White buildup on plumbing and hardware

[ztbishop]

I'm trying to figure out what all this white build-up is (and if I should be concerned with the dark spots in the plumbing).  First a little background that may help...

I bought a house in 2010 that was vacant for a year (the hot tub was full).  I think the model is from around 2001 (Royal Spa Royalty).  I replaced the pumps, drained, filled, shocked and used it with scum ring problems until I did a round of purge and a few cups of bleach & drained again - once in 2011 and again in 2015. 

Ever since I've had no issues with scum rings.

-I fill the spa twice a year, through my water softener which  when tested shows ZERO hardness.  (Could I be running too high a setting on the water softener resulting in salt water?)  I could try backing the softener settings down.  I drink this same water in my house and don't taste anything...is the white build-up possibly salt?  I don't seem to go through a ton of salt per year...

-I also ADD calcium to the spa upon fill-up to bring the levels to 150.  

-I add a crap-ton of dry acid upon fill-up and in order to not have a fluctuating PH, I end up with alkalinity showing 50 in order to keep the PH about 7.8 (or so my little test indicates).   If I bring the Alkalinity higher, the PH goes too high. 

I then use about 1 tab of bromine per week to maintain a level of 5 on the yellow test (out of 10)  I only use the spa once every few weeks and shock it about every 3 weeks and clean the filter every 2 months since it tends to stay clean.  I sometimes forget to add a tab for a week but after shocking, it doesn't seem to have any issues maintaining a bromine level, so I assume there are no flesh eating bacteria waiting to devour me.

I don't use metal or scale protection seeing how I have a lower hardness level...I've not seen any issues inside the tub because of this. 

So for the MOST part between fillings, I'm mainly just adding a little bromine, occasional shock, and maybe a couple rounds of blue clarifier.  

I do run an ozonater.  The spa manufacturer says this will do most of the sanitizing, tho I don't really trust it THAT far.

It does seem like the water gets a 'fizzy' quality when running the main jets.  Always been this way within a month of fillup...dunno why.

----Now to my two concerns.  Mainly, what the heck is this white stuff in my pictures?  Salt? Hardness? Some type of corrosion because I'm unknowingly screwing up the balance?  It looks like anywhere with a slow leak has this white stuff that smears like powder if I touch it.  It doesn't seem isolated to metal...I seem to see it on plastic too. 

-I'm on my 3rd laing circulation pump since 2010 as the bearings seem to go bad after a few years and jam the impeller.  This happened a month ago and it must have been shut off for a few days, which somehow resulted in the filter stained DARK.  I tried soaking it in bleach but it stayed dark.  The spa itself stayed clean so I tossed the filter.   Now the main pump (8 years old) seized so I've got a new one on the way...I'm thinking the seal had a slow leak, which you can see also has a ton of this white stuff on the corroded shaft.  At that point I started becoming more concerned about what this white build-up is.

-And my second concern is the "spots" inside the plumbing (last 2 pics).  Those have always been there so I'd assume after 8 years if they were going to kill me they would have by now....I don't "THINK" they've gotten worse, but I suppose it is possible since I haven't used it this winter (just maintained it and kept it running).   Is it possible that after purging and running a few cups of bleach for a day it killed whatever that is / was?  Is it somewhat normal for an old spa?  I'm assuming there is now way of getting it out aside from re-plumbing (this old spa woldn't be worth it, tho I just bought all new pumps and ozonater).   I'm going to do another round of purge, tho I hate that stuff because it foams over the side and I have to do a 2nd drain & fill to get rid of it all (unless I'm just overly paranoid).

Thank you for any advice. 

[ztbishop]

Also, I haven't cleaned the venturi in my water softener in about 5 years, if that could have anything to do with the white buildup in the water.  :-/

[Trintadant]

The situation is even worse with pipes because often we don't see them. It seems to you that you are doing everything right, using the right products, watching the softness of the water. But at the same time, salt settles on the pipes, or even they become thinner. Check your appliances at least once every six months. You have to pay for it, yes, but the question of money will go away when you see how many years of life the washing machine has saved. It's cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying a new one. It requires more attention than, for example, switching to the use of recyclable packaging in everyday life, but it will bring much more benefits https://yifupacking.com/the-need-for-biodegradable-packaging-materials-for-a-sustainable-future/.