Week Old Spa - Water Chemistry A Nightmare

[Momski]

The spa has been up and running for exactly one week. I can't even begin to count the number of people who have been in the spa during the week. I have two teenage children and it seems every one of their friends and their friends friends have been in. Not to mention every family member who is not pregnant. The problem is I can't keep the water clean. I've been to the closest spa store twice with water samples. I do what they tell me. The next day the water is crystal clear the next day it is milky again. The tub is foaming all the time and when the foam subsides there is a brown crusty scum on the edges. No one has complained about a rash or anything. My question is do I need to empty and start over again?

[robin]

I too have a new spa, a month old. i am having the same problem. so i got out my manual and saw that i should super shock it. use 5 times more(powder is what i have) shock than you would normally use. then let it run with lots of jets on for 15 min. then another 15 min on low jets. it seems to have really helped but i will give it a day and use the test strips to make sure it is ok to go in. robin

[eileen]

The spa has been up and running for exactly one week. I can't even begin to count the number of people who have been in the spa during the week. I have two teenage children and it seems every one of their friends and their friends friends have been in. Not to mention every family member who is not pregnant. The problem is I can't keep the water clean. I've been to the closest spa store twice with water samples. I do what they tell me. The next day the water is crystal clear the next day it is milky again. The tub is foaming all the time and when the foam subsides there is a brown crusty scum on the edges. No one has complained about a rash or anything. My question is do I need to empty and start over again?

yes drain it....i too had a n abundance of teenagers in my spa.....they have hairspray perfume and god knows what else on them...their bathing suits have been washed at home in their laudry detergent and all of that is in your hot tub....you have to think of your hot tub as your bath tub you really dont want that many people in it . it is really for you and your family but - with that said it is hard to say no to the teenagers...hers my rules these kids have to hose off before going in if they are not regular friends and the kids that come alot leave a bathing suit with me that i have rinsed several time s in a water only rinse cycle so that i know no soap is in the suit....good luck oh and tell them all to bring their own towel..its your summer to enjoy too!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

The spa has been up and running for exactly one week. I can't even begin to count the number of people who have been in the spa during the week. I have two teenage children and it seems every one of their friends and their friends friends have been in. Not to mention every family member who is not pregnant. The problem is I can't keep the water clean. I've been to the closest spa store twice with water samples. I do what they tell me. The next day the water is crystal clear the next day it is milky again. The tub is foaming all the time and when the foam subsides there is a brown crusty scum on the edges. No one has complained about a rash or anything. My question is do I need to empty and start over again?

You don't tell us anything about what routine they have you on. There are a lot of ways to treat a spa but I believe in the tried and true chlorine based method. I'm a big beliveer in ozone and like the Nature 2 silver cartridges but those are there to help you, not to replace use of a sanitizer. Even with that I always tell people to add 1 teaspoon of dichlor per person after each use and once per week to shock the spa. My spa gets a LOT of use by my 15, 13 and 11 yr old boys and their friends and I have VERY few issues because I use chlorine per use. The great thing about chlorine in a spa is you add it, it spikes up the sanitizing level and it dissipates quickly in hot water so the next day the water is clear but there isn't a heavy chlrone residual anyway. As long as you're good about adding the chlorine after each use it works great. If you forget you'll see the water turn a bit. Some like bromine because it has a constant release and while that works I'm not a fan of it because it has a more constant "chemical" smell to it but it does the job as well. Other methods that promise reduction in sanitizers are not as effective, especially if you are a fairly heavy user, as you are.

[Canadian Kahuna]

The spa has been up and running for exactly one week. I can't even begin to count the number of people who have been in the spa during the week. I have two teenage children and it seems every one of their friends and their friends friends have been in. Not to mention every family member who is not pregnant. The problem is I can't keep the water clean. I've been to the closest spa store twice with water samples. I do what they tell me. The next day the water is crystal clear the next day it is milky again. The tub is foaming all the time and when the foam subsides there is a brown crusty scum on the edges. No one has complained about a rash or anything. My question is do I need to empty and start over again?

I have a spa, but not nearly your bather load by the sounds of things, and have run into similar problems. My father in-law also has one, and when he first got it, it seemed everyone was hopping in. We both use bromine as a sanitzer and haven't had any real problems. But after a particularily heavy bather load, i do notice my water gets cloudy as well. This is most likely due to the fact that body oils, perfumes, hairspray, etc have entered the water. Under heavy use, I may shock my tub several times a week, but when it's just my wife and I, twice a week. I also find it helps to use a clarifier and some sort of coagulating agent (in my case, it's easy clear). This takes all the small particles in the water and coagulates them (clumps them) like dead skin, body oils, etc so that the filter can pick them up. The scum on the edges is most likely that kind of stuff (hairspray, etc) that the filter didn't pick up. Just take a rag and wipe it off, being as carefull as possible not to let it back into the spa water. You may also find it helpfull to put in a "scumball" or "Zorbie". This is a sponge-like thing that helps pick up body oils and hairspray in the water, and you just toss it out once a month or so and put a new one in. And since you do have more heavy usage, especially at first since it's new and a novelty to everyone, you may find it necessary to drain your spa more frequently than the "normal" 3 months, say like each month.

[kev]

The spa has been up and running for exactly one week. I can't even begin to count the number of people who have been in the spa during the week. I have two teenage children and it seems every one of their friends and their friends friends have been in. Not to mention every family member who is not pregnant. The problem is I can't keep the water clean. I've been to the closest spa store twice with water samples. I do what they tell me. The next day the water is crystal clear the next day it is milky again. The tub is foaming all the time and when the foam subsides there is a brown crusty scum on the edges. No one has complained about a rash or anything. My question is do I need to empty and start over again?

