Questions About Nature 2 Cartridge And Filters

[dotdog2]

Hello All,

I am in the middle of the decontamination procedure by Nitro. I have already used the SwirlAway and drained. I am in the middle of filling the tub for the Super-Super chlorination part of the procedure. I am about to add the chlorine but am waiting on the filters to come out of the pink/red solution (FreshWater Filter cleaner in the large plastic tub they are soaking in).

Here is my question,

When I pulled the filters out of the tub BEFORE adding the SwirlAway they looked like this. Most, but not all, of the brown washed off with the spray nozzel on the yard hose.

You can see that the filter that was on the circulation column (the filter on top of the stack) is half covered in brown and the top half is very clean (cleaner than the other four filters). The other four which were on the jet pumps are uniform in there brown-ness as you can see. I just wanted to see what you experts thought about the look of these. Normal? After how long should they look this way? When they look this way should I be cleaning them and to what extent, with what? They got this way after about 1.5 months of use every day. Like I said they are in the acid solution soak at the moment.

Second Question,

My Nature 2 cartridge was brand new when we started the tub up about 1.5 months ago. The water in our area is very soft. I have added calcium hardener to the water to bring the hardness up to 170ppm with the Freshwater hardener solution within a few days of the initial fill of the tub a month or so ago. The AG+(Nature 2) cartridge the tub came with did not look like this when we got the tub. So my question to you, does this cartridge look normal after 1.5 months and in my tub for that time? Should it have these white deposits all over it? The first several pictures show the cartridge with the white deposits all over it and the last two or so show the cartridge after I tapped it against the deck a few times while hosing it off. Is this normal? What should I do? Are they calcium deposits? What are they?

These are after knocking the cartridge on the deck and hosing it off.

Thanks for your time! Jim

[dotdog2]

Anyone?

[Peteyboy]

As for the AG+ - it sure looks like calcium deposits. Make sure your test strips or the re-agents in your test kit are not over a year old. 170ppm is fine for hardness. Is your pH &/or alkalinity running high?

I don't really like the HotSpring filter cleaner. I use Brilliance brand.

The circ pump filter will be dirtier than the others but I don't know why it's only half dirty.

You should be OK after the decontamination.

[dotdog2]

My test kit is brand new. I have had it for less than two weeks. It is a Taylor K-2006.

Cal hard =170

PH=7.4-7.6

ALK=80

CYA=~80

The tub has been operating this way for the entire time it has been set up since I got it.

As far as the pics of the filters go, should they be cleaned when they look like that and if so with only the dishwasher, acid filter cleaner soak, etc? Thanks

[Peteyboy]

Your numbers look pretty good. I would like to see the pH a little lower at 7.2 and the Alkalinity at about 120.

I wonder if it could be scale build up. There are solutions you can get for that.

I don't like using the dishwasher for those tri-x filters, or any filters for that matter. Dishwashers leave residual soap. You can't use the rinse cycle if you've used Jet Dry and you can't let it go into the heat cycle.

Just soak them overnight in a liquid filter cleaning solution. I use the Brilliance brand.

One thought on the circ pump filter - maybe the top half is clean because the AG+ cartridge got clogged and this kept the circ pump from sucking from the top of the filter...just a thought.

[JerimiahR]

As far as the Nature 2 cartridge goes, to be honest, almost all the Ag+ cartridges I see get that white build up at the bottom of them. I think it has to do with the beads inside the cartridge. As that silver dissolves into the water, those beads generally get a more white appearance than the gray/metallic look when they are new. The white build up from my experience, is always at the bottom portion of the cartridge, suggesting to me it's building up as the beads degrade.

I would think if it was simply calcium build up, that you'd find it over more of the cartridge than just the bottom, since there are plenty of fins/textured areas for it to build up on the upper half.

Calcium when it builds up usually turns somewhat hard/brittle.

As to your circ pump filter, it will always be dirtier than the rest since it operates 24/7. However, that's an anomaly for me. Was your spa ever left with a low water level at some point? Such that the top part of that filter was perhaps above water level for any reason?