Ahhsomeguy

I realize what you are saying and totally agree except for it’s return to our market. Too bad, this was an amazing product.

Waterbear: Lithium Hypochlorite was one of the very best sanitizers I ever used. It is no longer available to my knowledge. Your posts keep mentioning it and I would be interested in getting some. Do you know a source?

Consists of sodium metasillicate, Na2Sio3.

Think AquaFinesse.

I would do what RDspaguy says. You have biofilms. Purge the tub plumbing with an effective cleaner. Your issue is so easy to eliminate.

Hi SusanJ: What you are describing is very typical. Biofilms in hot tub plumbing and jets are part of a “slime layer” that is colonizing inside the plumbing, jets or even on the spa shell. Generally, it is yellow/brownish in color and is definitely sticky like peanut butter. After a purge you may notice additional specks that break away after refilling and using the hot tub. If you have a decent sanitizer present there is nothing to be alarmed with. Biofilms that break apart from the colonies and enter your water surface are called planktonic. Chlorine or Bromine will oxidize and kill the bacteria in the film. No worries on your part. Just wipe any residual stickies for a day or so after a good purge. Your filter area will collect the majority of the gunk because of the constant suction from the pump(s).

Hi Vegas: I am the manufacturer of Ahh-Some. Your picture clearly shows additional biofilms that have migrated out of the plumbing and is adhering to your shell. Sometimes, after a single purge, biofilms get loosened and begin to break away from the sticky gooey matrix holding the colony together. What you have are “late leavers”. Nothing to worry about. I recommend that if you have additional Ahh-Some gel available that you purge again. You can use half the amount of gel that you used for the initial,purge. Place filters inside the hot tub while the purge is taking place. Additionally, I recommend that you turn the pump on and off a few times so that the initial start of water flow can also help eliminate some gunk. This really helps. So, one more purge and you should be fine.

Hello Sruthmcclure: Wow, you have a few issues that I would like to weigh in on in an effort to assist. Let’s go over a few of your responses. Well water is not a real negative for hot tubs in many cases. Many times, city water can also have characteristics that may need attention to get the water in balance. You need to TEST the water for calcium. Too much calcium can cause cloudy water and also cause pH and Total Alkalinity to be in a state of flux. I like to see calcium levels around 150-200 parts per million in hot tubs but some manufacturers recommend lower levels. Waterbear is the water guru on this forum who can give you what he feels would be best for your hot tub. Too low a level is as bad as too high a level. I only mention the calcium component because you are saying that you have hard water. Chlorine and/or Bromine are the two most often used sanitizers for recreational water. They both work well when your water is in sync with acceptable levels of what is considered good water balance. Because you are not able to hold sanitizer levels in your hot tub can be attributed to a host of causes. The first and best option is for you to perform a plumbing purge using an effective product for the purpose. You claim to have removed biofilms previously. However, you may have removed only some of them. Biofilms are intelligent colonies comprising a multitude of microorganisms that include bacteria, fungi and other protists. You need to possibly perform 2 or 3 good purges in sequence to get them. Once you do, you should notice that the sanitizer levels are not constantly under assault providing that the pH, Total Alkalinity and CYA, if using chlorine, levels are in range. You do not need Cyanuric Acid in a bromine tub. if using chlorine, cyanuric acid levels should be between 30-50 ppm. Again, Waterbear can chime in here if he feels a different ppm is required in your case. Too little cyanuric acid allows the chlorine to dissipate more readily under adverse conditions, namely sunlight which you say you never expose your tub to since it is always covered and only used at night. Too high a cyanuric acid level means that you need to use and have a higher chlorine residual for it to be effective as a sanitizer. All this information on cyanuric acid and sanitizers is available on this forum. So, sorry about the long post but in a nutshell here is what I recommend. PURGE again effectively. Balance water to parameters explained in this forum. TEST your water with a reliable (non test strip) kit. Testing is very important for you to take control of that tub water. Clean your filter(s) periodically. Run the system every single day for a minimum amount of time to effectively filter your water. When you finish a soak with your hubby you may want to add a small dose of chlorine to maintain at required levels. I recommend yiu test priormto soaking as well to make sure you have protection. Maintaining a hot tub is easy when you set up a program that is based on good water maintenance principles. Get into a routine that works and stay with it. Best of luck to you Ruth.

