Cloudy Water - Only When The Jets Are On. What Gives?

[erickingston]

So the water in my tub looks perfectly fine, until I turn my jets on. The cloudy appearence looks like it's just a lot of air getting trapped/mixed in with the water (not the typical cloudy appearence you'd get from dirt, debris, algae, etc.). I recently added some algaecide, anti-foam, ph-down, and chlorinating granules. My fiance had jumped in with a head full of conditioner (don't ask why), and of course the water turned milky and foamy. That's when I began adding those chemicals.

This is my first post here.... be nice!

Eric Kingston

Also, here's my setup. I just added the fence about a week ago!

[dave nh]

nice pic....if the cloudiness generally subsides after you turn your jets off, dont sweat it, its pretty normal. Just likely fine bubbles making it look "cloudy". I generally find shocking is a good idea anytime you have people, especially the ladies getting their hair wet. good luck and enjoy.

[Roger]

So the water in my tub looks perfectly fine, until I turn my jets on. The cloudy appearence looks like it's just a lot of air getting trapped/mixed in with the water (not the typical cloudy appearence you'd get from dirt, debris, algae, etc.). I recently added some algaecide, anti-foam, ph-down, and chlorinating granules. My fiance had jumped in with a head full of conditioner (don't ask why), and of course the water turned milky and foamy. That's when I began adding those chemicals.

This is my first post here.... be nice!

Eric Kingston

Also, here's my setup. I just added the fence about a week ago!

I call this sluggish water, normaly it happens when your TDS gets a bit high and the air in the water seems to slow down and your water seems not as crisp. Crystal clear and clean water (fresh water) will help this. As your water ages it will again get sluggish. Theres nothing like fresh water.

How old is your water and has there been alot of use?

Nice looking set up.

[biggz]

erickingston, I think a good shocking and an oz of clarifier would help. That's a very nice install you got there.

[TinyBubbles]

It's probably from the introduction of air when you turn on the jets and the water getting stirred up. Is your spa new? I didn't think there was a need for algaecide in spas. Unless I'm mistaken, algae usually doesn't grow in hot water. You are probably fine if you have established a good maintenance routine. Be careful adding too many chemicals, especially anti-foam.

[erickingston]

I call this sluggish water, normaly it happens when your TDS gets a bit high and the air in the water seems to slow down and your water seems not as crisp. Crystal clear and clean water (fresh water) will help this. As your water ages it will again get sluggish. Theres nothing like fresh water.

How old is your water and has there been alot of use?

Nice looking set up.

The water is fairly old, but it hasn't recieved too much use. Is it at all possible to lower the TDS level without replacing the old water with fresh water? Also, will I be able to make it through the winter without draining and refilling? It won't be very pleasent refilling when it's 10 below and I can only imagine the amount of energy it will take to heat the water back up to the norm.

Thanks,

Eric

[erickingston]

It's probably from the introduction of air when you turn on the jets and the water getting stirred up. Is your spa new? I didn't think there was a need for algaecide in spas. Unless I'm mistaken, algae usually doesn't grow in hot water. You are probably fine if you have established a good maintenance routine. Be careful adding too many chemicals, especially anti-foam.

No, the spa isn't new. I really don't have a clue how to properly care for the tub. I go to my local supermarket and just start grabbing spa chemicals. There are so many to choose between, I literally get lost in the mix. I had no idea algaecide was not needed, so thanks for letting me know! I added it in an attempt to remove the conditioner particles (the label states that it also removes non-organic matter). So is there a basic routine of chemicals I should be using? Do the different brands matter?

Thanks everyone,

Eric

[TinyBubbles]

well erick, that's a really small question with alot of really big answers. Bottom line, yes you need to develop and stick to a good water maintenance routine. You should be testing your water and balancing it, in addition to maintaining good sanitizing levels. Your two basic sanitizers are dichlor(chlorine for spas) and bromine. I'm a fan of dichlor. I add it after every soak, but I'm a daily soaker. With bromine you can leave a floater in the spa, but you still need to add chemicals when you soak. I'm sure you'll find fans of both, but in my experience reading these forums, people with dichlor seem to have less issues. You should be rinsing and cleaning your filters periodically as well. If your spa water is already old, I doubt you could make it through the winter. Most people go 3-4 months between fills. I don't know if brands matter, I've seen people say they do. I think it would be better to use off brands on a regular basis, than it would be not to follow a good routine. There is a water chemistry section with some great info. Check it out.

[medic]

Eric,

I'm no pro by any means, but you definately want to be careful how many chemicals you add. You should only need to shock after heavy use or about once a week as general maintenance. I have found that using one brand of chemicals and using a good quality brand (I use Leisure Time) makes the process easier. Just follow the instructions and test your water with test strips religiously and you'll get te hang of it in no time. I take it you don't have an instruction manual for your spa? That should give you all the info you need for proper water maintenance, also.

