wookinpanub

Posting 8 month follwup, this will be my last post on this topic as the tub has continued to remain clean and free of white mucous residue by simply ensuring the proper chlorine levels and PH balances only (nothing more complicated).

Posting 4 month followup. With just ensuring proper chlorine levels and PH balance the filters have remained free from any white mucous residue.

2 Month Update: I did not purchase anything, or try anything additional to my above post from April 1 (outside of use chlorine vs bromine) - see specifics below summarized below. I was simply very diligent in regards to maintaining proper chlorine and PH levels with my Taylor 3 way test kit. Tub usage remained the same. End result is the filters have continued to remain clean and free from any white mucous residue. So the early results are encouraging, however I am intending to see and repost in the 4-6 month timeframe which will be an accurate long term test. I was a bit intimidated by the additional equipment materials that were being recommended, and that I might need to get a degree in chemistry to sanitize and balance my hot tub 🙃 I am certainly interested in things that require minimal inputs and low maintenance in general, and hopefully the below approach is just that and works well going forward. Ongoing maintenance Every 3-4 days Test levels [Optional] Add PH adjustment (for me, that is PH Up I find) as needed [Optional] Add chlorine shock as needed Once a week Add Aqua Clarity Every ~2 weeks Rinse and replace hot tub filters Add additional chlorine tablets to the floating dispenser (set at the lowest dispersal setting, which for my hot tub maintains the chlorine levels in the proper range)

@waterbearSorry for the delay, I was completing the sanitization and had ordered different products / test kits. I don't have all the information you're looking for, but here's what I have: My setup D1 Diplomat Spa: 330 gallons (fresh water, not salt) My water supply is rain harvested and stored in concrete cisterns (rural not city) Taylor 3 Way test kit (PH and Chlorine) Sanitization process 3 days over chlorination Aaahsome spa purge (3 runs: 30 min, 10 min, 10 min) Drain / Spray down / Vacuum out the lines / Wipe down Initialization : Day 1 Refill with fresh water (no additions) Testing PH: >8.2 (max my test kit shows) Chlorine: 0 Additions Add SpaGuard (Oxidizer Enhanced Shock) per instructions Add AquaClarity per instructions Testing PH: >8.2 Chlorine: >5 (max my test kit shows) Adjusting PH to proper levels Add Leisure Time (Spa Down) NOTE: Single cycle recommendation is 1 tsp for my tub. Ultimately required 5 tsp to reduce to acceptable range levels Testing PH: 7.5 Chlorine: >5 Day 2 Testing PH: 7.5 Chlorine: 5 (slight drop with no remediations) Day 3 Testing PH: 7.5 Chlorine: 1 (drop with no remediations) Addition Clorox XtraBlu Granules: 1 - 1.5 tsp Testing PH: 7.5 Chlorine: 5 Day 4 Testing PH: 7.5 Chlorine: 3 NOTE: Previously I never adjusted the PH, I assumed being rain water it would be around 7 vs >8.2, so that was good to discover as I believe that decreases the effectiveness of the chlorine in general. Any thoughts on the above, and if I need to put in less 'shock' initially next time. I'm assuming target levels of Chlorine to be between 2-4ppm in maintenance mode.

My hot tub is fresh water, not salt water. The Controlomatic products appear to require a saltwater tub to be able to generate the chlorine from what I'm reading. I do like the idea of an automatic system that will measure the chlorine levels and add them as necessary, do you know of any for a fresh water spa? What's an example of a 'reliable' test kit if strips are not? To the bleach questions above for the initial purge sanitization How much bleach per 100 gallons? How frequently to add more bleach during the purge period given it will off gas / be consumed to some degree? How many days? Why don't you like Bromine instead of Chlorine? Thanks

Thanks for the reply. I too was surprised to have such a quick recolonization of white mold in such a short period of time. Thinking / researching further, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the below plan to 1) Initially purge / sanitize 2) Ongoing maintenance. The below assumes a swap to Bromine vs Chlorine as 1) It appears more forgiving in regards to sanitization at various PH levels / temps and does not need to be added as frequently for effectiveness (which aligns with my frequent traveling) 2) I'm more concerned about the lower maintenance / performance over the higher cost 3) With a 'softer' smell it will be easier to tolerate the higher levels needed with the hot tub in an enclosed space. To that end: Initial Purge / Sanitization Super chlorinate with bleach (filters floating in the tub) How much bleach per 100 gallons? How frequently to add more bleach during the purge period given it will off gas / be consumed to some degree? How many days? Follow with the Ahh-Some Hot Tub/Jetted Bath Plumbing & Jet Cleaner treatment as described above (filters floating in the tub) Fully drain the tub, and completely wipe down Refill tub with fresh water Add a Bromine Booster to get initial Bromine levels needed Add Aqua Clarity Add a bromine floating dispenser with 1" tablets Periodically test until desired bromine levels reached (tub ready for use) Ongoing maintenance Weekly Add Aqua Clarity Add a Bromine shock (to reinvigorate the Bromine) Test levels Every 1-2 weeks (as needed) Add additional bromine tablets to the floating dispenser What should I do / add if leaving for 2+ weeks in the future?

