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ztbishop

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About ztbishop

  • Birthday 02/02/1981

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Indiana
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    BEER
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Indiana
  • Interests
    BEER

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  1. Also, I haven't cleaned the venturi in my water softener in about 5 years, if that could have anything to do with the white buildup in the water. :-/
  2. I'm trying to figure out what all this white build-up is (and if I should be concerned with the dark spots in the plumbing). First a little background that may help... I bought a house in 2010 that was vacant for a year (the hot tub was full). I think the model is from around 2001 (Royal Spa Royalty). I replaced the pumps, drained, filled, shocked and used it with scum ring problems until I did a round of purge and a few cups of bleach & drained again - once in 2011 and again in 2015. Ever since I've had no issues with scum rings. -I fill the spa twice a year, through my water softener which when tested shows ZERO hardness. (Could I be running too high a setting on the water softener resulting in salt water?) I could try backing the softener settings down. I drink this same water in my house and don't taste anything...is the white build-up possibly salt? I don't seem to go through a ton of salt per year... -I also ADD calcium to the spa upon fill-up to bring the levels to 150. -I add a crap-ton of dry acid upon fill-up and in order to not have a fluctuating PH, I end up with alkalinity showing 50 in order to keep the PH about 7.8 (or so my little test indicates). If I bring the Alkalinity higher, the PH goes too high. I then use about 1 tab of bromine per week to maintain a level of 5 on the yellow test (out of 10) I only use the spa once every few weeks and shock it about every 3 weeks and clean the filter every 2 months since it tends to stay clean. I sometimes forget to add a tab for a week but after shocking, it doesn't seem to have any issues maintaining a bromine level, so I assume there are no flesh eating bacteria waiting to devour me. I don't use metal or scale protection seeing how I have a lower hardness level...I've not seen any issues inside the tub because of this. So for the MOST part between fillings, I'm mainly just adding a little bromine, occasional shock, and maybe a couple rounds of blue clarifier. I do run an ozonater. The spa manufacturer says this will do most of the sanitizing, tho I don't really trust it THAT far. It does seem like the water gets a 'fizzy' quality when running the main jets. Always been this way within a month of fillup...dunno why. ----Now to my two concerns. Mainly, what the heck is this white stuff in my pictures? Salt? Hardness? Some type of corrosion because I'm unknowingly screwing up the balance? It looks like anywhere with a slow leak has this white stuff that smears like powder if I touch it. It doesn't seem isolated to metal...I seem to see it on plastic too. -I'm on my 3rd laing circulation pump since 2010 as the bearings seem to go bad after a few years and jam the impeller. This happened a month ago and it must have been shut off for a few days, which somehow resulted in the filter stained DARK. I tried soaking it in bleach but it stayed dark. The spa itself stayed clean so I tossed the filter. Now the main pump (8 years old) seized so I've got a new one on the way...I'm thinking the seal had a slow leak, which you can see also has a ton of this white stuff on the corroded shaft. At that point I started becoming more concerned about what this white build-up is. -And my second concern is the "spots" inside the plumbing (last 2 pics). Those have always been there so I'd assume after 8 years if they were going to kill me they would have by now....I don't "THINK" they've gotten worse, but I suppose it is possible since I haven't used it this winter (just maintained it and kept it running). Is it possible that after purging and running a few cups of bleach for a day it killed whatever that is / was? Is it somewhat normal for an old spa? I'm assuming there is now way of getting it out aside from re-plumbing (this old spa woldn't be worth it, tho I just bought all new pumps and ozonater). I'm going to do another round of purge, tho I hate that stuff because it foams over the side and I have to do a 2nd drain & fill to get rid of it all (unless I'm just overly paranoid). Thank you for any advice.
  3. So I have managed to keep crystal clear water by following the 3 step bromine program on this site. I re-use the same trunks each time, MPS shock once a week (bleach once in a while) and literally NEVER have scum / foam anymore...until I began letting others use the tub. Especially girls...the water instantly foams up with what I'm assuming is chunks of make-up. I thought that shocking or (oxidizing) would get rid of this stuff. However, after letting just one person use the spa, i've spent the last week doing 3 shocks (leaving the cover off), and every morning, the water surface is entirely coated with a thick slimey oily coating. I finally used the blue (clarifier) and withing seconds, a thick brown coat of dirt floated to the top and stuck to the surface lines. Changed the filter the next day and it seems to be better now...not perfect tho. I can only assume they were covered in make-up and spray on tan...they're clean people...just not sure what the heck they had on them. When you experience something this bad, do you just drain and re-fill? I was really worried I had biofilms, but that just doesn't sound practical, seeing how it started the day after I began letting others use it. I've tried asking friends to shower, or rince their suits...but they tell me I'm OCD. I think I'm going to just go back to making it my PRIVATE tub. </end rant> Oh yeah...I guess my question was: would shocking not eventually get rid of this stuff without the use of clarifiers? It obviously didn't seem to be getting rid of watever comtaminants I had...I was scooping it out and wiping it off the surface each morning.
  4. Interesting thread. I have always had a white powdery residue build up all over the top of the tub and in the cover. All I knew is that the water vapors were leaving "something" ...I just wipe it off from time to time. Good to know it's probably salt. I use Bromine, and fill from a water softener. I'd guess the water softener is leaving all that salt in my water. This might explain why I've never had dry, itchy skin (it's terrible when I use other people's spas). Should I be concerned about the salt eating away at the pumps or anything? I could maybe take the water somewhere to be tested.
  5. Just wanted to update here... THANK YOU so much for the info. I have virtually illiminated all un-needed chemicals. I'm keeping the bromine ~4ppm, and the occasional shock (I now know to leave the cover open afterward). I've also found that swapping the filter every couple weeks stops my white foaming issues. When leaving the T.A. about 50-60, this allows my PH to remain 7.8 No more listening to the pool store telling me to keep the TA at 100! Rather than adding PH up / down every few days, it now requires a tablespoon maybe once a MONTH! I've also been able to stop adding the blue clarifier, the enzyme scum clarifiers, stain & scale, metal protector, and the floating scum collectors (they just deteriorated anyway). And aside of all the money I'm saving, the water stays MUCH CLEANER, and I have not had a scum ring ever since. I used to have one every few days when i took the pool store's advice. Once again, THANK YOU! Now, just to clear up a few last things... I've been topping off with soft water. It doesn't seem to be causing any issues that I can see. However I'd forgotten your advice above to raise CH to >100 (it's probably around 60). I've heard low CH like mine can cause damage to the shell/plumming/etc because it wants to draw minerals. I've noticed a faded scratchy look above parts of the waterline, but I think this is from the previous owners. So I will raise CH to ~130 like you mention above, which leaves me with a question: --Once I raise the CH, should I begin using stain and scale protection again? My only other question: --Is annual filter replacement the general rule? I've swapped 2 filters since I started a year ago, but they have wide gaps in certain areas, just a bit worn looking, but clean. Doesn't surprise me after the chemical warfare I put them through in the beginning (and dishwasher cycles, no heat dry)
  6. Thanks Waterbear! I did add sodium bromide when I filled the tub. Your post sheds a lot of light on the contrasting info I was told at the pool store. They were way off on how the chemicals react. One last question. When I get 4-5 people and turn on the turbo jets, I lose a lot of water over the sides...I've probably added 100 gallons back into the spa in the last month. Would it be a good idea to add a little sodium bromide? From what I'm gathering from your post, that wouldn't be necessary because the bromine tablets slowly replenish that chemical? Thanks again.
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