Good luck

[Whoneedsavacation]

I find it is completely normal for the water to look more opaque when the jets are running, literally from the air bubbles. If the water is sparkling clear the rest of the time, no worries. You do, however, want a regular maintenance routine. If the water is older than three months, you should change and start over. As TinyBubbles said, choose chlorine (dichlor) or bromine sanitizer regime. Start it up and maintain the level of the sanitizer. Adjust the pH and total alkalinity as needed. Use Enzyme products and or scumball type things to fight scum and organic contamination (hair conditioner is mostly organic in the chemistry sense). Use clarifying products to make small particles easier for your filter to filter out. Rinse and clean the filter regularly. Use foam-down products as needed. If you feel you need to buy a truckload of foam-down, it is probably time to change the water. Shock with non-chlorine shock regularly. After every use or once a week whichever comes first is the usual recommendation, at least with a bromine system.

[Roger]

The water is fairly old, but it hasn't recieved too much use. Is it at all possible to lower the TDS level without replacing the old water with fresh water? Also, will I be able to make it through the winter without draining and refilling? It won't be very pleasent refilling when it's 10 below and I can only imagine the amount of energy it will take to heat the water back up to the norm.

Thanks,

Eric

Yes you can lower your TDS without doing a complete water change. Drain half of it and refill. If you water is older than 3-4 months I would change it all. And start timing your drain and refills to work around winter, in other words do a drain and refill as late as possible for your climate. And then refill as soon as possible. For me here in Northern Minnesota I usualy made it until November some time, and then had to wait until the first nice day above freezing in March.

If you don't use your tub much, from a fresh fill you will need to balance your waters Total Alkalinity and PH. Or at least get them close to the prefered range. Then I would recomend clean filters and rinse them once a week or 2 depending on use and add a small amount of dichlor after each use to achieve a level of 3-5 PPM If your use is low make sure you add more every 3-4 days to maintain your waters cleanliness. Then shock after every 5-6 soaks or a heavy use period. with 3 times the normal dose to achieve a PPM level of 10 or above. This should make your water clean and clear. But changing is the only thing that will make it crisp again where your bubbles aren't so sluggish.

[B0Darc]

ALL excellent advice, and YES a VERY nice setup. To get a little more granular on the above advice...

1.) Sticking with one line of products is easier if you find a place that keeps better stock. It'd be great if you could support your local Dealer, but if that's problematic, and they're too often out of stock, try the local HomeHarware mega store. You can't complain about not be able to get knowledgeable service from the dealer when he can't afford to retain good people or a nice inventory of products because you're shopping for the stuff he actually makes a profit on somewhere else. That's why if possible pick a friendly local dealer to keep in business. Personally I am able to get a single brand at my local HomeChainToolsLumber superstore and I'm sure that unified approach helps avoid any interoperable chemical compatability... but no one there knows anything about spas (!) ...but I don't *get* to complain.

2.) Measuring. Using a test kit will verify that you are doing maintenance correctly, and it quickly becomes intuitive how much dichlor to dump in etc., but the first few times you should measure. Read your manual or go online to find your spa's capacity (example:500 gallons?) next read the containers and measure the proper amounts. You can dump the carefully kitchen measured dry chemicals back into the product cap to get a relative idea of how much to add next time (without measuring so precisely). Your spa manual or dealer will likely give you a schedule you can remember and these forum guys have also told you already, however there are alot of different systems so general advice may not apply. If you have found a good dealer, listen to their advice. Using a nice stainless steel measuring spoon the first coupla times is still a good idea, and remember, TESTING is the real key.

3.) Ummm... realize you are sitting in a big pot of human stew... to put it most bluntly (apologies in advance!) There's alot of YOU dissolved in there and the water is sluggish because it's measurably thicker, which translates into an increased ability to retain bubbles. All the previous advice above was about making your water maintenance more of a focus... a religion. Some of the best advice above was read the Chemical section of this forum so you can learn what each of those items is actually doing and why it's important to do them in a specific order... it really will become more automatic... enjoy... your setup is very nice! Hey wait I see your problem now! I'm not sitting in your hottub with a coupla beers and/or hot chicks [again with the jokes]!

Bo "MrsDarc says "NO" to the hot chicks" Darc

[TinyBubbles]

Your wife is Bo Dark?

[B0Darc]

Your wife is Bo Dark?

Doh! I missed that one... sorry No, if she was ~that~ Bo, I'd have a much nicer spa... or several much nicer spas.

[erickingston]

Thanks everyone for all the info. Sorry that your wife doesn't allow hot chicks with you in the spa; otherwise, I'd say it sounds like a party in the works. The "sluggish bubbles" description is just about perfect. I shut off the jets, and it takes about 1 minute before the water is back to clear as the sluggish bubbles are sluggishly slow to dissipate. First thing I'm going to try is to simply clean my filter. I haven't rinsed it in a while. After that, all hell may break lose.

Eric

[ebatavia]

On 11/29/2007 at 6:20 PM, erickingston said:

Thanks everyone for all the info. Sorry that your wife doesn't allow hot chicks with you in the spa; otherwise, I'd say it sounds like a party in the works. The "sluggish bubbles" description is just about perfect. I shut off the jets, and it takes about 1 minute before the water is back to clear as the sluggish bubbles are sluggishly slow to dissipate. First thing I'm going to try is to simply clean my filter. I haven't rinsed it in a while. After that, all hell may break lose.

Eric

I spray my filters with 1/2 water 1/2 white vinegar once a week seems to keep them clean my water is cloudy only when the jets are running as soon as they stop the water is perfect clear again