Is Zodiac finally admitting Nature 2 doesn't work?

[waterbear]

We just got a new shipment of Nature 2 spa cartridges in and I noticed the packaging was different and had a 2006 copyright on it so I opened one and read the instruction pamphlet, also copyright 2006!....low and behold it it NO LONGER a chlorine free system or LOW CHLORINE system!

The "Old recipe" (which is STILL on their website) was :
1) on each refill add 1 teaspoon dichlor for each 250 gal water (this will bring the fc to 2 ppm)
2) before each use add 1 tablespoon MPS per 250 gallons OR 1/3 teaspoon dichlor (this will bring the FC to about .5 ppm)
3) once a week shock with 3 tablespoons MPS per 250 gal, the preferred way OR (in very fine print it says that 1 tablespoon dichlor can be subistituted which will bring the FC to about 6 ppm...hardly shock level!)
4) As needed or if water looks hazy shock with 1 teaspoon dichlor per 250 gal (2 ppm...hardly shock level!)
5) Drain, refill, put in new Nature 2 cartridge and start over every 4 months.

The "New recipe" as of 2006 is:
1) on each refill add 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS dichlor for each 250 gal water (this will bring the fc to about 10 ppm...can anyone say 'shock'?)
2) before each use add 1 tablespoon MPS per 250 gallons (1 teaspoon dichlor can be substituted...this will raise the FC 2 ppm!)
3) once a week shock with 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS dichlor per 250 gal, the use of MPS for weekly shocking is no longer even an option! (this will bring the FC to about 10 ppm...standard shock level!)
4) As needed or if water looks hazy shock with 1 TABLESPOON dichlor per 250 gal (6 ppm...Isn't this normal chlorination for a spa?!)
5) Drain, refill, put in new Nature 2 cartridge and start over every 4 months.

Seems to me that this is pretty much standard spa maintenace on chlorine without a Nature 2 cartridge! (and I wonder if the MPS before each use is really necessary if you are maintaining a FC level of 6 ppm! I think not!) My question is why even bother with the Nature 2 cartridge? This is, IMHO, pretty much an admission on the part of Zodiac that the Nature 2 cartridge does NOTHING for the spa except lighten your wallet!

I can't wait until we get some new N2 cartidges for pools with 2006 copyrights to see if they changed the recipes in them! I checked all the ones we had and they had instruction leaflets copyright 2000 and the DuoClear cartridges had instruction leaflets copyright 2003 so they still has the .5 ppm free chlorine recommendations!

[DavidD]

Wonder if someone got to them? probably their legal department....

Dave

[CJDahl]

Any more information regarding Nature2 "2006 recipe"? Based on above seems like a pretty radical departure from chlorine free or low chlorine system.

[waterbear]

Any more information regarding Nature2 "2006 recipe"? Based on above seems like a pretty radical departure from chlorine free or low chlorine system.

I know that in Austrialia they have passed legislation that requires all copper/silver systems (including N2) be used with NORMAL and not reduced chlorine levels in light of recent research on kill times for water borne pathogens. Perhaps Zodiac has finally acknowledged that copper/silver systems don't properly sanitize the water under actual use conditions!