Ahhsomeguy

Hi Kram2912: This is good advice from the previous gentleman. Personally, I think all test strips tend to give you questionable results. I strongly recommend drop, DPD or titration test kits over test strips.

Did anyone add non-chlorine liquid bleach to the tub? That's an awfully lot of foam. Have you used anything like a Natural Chemistry Spa Purge plumbing cleaner? Did your dealer add anything at the time of delivery? I recommend that you take inventory of all your chemicals and tell this forum what you have and when and how much of what you are adding. I would also strongly recommend doing an Ahh-Some Plumbing purge as well. We have a large stocking dealer in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Island. Look them up on the Internet. Ask to speak with the owner Bob Brady. He is a great spa and chemical adviser and will assist you. Even if you don't purchase anything from him he is the type of gentleman who will go out of his way to help you. Ok to tell him Jerry from Unique Solutions told you to call him. Please keep the forum posted. Good luck Sir.

Kchottub: Free Chlorine levels, or (FAC), ideally should me maintained on an ongoing basis. Of course this level will diminish periodically and increase as you add more chlorine. Free available chlorine is standing ready to oxidize or kill pathogens introduced into the hot tub water from numerous sources. It will rise and fall much of the time. The main thing to remember is to never let it get to zero or you will lose the protection free available chlorine affords the hot tub users.

To Newtubuser413: The reason we like to have the filters placed INSIDE the hot tub proper while purging is to aid in the removal of gunk that may be lodged deep within the pleats. Filters can harbor bio-contaminants as well. Note: we do NOT recommend that you leave Hot Spring Ceramic filters in the tub while purging or any type of "throw away" disposable paper type filter cartridges. Please let us know if the problem you are encountering is better after the next cleaning. Thank You.

Hello RDspaguy: This is very typical. We have seen so much worse than this. You are correct, you MUST remove the filter(s) while purging or two things happen. The water flow is greatly diminished and the purge is compromised and second, the filter(s) do their job and clog up quickly if the bio-fouling is present. People have to read the instructions. They usually use too much gel to do the job as well. The good news RD is that hot tub owners are beginning to listen. Manufacturers and dealers are beginning to mention biofilm more often and are not as afraid that doing so will decrease hot tub sales. Actually the opposite is true. When consumers are educated about the benefits of periodic purging and draining hot tub water they find that the water clarity and maintenance issues are better and much easier.

Hi Kchottub: I realize that you have purged the tub twice already. Question: Have you removed the filter(s) when purging? I assume you have been following the instructions and NOT overdosing the Ahh-Some gel. More will not work better or faster. The gunk you mention can be just about anything that has been introduced into the tub. However, to me, it does sound like you need to do another purge. If the gunk is from a biofilm formation, which it may or may not be, there are cases where the slime layers peel off from the colonization similar to an onion peel, layer by layer. I recommend letting the tub sit with the Ahh-Some in it overnight the day of the next purge. You MUST not allow the pump(s) to operate while the tub is in this soaking mode. We do NOT want any of the sticky gooey gunk to adhere to the shell. So, purge again and WIPE the released gunk off before it dries. We recommend using an old wet towel to do this. Many hot tub owners fill the tub almost to the top so the gunk will flow over the ledge and down to the ground. This works great when the tub is outside and you can simply use a garden hose to spray the overflowed gunk away from the area. After letting it soak overnight, in the morning run the jets again for 5-10 minutes and drain, ,rinse and wipe the shell clean. Refill, balance water and raise the free chlorine level, if using chlorine, to about 5 ppm for a day or so. I really feel that you need to do this. Your description of your situation is very familiar to me. Please keep the forum updated as to whether or not this has helped. Frustrating I know. Remember this, you will get through this and you will finally begin to enjoy the hot tub.

Hello John999: Great to hear that the flushed seemed to provide the remedy. What was the name of the product that Hot Spring supplied you with for the flush if you don't mind my asking?

Hello Epic Cajun: We need to be certain as to exactly what you are describing. Foam is drastically different from bubbles and mean different things. Here are possibilities. Yes, you may have had remnants of the bio-purge break loose from the bio colony as some of the gunk was somewhat loosened during the purge but not totally eliminated. Any residual Ahh-Some in the plumbing would be so small an amount that it would not be a contributing factor. Water pressure may have pushed this out into the tub and it can cause foam. If the bubbles have a brownish/gold hue on their perimeter this is probably bio contaminants. Bear in mind that there are many hot tubs that are grossly contaminated and have been building up the film for many years. One purge may just not do the job. Did you do additional purges? You should consider this. You also mention lots of air bubbles when you turn on the jets. Sometimes, water is over saturated with oxygen and nitrogen. if the air is being injected into the water in a very turbulent way, this will create very small bubbles. If this seems to be happening I would check the jet air injector to make sure it is not partially clogged. Also, smaller bubbles take longer to clear and out gas versus larger bubbles that rise and out gas more quickly. Ideally, you purge again just to be certain that the majority of the plumbing gunk has been eliminated. What you see from the purge may tell you what the problem may be.

