Brown/green Water

[cstultz]

So I drained and refilled my hot tub. I do this every few months, never had a problem until now. The main reason I drained it was because the water had turned a little brown. When I refilled it I accidentally bypassed the heating element. The water was as clear as can be for the two days I had no heat. Once I figured out the heat was bypassed the water turned brown over night. What could cause this. I may have clipped a little too much chlorine into the tub when I refilled it, but I am not sure.

[polyvue]

So I drained and refilled my hot tub. I do this every few months, never had a problem until now. The main reason I drained it was because the water had turned a little brown. When I refilled it I accidentally bypassed the heating element. The water was as clear as can be for the two days I had no heat. Once I figured out the heat was bypassed the water turned brown over night. What could cause this. I may have clipped a little too much chlorine into the tub when I refilled it, but I am not sure.

Did you determine why the water took on the brown color last time? In diagnosing problems such as these it's essential to know the current water chemistry. What are the present levels of pH, Free Chlorine (FC), Combined Chlorined (CC), Total Alkalinity (TA), Calcium Hardness (CH), Cyanuric Acid (CYA) and borates (if applicable)?

[simonc]

So I drained and refilled my hot tub. I do this every few months, never had a problem until now. The main reason I drained it was because the water had turned a little brown. When I refilled it I accidentally bypassed the heating element. The water was as clear as can be for the two days I had no heat. Once I figured out the heat was bypassed the water turned brown over night. What could cause this. I may have clipped a little too much chlorine into the tub when I refilled it, but I am not sure.

Is your water also cloudy?

Cloudy water often is caused by something growing in your water.

Cloudy or not, you might try doing a chlorine shock, maybe at 20ppm. If the color disappears, most likely your problem was something growing in your water. (Make sure your chlorine has dropped to a normal range (2-5ppm) before using your tub after the chlorine shock. If your chlorine is too high to use the tub, you can lower it by adding a few ounces of hydrogen peroxide.)

It's very unlikely that your brown/green water was caused by adding too much chlorine.

Let us know how you resolve your problem. Good Luck.

- Simon