an Alpine Spas 5-seater one, and the lid that's supplied with that has little key locks on all the pull down tabs, plus it easily supports my full weight standing on it.

I feel like a little common sense may be the thing to exercise. I for instance, don't have (and never will), have kids running around to worry about drowning. So mine is basically flush with the deck like the OP's photo. But I guess if the council came around they might get a bit grumpy.

elbrownos

109 posts

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#2789593 5-Oct-2021 09:18

I installed a cooling tower once and looked into silver for water treatment. I reached the conclusion it's pure scam.

Jase2985

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#2789698 5-Oct-2021 11:20

elbrownos:

I installed a cooling tower once and looked into silver for water treatment. I reached the conclusion it's pure scam.

explain?

Some "fresh water" pools use copper and silver electrodes to sanitize the water

elbrownos

109 posts

Master Geek

#2791763 8-Oct-2021 12:12

Jase2985:

elbrownos:

I installed a cooling tower once and looked into silver for water treatment. I reached the conclusion it's pure scam.

explain?

Some "fresh water" pools use copper and silver electrodes to sanitize the water

Yes there are lots of silver based products being sold for swimming pools, spa pools, cooling towers, drinking water treatment.

All making extraordinary claims with zero evidence.

hsvhel

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#2791803 8-Oct-2021 14:15

I have tried simple silver, for the cost, it still required intervention to correct the water. Not the "set and forget" it claimed.

Better result sticking with the Granulated Chlorine.

Mine is an Alpine unit, although they confirmed Bromine was fine for water treatment, it was noted that it might discolor the pipes and around the jet fittings.

In the end, I kept up the regular chemicals.

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turtleattacks

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#2791807 8-Oct-2021 14:20

How many people will be using the spa pool?

We have a spa pool and it's only my partner and myself that uses the spa pool. We have two cleaning cycles per day at an hour each (2 hours per day).

Apart from once or twice chlorine treatment per winter - we don't actively full the water with chemicals. It seems fine and water don't turn cloudy.

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neb

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#2791860 8-Oct-2021 17:07

elbrownos:
Yes there are lots of silver based products being sold for swimming pools, spa pools, cooling towers, drinking water treatment.

All making extraordinary claims with zero evidence.

It's not quite zero evidence, it's known that metallic silver has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, however everything beyond that is pretty unclear, and in particular its use for treating water is, as you say, mostly woo-woo, particularly since many pool treatments are silver in non-metallic form and so you're relying on the bacteria to read the label on the bottle to know that it should be killing them.

Copper and its alloys also have well-known and well-studied properties, but that requires direct contact with the metal as well. Surprised that the woo-woo crowd haven't locked onto that yet. It may be because silver has a special place in woo-woo, see for example silver speaker cables.

If you're really worried you could always drink the stuff (note: slightly disturbing photo of a person with argyria).