Hello DayDay1: The purges you performed on your hot tub will now start paying you dividends. The people that make postings on this forum are a godsend to new hot tub and pool owners. You did the right thing by listening to their advice. Hope you and your family enjoy many happy times soaking in your well maintained hot tub.

Hi Aero: I am responding to concerns regarding successive purges and what this may do to components within the plumbing system and jets. I would like to say upfront that I have never met Mr. Leno, the gentleman associated with a blog delineating his results from using our product, Ahh-Some, and numerous other cleaners to gauge their effectiveness in eliminating bio-fouling in "closed loop" plumbing networks. Nor have I instructed him or paid him to perform his testing on his own personal hot tub. Just wanted to make sure that the readers in this forum understand that these are Mr. Leno's views and test results. I would like to thank Mr. Leno for taking it upon himself to spend the time, money and effort needed to perform all these comparison tests over the years. I believe that the forum community has benefitted greatly from his writings. Unique Solutions, as the manufacturer, is not allowed to toot it's own horn in this forum or any other unbiased forum, and this is a very good rule. This forum's purpose is to give the pool, hot tub, swim spa and whirlpool bath owners invaluable information so they can maintain a healthy and happy soaking environment. I want to make it perfectly clear that we have never once encountered any user of our products that have experienced any damage to fittings, o'rings, gaskets, sealers, shells, covers or other components associated with their recreational water vessel. Ahh-Some products have a pH of 8.2-9.0. This is basic and not acidic. When you consider that these vessels use all the caustic and acidic chemicals that are recommended for proper maintenance and see that they, in itself, cause little or no breaches or failures, it is no wonder that our product, and I believe our competitor's plumbing cleaners, are generally much easier on the components built into the units. We have had jetted tubs with 60 plus consecutive purges with zero component failure. So, a typical hot tub with 2 or 3 purges a year is not going to affect any parts or components. Mr.Leno, I appreciate what you have done for the hot tub community and I am sure that the people you have helped appreciate your time and dedication. Because of your testing and writings, you have assisted a great number of people in helping them to maintain a healthy hot tub with the finest and best water ever. One thing I know for sure. The hot tub in Mr. Leno's yard is one of the healthiest and cleanest hot tubs known to mankind.

Here is what we recommend to do after completing a plumbing colonoscopy or purge process. Be sure to wipe off any sticky clinging gooey gunk that has come out during the purge. Wipe this as you see it. Do NOT let this stuff dry on the shell or acrylic. Biofilm is primarily a polysaccharide, which is comprised of sugar molecules. So, sticky sticky sticky. A wet towel does a great job. After draining as much water as you can, just wipe the entire inside shell clean. Refill! One note here. When refilling be sure to add water into the filter well (where the filter(s) is (are) located to be sure that upon startup, the pump primes quickly and leaves no chance for a heater "dry fire" event. Adjust chemicals to balance the water. No need to refill, run the jets for a few minutes and drain again unless you feel that there was so much gunk released that this would be the best course of action. For the next day or so you should and may see floaters that drained back into the piping while draining the initial purge water. No big deal. Just wipe them as they accumulate around the waterline. Any hard to remove stickies can easily be cleaned off by using a small amount of the Ahh-Some Gel, 1/2 teaspoon added to 32 ounces of water in a trigger spray bottle, let it dissolve, and spray on the ares of concern. Works quite well. Hope this helps everyone.

Watkins, the Hot Spring manufacturer, is very much aware of the Ahh-Some product(s). Customer Service personnel at Watkins have been recommending Ahh-Some for many years when their customers experience " out of the ordinary sanitizer decay" conditions. Watkins is one of the top manufacturers in the industry. Our dealing with them over the years has shown us that they really do care about their customers and dealers alike. On a scale of 1-10, they are a 10. I strongly recommend that you purge your tub ASAP. This is not a "Watkins Only" situation. Higher than normal sanitizer decay rate is telling you something. Reduce or eliminate the bio-fouling contaminants colonizing in your plumbing and jets. Purge baby Purge. To ALL hot tub owners. If you want the healthiest, clearest and easiest to maintain hot tub water, you MUST periodically apply an effective plumbing and jet cleaner. Just dumping the water and refilling will not do it folks. Doing that is like just rinsing off your dinner dishes and putting them back in the cupboard without physically washing them or using a dishwasher with a detergent. We don't care what brand product you use. They all do something better than doing nothing at all.