Thanks for the quick reply, to your questions: How much and what type of chlorine did you use? Currently Clorox Pool and Spa chlorinating tablets, approximately 1/4 tablet per week, but this is because of the chlorine shortage and difficulty getting my normal Clorox XtraBlue Chlorinating granules, about 1/2 capful per week. How long were you away? 2.5 weeks Was the tub covered? Yes, it's inside a room in the house and also covered At what level do you keep the free chlorine? I normally keep the chlorine levels just below the level where it is irritating to the nose / skin (not scientific I know), but I am pretty diligent about it. And again it is rarely used and normally just by me 2 times a week on average. Did you dump the water after the purge? Yes, wiped down the sides and refilled with fresh water and Aqua Clarity added.

@Ahhsomeguy Update on the below, issue appears to still be remaining. Steps followed / scenario: In mid January I followed the instructions in regards to usage of Ahh-Some Hot Tub/Jetted Bath Plumbing & Jet Cleaner for the initial sanitization. As per our phone call, there was still foaming after 4-5 cycles of running the jets / wiping down / etc From that point forward I added chlorine, as well as the Aqua Clarity. This maintained a good cleanliness on the tubs and filters for slightly over a month, up until about 3 weeks ago. Prior to leaving I added chlorine, the Aqua Clarity, and ensure the circulation pump was running and the daily maintenance cycle was set. No one was using the tub while I was gone Upon return the white mold was back (see pictures) and in heavy quantity on the filter for the jets (which run twice a day in maintenance mode) and starting on the circ pump filter. I'm the only person that uses the hot tub, and maybe 2 times a week, so I'm at a bit of a loss Any recommendations on what to try now at this point? Should I do multiple days of over chlorinating *after* doing the Ahh-some Cleaner cycling? Should I keep performing that Jet Cleaner cycling until there is no foaming this time?

Saturday Night Live, Eddie Murphy singing as Buckwheat

Thanks for the detailed recommendations and description of steps. I've ordered both the Purge and the Clarity, hopefully this will resolve the issue and get the tub back to spec again. Appreciate the help!

I looked that brand name up, it appears there are a number of options and types (gel, liquid, etc). Can you help me narrow it down with a specific name? And I have been using chlorine, but potentially not as diligently as I should have. I'll keep an eye on that as well.

I've seen this referred to as white mold, but not sure that's it? It is almost like a gelatenous material that starts to spread over the outside of the filter element - primarily on the jets filter (not as much water flow on a regular basis) while I've not found any on the circulation filter. Things I've done / tried Bleaching my filters after washing them Replacing the ozonator (was broken for some period of time I believe) For 5 straight days I overloaded it with chlorine to the point I had to wear a filter mask and goggles to even be in the room. All filters were floating in the tub for that period Since that time, I still see that white material just barely starting on the filters again. At this point I don't know what else to try, as I've even heard that draining the tub doesn't help as whatever it is may go 'dormant' and just come back? Spa is a Dimension One Diplomat, 2014. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!!

Thanks very much for the inputs everyone. The true evaluation of energy efficiency is almost impossible and that's frustrating. For example looking at the Dupree Bay they use a foam fill on the tub and indicate its a R63 insulating value. Being familiar with the ccSPF 2.0 insulation they are referring to, and that it's roughly R5.7 to R6 per inch that would mean 10-11 inches of that foam - and I can't see how that is physically possible. And if those insulation numbers can't be relied on, then the estimated electrical usage of ~$10 / month has even less credibility in my eyes. And they all use numbers like this, so I truly have no idea how to evaluate their efficiencies. If others have ideas please let me know. Thanks

Hello all, I'm getting into the market for a new hot tub and have been reading across a number of sites to determine the manufacturers I wanted to narrow down to. I'd like to get others thoughts on the direction I'm heading. My considerations: Energy Efficiency: This will be in a Net-Zero, Passive type house. I need to kep a close eye on energy consumption. Reliability / Ease of Maintenance: The house will be located in a very remote location in Colorado (2 hours west of Colorado Springs), not easy to get a repair man to. For 2-3 ppl: My wife and I have no children, and don't anticipate entertaining often Well insulated: House will be at 9k elevation, but will be located inside a Solarium room (triple pane windows / R60 ceiling) Based on recommended manufacturers I've read about consistently, these are the models I have currently on my list: D1 (Dupree Bay and Triad) Hot Springs (Jetsetter) Jacuzzi (J-315) Sundance (Dover and Capri) Caldera (Kauai) Arctic Spas (Arctic Fox) My questions: In the absence of a consistent testing standard and from what I've read, the relative efficiency / cost to operate will be relatively close for all of these? Within these models, can I assume the same in regards to reliability / maintenance for the most part? My wife and I love captains chairs / loungers, oriented in the same direction being a plus. The only two I've found like this are the Dupree Bay and the Hibiscus (Artestion Spas) - any others I have missed? I know the importance of the wet test, not quite there yet Thanks in advance for the help!