Patent ID: 7452456

Claim:
A recreational spa, comprising: a recreational spa water reservoir for receiving a halide salt dissolved in water; a recirculating system for removing the water from and returning the water to the spa water reservoir, the recirculating system comprising a passageway; a power unit; a housing comprising inlet and outlet openings operatively associated with the passageway for permitting the passage of water containing the bromide salt into the housing and water containing free bromine and sanitizing metal ions out of the housing, respectively; and first and second electrodes electrically connected to the power unit and respectively having first and second contact regions in the housing for contacting water passing through the housing, the first contact region comprising a substrate selected from graphite and carbon, the substrate doped with a metal selected from copper, silver, and zinc, the first electrode being operable as an anode for converting the bromide salt to the free bromine and oxidizing the metal to the sanitizing metal ions.