Hi Aero: I would like to address your concerns regarding the possibility of plumbing purges affecting hot tub components such as rubber, plastic and metal fittings and o'rings. Now in our 25th. year in business I want to assure you and others who may be reading this post that our plumbing and jet cleaner does not affect, degrade or ruin any surface it comes in contact with. I have very little information on other brands but I would maintain that they are not damaging any parts as well. We are all in the business of helping hot Tub owners. We have successfully eliminated barrels and barrels and umpteen more barrels of bio-contaminants from hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of hot tubs and jetted baths without one incident taking place of any degradation or destruction of any infrastructure components. We've heard it all before. When some people purge their hot tubs they think that the product itself adds the gunk, slime and discoloration that they see within minutes. They think we do this for effect. There are non believers for sure. What we try to do is provide the single best product that will perform a plumbing colonoscopy in an easy to use formulation and one that does the job quickly and effectively. Even today there are many dealers who haven't a clue about biofilms in their vessels. Sad but true. So, we fully understand the reluctance of some hot tub owners to acknowledge that biofilms can and do exist in hot tub plumbing. Bottom line is this. Biofilms grow and colonize in all hot tubs no matter how well you maintain them. Enjoying a healthy soaking environment week after week can be attained if you practice good chemical and maintenance protocols and purge the plumbing and drain the water twice a year directly AFTER the purge process has been completed. Aero, thank you for your post. This forum is a great way to communicate with hot tub owners. We are all here to assist you.

Hi Cassie: Please do NOT double dose the Ahh-Some when purging. Adding more than the required amount does nothing for you except use more product. Also, using de-foamer is really not needed if you add the required amount of gel. We actually want foaming to occur since much of the active ingredient in our gel is part of the foam you see. Foam is your friend during a purge. We strongly recommend that everyone read the complete instructions @ www.Ahhsome.com. Cassie, your hot tub rash (Folliculitis), was probably caused because your water had an opportunistic bacteria called p.aeruginosa. This can be a very common bacteria in hot tubs where biofilms form because these nasties are not oxidized or eliminated by sanitizer when they are hiding and protected within the film. Hopefully, you eliminated the biofilm inside your plumbing with the purges. From now on, purge every 4-6 months and always maintain a residual sanitizer.

What are you using as a sanitizer? I do hope it is Chlorine or Bromine. Sounds like you may be using something else based on your reoccurring flake issues.

You need to do a plumbing and jet purge. That gunk can be easily removed and will,allow you to,enjoy clearer nd healthier water without all the fuss.

You need to purge your plumbing. Look up biofilm in hot tubs. Get to the root of the problem and purge.

Not sure what brand spa flush you have but it is generally the rule to open all air intakes and create as much turbulence as possible.

Good Afternoon: You may have white water mold as well. I am not sure that what you have is definitely biofilm. Regardless of that, the purges you are doing will definitely help to release tube detritus buildup. Be sure to keep a little sanitizer in the tub as you are purging so the bacteria can be killed. It may take a few more purges to complete the colonoscopy of the plumbing and rid the tubing of any bio-contamination. Calling a service company will not benefit you any moe than what you are doing yourself. Short of removing and replacing all the tubing, there is not much more he or she could do. keep up the purging and your tub will raise the white flag. After you get it clean be sure to read about hot tub maintenance protocols that work. You don't need more headaches after going through this. Hopefully, you are using a reliable chlorine or Bromine sanitization method and fully understand the chemical monitoring program. You have the test kit now, learn all the different tests and get comfortable with your maintenance program.

Ahh-some Hot Tub Plumbing & Jet Cleaner is what you need to get. Problem solved.

You need to flush the plumbing. Get a good pipe flush product and use it. Sooner rather than later.

You need to do an effective “purge” of biofilm that is probably present in your plumbing and jets. Google Biofilm in hot tubs. Hot tub rash is caused by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. You need to,purge every 4-6 months. Don’t just drain and refill like many dealers tell you. Do some investigation and you will have a wonderful experience going forward.

Whenever a manufacturer or retailer does not list their contact phone #, you should be suspect. These guys want you to email them.

You have bio-contaminants in your plumbing and jet infrastructure. Just do a high quality “purge” and it should subside.

That problem was for Spas built in late 2014, 2015 and very early in 2016. Please remember, not every manufacturer had the issues.