Giving more thought to your situation Here is what I would do. Whitewater mold is a fungus and needs a sanitizer to eliminate it. So, you have to super-chlorinate your tub for a few days and keep the water circulating. We need the chlorine to do it’s job on the mold. Since you are away for a few weeks at a time the best way to make sure your tub always has a sanitizer is to add a drop-in chlorine generator. There are a few very good brands on the market. One brand you may investigate is Controlomatic.com. The Aqua Clarity used weekly will help maintain cleaner piping and surfaces by keeping stickies from colonizing in your hot tub. Less stickies allows you to use slightly less sanitizer as there are less organics for the sanitizer to react on. There is no cyanuric acid in a salt water system. You should try to maintain a cyanuric acid level of 30-40 ppm as well. Get rid of the mold by shocking. Maintain weekly with the Aqua Clarity. If you are leaving for 2-3 weeks I ask that you add double the Aqua Clarity prior to leaving, keep the pH around 7.4 or so. Check your water for chlorine using a reliable test kit and not test strips. Be sure the chlorine generator is working and cover the hot tub. When you return the water should still be in good condition and ready for you to soak in. I am a chlorine fan and not so much bromine.

White mold is usually the result of insufficient sanitizer levels. It seems like your levels were depleted while you were away. It also sounds like you’re keeping the chlorine levels at low levels since the tub is inside your home and you are wanting to mitigate the chlorine aroma. Hot tub water requires that a sanitizer be used to maintain a level whereby organic wastes are oxidized and that a residual level is sustained at adequate levels. You will need to use an effective shock treatment to get the chlorine level much higher for a few days. I use common chlorine bleach in my in-ground stand-alone hot tub to super chlorinate. Sodium hypochlorite does a great job and adds no cyanuric acid. All recreational water needs a minimum um of sanitizer at all times and extra amounts when bather loads are heavier. Remove your filter(s), hose them off and super chlorinate.

Hello again: The questions I have are these. How much and what type of chlorine did you use prior to your leaving the tub unattended? How long were you away? Was the hot tub covered while you were gone? Typically, at what level do you keep the free chlorine residual at? Did you dump the water after you performed the plumbing purge? Thank you Wookinpanub.

I am not a huge fan of bromine and can share very little information regarding these posts. I can wholly recommend that “rocket04” perform a plumbing purge. He seems to be experiencing a rapid depletion of sanitizer and an effective plumbing purge will definitely help him.

Hello BoSox9: What you should do is purge the plumbing and jets with a reliable and effective product. The spa manufacturer you mention is very aware that this procedure should be performed on brand new delivered hot tubs to get rid of any colonization of bacteria, mold or other organic particulates that may be contributing to the brown slimy sticky stuff and the mold odor you seem to be experiencing. People can’t imagine that a brand new hot tub can have contaminated plumbing from the manufacturing process and storage prior to delivery at their residence. Study up on biofilm in hot tubs. Based on what you are describing, this is yiur problem. However, a good purge and it is gone. For now, but it will return no matter how well you maintain your hot tub water. Yiu need to perform this purge process every 6 months or so for best overall water maintenance and water health. Yes, you do need to dump the water after purging.

Hello All: Ahh-Some will not create any water coloring. I have heard of that chemical product but know nothing about it.

Both individuals with the same issue say they have drained their tubs to change the water but are not mentioning as to whether or not they have employed an effective plumbing purge product. Draining the water is absolutely recommended periodically but the one thing you should do just prior to draining is putting in a plumbing and jet cleaner to clean the insides of the plumbing infrastructure. I tend to share Waterbears hunch that it may be a calcium issue. It is very unlikely that you have a calcium stearate issue. Most manufacturers purchase their tubing from a very large and popular manufacturer. If there was another calcium stearate issue this forum would be lighting up with lots of affected tubs. Be sure that you are both using chlorine or bromine in the correct ongoing dosages.

Kiwi_outdoors1: We have been testing the Aqua Clarity weekly maintenance to see if the warmer condition holds fairly steady over periods of non use. Here is a video where this hot tub went 3 weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU6RKjXhtVs

Yes, I have seen that. The song he sings is by Johnny Lee, Looking for Love. Happy Holidays to you and family. Now, get that hot tub ready to begin a new water maintenance regimen.

Please contact us if you need additional help. Our contact information is on the product(s). You’ll love how the Aqua Clarity will keep your water looking great. You will still need to use some chlorine. Read all the info and instructions. We are always here to assist. PS: You must be a Johnny Lee fan as well with a handle like wookinpanub.