Hi I had a simalar problem when we went on a two week holiday and had a family member checking every day. We drained but soon had the same problem. If you drain make sure you change or clean your filters well.

I shocked mine three days running and the problem went away, except the scum which got better within a week and since then has been fine.

Best of luck

[Brulan1]

Hi I had a simalar problem when we went on a two week holiday and had a family member checking every day. We drained but soon had the same problem. If you drain make sure you change or clean your filters well.

I shocked mine three days running and the problem went away, except the scum which got better within a week and since then has been fine.

Best of luck

I have found that a new tub when broken in actually causes the tub to be cloudy not to mention a parade in the tub. I would change the water and wipe the scum off with a nondetergent cleaner like bioclean from natural chemistry. Also leave a scum ball or bug in the skimmer the next time with a fresh fill. Make sure you use a nonchlorine shock after every use of the tub as well. Just start fresh.

[robin]

I have found that a new tub when broken in actually causes the tub to be cloudy not to mention a parade in the tub. I would change the water and wipe the scum off with a nondetergent cleaner like bioclean from natural chemistry. Also leave a scum ball or bug in the skimmer the next time with a fresh fill. Make sure you use a nonchlorine shock after every use of the tub as well. Just start fresh.

you recomment shock after every use? i will try that. also when i first filled my LA spa tub i was told to run a cup of clorox thru the tub for about 1/2 hour to clear out any thing that could have built up during shipping in the pipes. i then drained it and refilled it. but when i had the build up recently the 5 times shock really worked to clear the water. robin

[Brulan1]

you recomment shock after every use? i will try that. also when i first filled my LA spa tub i was told to run a cup of clorox thru the tub for about 1/2 hour to clear out any thing that could have built up during shipping in the pipes. i then drained it and refilled it. but when i had the build up recently the 5 times shock really worked to clear the water. robin

Yeah that 1 cup chlorox is a good idea because of the build up in the pipes. You want to use an ounce of peroxymonopersulphate(nonchlorine shock) after every use. Good luck

[Momski]

I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions. I have super shocked it a couple of times and that helps, as long as you throw in some chlorine immediately after use.

NOW, if I could just train those pesky kids. Things have settled down with the kids friends. But I go to bed at a normal hour. They (my 18 & 19 year old) jump in at 1am and forget to put in the chlorine.

Eileen, I really had a good laugh on visualizing hosing the kids off. After I got over laughing I realized what you meant about hairspray and all. I am guilty of that myself. I come home from work, put on my bathing suit and jump in the hot tub. I never thought about all the makeup, hairspray, perfume, etc washing off of me right into the hot tub. Can’t really get mad at the teenagers since I didn’t really know better. But now I do and will be sure to communicate this with them. – Thanks.

I especially like the idea of a "scumball" or "Zorbie". I have never seen one in the stores around me. I live in South Eastern Massachusetts. Does anyone know where I can pick some up?

[turbottt1]

pesky kids/ teenagers/ little boat anchors. How dare you talk bad about the non paying little anchors. Seriously now. I can let you in on how we handle what it called over use. We purchased our spa in feb. and have on the average someone in it 3 times each and every day. Many days our tub sees 10 to 12 different people and yes we have four darling little boat anchors that use the spa so we say after hours. First and foremost get yourself a good liquid drop test kit. purchase the best t.d.s. kit you can. What we do is this. We clean our filter twice a day, we keep our bromine level at 3/6 parts, we keep our ph in the 7.5 range and our aklly. right at 100. We do not use any foam remover.[ turns water milky and forget about ever having clear water again] we use a large flat sided scoop bucket to remove foam and scum. [tidy ltter bucket works great] when we shock the tub twice every week] we add a capfull of clarifier. Once every two weeks we drain the tub down to the foot well and re fill with water from our pool. Aprox. every 30/45 days we completly drain, suck out lines, disinfect, clean bottom side of the cover and all areas above water line, [ pool shock] then refill with fresh water. Seems like a lot of work it is and also forget about spending just a little bit of money on chemicals. We just had 22- 14 year old girls last weekend [ daughters party] over and believe me everyone of them were in the tub many times. Our water has never look so awsome as it does now. chemicals used:::: peak boost[ bromine/ artic brand], litehouse non chlorine shock[ two capfulls after every use and when we have a ton of people we raise it to 4 capfulls]. Helpfull hints. We built a small shower that we use outdoors before we enter the tub[ remember monkey see monkey do] now that it's summer we have everybody go swimming in the pool first. Every little bit helps believe me. The bottom line is with heavey use your t.d.s will sky rocket[ and your going to be changing your water very quickly and spending a ton on chemicals. good luck and use your tub I know we do thats why we bought it. steve

[Amanda]

Pretty much the more you use your spa, the more you have to do to keep it clean. The cleaner you are before you use the spa, the less stuff you have to do to maintain the water. The outdoor shower thing is a great idea! I encourage people to rinse off before getting in. It is a good rule of thumb to follow. Something that may encourage the teens to clean off first is to set a rule... if something happens to the water- their job is to empty/clean/and refill it ON THEIR OWN. Before you know it, they will be encouraging their friends to rinse off before they get in. Ask your local spa dealer for some tips. Each store offers different sanitizing products. Local folks know your water better than out-of-staters. Once you haev found a dealer that will offer water testing and helpful tips... stick with them. Every person will give you a different way to care for your spa water and it can become confusing. Best wishes for clean and clear water in the future.