Nature2 SPA Stick Mineral Sanitizer for Hot Tubs & Spas, Destroys Algae & Bacteria, 1 Pack

This system actually works quite well, and it makes the spa water much more pleasant than any of the other alternatives.In a previous life, I was a chemist and am an expert on water chemistry. It seems that this material is creating a superoxide, similar to your ozone generator on your tub. That is a very safe and effective way of controlling bacteria and other unwanted biological growths. It is very effective on simple organisms, but our bodies have catalase, which protects us from the biocidal properties of hydrogen peroxide.The system does require more rigorous habits than a chlorine or bromine system. You do need to add a shock before every use. Also, I filter the water when I fill the tub, so you do need to add minerals back to the water. This system does tend to foam more than when I had chlorine or bromine.Another tendency is that the pH tends to go high, not low. Buy some pH down if you convert. This is actually a big plus, since the tendency for the system to raise pH tends to be better for you.I have had to use more materials to control oils and soap in the system. Do your tub, body, washing machine, and dryer a favor and cut back the amount laundry detergent you use by half. The active ingrediants in soaps and detergents are call surfactants. They have bizarre chemistries, and are much less effective at cleaning and tend to build up on machinery when you use too much. This is even more important if you use an he machine. Even with controlling the amount of soap, you will need to control this buildup. I have found that LeisureTime Spa Bright and Clear works well.The spa bright and clear works well on congealing the soaps and oils permitting them to be removed, but they tend to build up in two places. One is on the side of the tub above the waterline and inside the filter box. This is easy to deal with. Just wipe the surfaces clean with a soft cloth. The congealed material is mostly soap, so it cleans as you wipe. The second place the soap and oil deposits build up is on the filters. Enough builds up that you will probably need to clean your filters more often. I've tried a couple of the filer cleaning solutions, but I have found using Cascade in the dishwasher w/o any additional additives works best. Stuff for sheeting action is great to reduce spots but is not good when it is coating your filters. The one exception would be if your tub's water is very hard. There are acids in the filter cleaning solutions that would remove scale, which Cascade will not be so good at.When it comes to soap and oil buildup in your tub. These materials can have a greenish tinge. This can be mistaken for algae buildup. If you are unsure, I have found adding a cup of Clorox bleach to the tub, waiting 24 hrs, and checking. If the green goes away, you had algae and you should check your chemical balance. If it is just as green, then you may have oil buildup and you need to treat your tub with more bright and clear then clean as above.With care, we have found that our tub is a lot more pleasant and healthy than when using either chlorine or bromine.

I have had the clearest water since using this product.

This is the best purchase for our hot tub, and we use our tub every day. I started getting an allergic reaction to the bromide tablets we were using and thought my hot tub days were over. This product not only works better then the bromide tablets but it is much easier to use. Very simply and without a chemistry lesson, here is how use set up and use this. First drain your tub, clean and then refill. Once refilled, balance the water. Get the Ph, Alkalinity and hardness in check. Once that is done insert the stick into the supply/intake tube that the filter fits onto. I needed to use the supplied extension legs to make sure the stick did not block the bottom of the supply/intake tube. Now simply add the required amount of Dichlor, (chlorinating granuals) to the tub. Read the bottle to determine how much you need. I have a 2 person tub and I need .84 Tbsp, so I added 1 Tbsp of the granuals. This activates the stick. When your chlorine reading comes down after your first shock you are ready to go. After each use I add the correct amount (based on your tub size) of MPS. This is also 1 Tbsp for me. I use the 2 pack of Oxy-Spa, (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AVYTYS4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00). Once a week or so I will hit it with a Tbsp of the chlorine shock for peace of mind. By the way, the chlorine is gone in a few hours. I now have a tub with zero chlorine odor or the accompanying dry skin. It has stayed perfectly clear and looks as if I just refilled and once again, ZERO odor or side affects. Lastly, I am not sure if the Nature2 test strips are really necessary, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IT5JT8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00. I only put the MPS in after I use. The MPS is between zero and very low when I use the tub so that it is really like going into a fresh filled tub.

Biggest issue is that there is no good way to keep these exposed to the water flowing into or out of the filter in an inflatable hot tub. Best you can do is zip tie them to the filter case or just let them roll around in the tub. They do keep the water nicer longer, and reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine needed. Overall these are OK, but the small cylindrical blue kind are better (those include activated carbon)

I love Nature2. I use Nature2, balance my water to start, add a PH buffer, and then I only use a little household bleach and MPS after a soak and don't have water problems for months with very little maintenance. It is well worth the money and in fact I think it probably saves money because I don't have to use all that expensive dichlor or whatever. And I save water because I can refill literally only 1 or 2 times a year. I like to do it twice only because I don't want to get caught in the middle of the winter with the job of refilling. It is much harder to do in January! I do it in about April and November and it works great.EDIT 12/2020 - still love this product. I start a new fill, initial balance, use dichlor at first until the stabilizer reads good, add ph buffer, then basically for months after maintenance is simple. Needs only a bit of household bleach after tub use, mps maybe every week or few weeks, depending on use. Don't take this as a recommendation but I know a guy who lives at my house who may have gone nearly 24 months without fussing with the tub chemicals or refilling. Tub stays dialed in for weeks when not in use. Using dichlor at first to get the 'stabilizer' set helps the bleach work better over time, so I've read. So dichlor still serves a purpose but only at first. And bleach is needed after use. Note I said AFTER, so there is very little chlorine left in the water when next I get in. This product takes care of the periods between uses and makes it so I don't have to soak in chlorine.