Hi Wookinpanub: You should use the 2 ounce gel. Use 1 Level Teaspoon of the Blue Gel for each 100 gallons of water capacity to your existing water. Remove headrests and pillows if equipped, remove the filter(s), hose them off, place inside the hot tub itself. Add the gel, turn on jets, watch the foam and gunk develop, run 20 minutes. Shut pup off. Wipe the released gunk with a wet towel before it dries and sticks to the shell. Run the pump another 10 minutes. If you get lots more gunk, wipe it away again with that wet towel, add one more level teaspoon of gel. Run for additional 5 minutes. Drain, wipe, rinse shell so nothing is sticking, hose off filter(s) and let drip dry. Fill the tub, balance water using a reliable test kit. Always maintain adequate sanitizer, in your case Chlorine, and test 3-4 time a week. Whitewater mold can be a real challenge to totally eliminate. What I would do since you have now just purged the plumbing is to get the free available chlorine level up to 10-15 ppm for a few days to make sure any residual mold has been attenuated. If you are the type of person who is busy and want a great backup quarterback just in case you let your guard down on maintenance issues you may want to speak with a Hot Tub Serum dealer or look into our new maintenance product called Aqua Clarity. These products are constantly sweeping the plumbing for bio-gunk so it doesn’t build up in your plumbing. They perform many more functions as well but yiu can read up on these in your spare time. Right now yiu need to purge that hot tub. You want to use Ahh-Some Hot Tub/Jetted Bath Plumbing & Jet Cleaner. The 2 ounce container has 12 level teaspoons in it which is more than enough for the purge you will need to perform.

Are you indicating that an additional purge was just performed in addition to the first one? You don’t need to purge monthly. That would be a waste of resources and your time. We want you inside the hot tub enjoying what it can do for you and not slaving on maintenance. Typically, hot tubs 350-500 gallons should be purged every 6 months. hot tubs that are in the 200-300 gallon range should be purged every 4-5 months. Everything is predicated on the number of users, frequency of visits, water temperature, sanitization levels and acceptable water balance. Your first indicator to get you thinking about a purge are two fold. Foaming and sanitizer decay rates. There are other obvious tell tale signs such as water clarity, smell and feel. We refer to a successful purge as a plumbing colonoscopy. You need to do this or you will not enjoy the maintenance aspects. You will and can also get sick. So, use your noggin and purge periodically. The benefits are huge and you’ll save on sanitizer as well.

Based on what you are saying regarding the rapid “decay rate” of sanitizer, I do think that an additional purge will be in your best interest. When you ask, it that all, it is very important that your fresh water fill is balanced and set up to accommodate the appropriate sanitizer you plan on using. Yes, a submersible pump is handy to achieve a more rapid water drain after the purge. If you spray the shell as it drains you will also be rewarded with not having the released bio-gunk stick to the shell.

The purge image looks good. Quite a bit of build-up was released. You need to purge again. To prevent experiencing a lengthy wipe down and clean up remember to wipe the sticky gooey stuff as it begins to accumulate on the shell at the waterline. A wet towel works great. Some people fill the tub almost to the brim and purge. Much of the foam and released Biofilms simply run over the ledge and down the side of the tub to the deck or ground. Use a garden hose to spray the shell and your wiping duties will be greatly reduced. Here is a YouTube video with my Son Jim purging his own hot tub.

When you did do the purge before the water change did you remove the filter(s) from the filter well and compartment? You mention that the purge released lot’s of gunk. Was this a brand new tub 9 months ago. Was this tub purged for the very first time? If so, you may still have colonization of Biofilms in the plumbing. I would consider another purge to make sure the plumbing has been scrubbed. There are hot tubs that may need 2 or even 3 successive purges.

Hopefully, you have purged the plumbing lines and jets with an effective product. The problem is filter or contamination related. Many hot tub owners see drastic jet improvement after a cleaning is performed.

We are speaking with many hot tub dealers who are purging at the time of first set-up at the consumer’s home. Many other dealers perform a purge at their shop just prior to the delivery to make sure that the new owner will start their water maintenance on a positive note without having to call them back with floaters and discoloration issues. There are still and always will be Dealers that say “there’s no such thing as biofilm in new spas”. No wonder that some hot tub owners get frustrated about maintaining their water so it is always clear, we’ll sanitized and refreshing.