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Oh Yuck - Hard to Clean Off Residue


mscdman

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I previously owned a spa and am purchasing now another.   When draining the water and refilling, I’ve used a product similar to “oh yuck”.   If memory serves once the water was drained, little globules of oil/fat/etc clung to the tub and were a metric PAIN IN THE BUTT to get off. I remember having to use goo gone with a ton of elbow grease to get these globs off the tub.  Is this typical?  If so any advice how to clean it easier?

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OhYuck is a weak purge product, these days the industry leader is a brand called "AhhSome" which we add to the water and run the jets for 30-60 minutes before draining. 

The same nasty gunk comes out of the plumbing, but there will be a lot more of it.  I literally just went through a purge three days ago

 

16 hours ago, mscdman said:

 If memory serves once the water was drained, little globules of oil/fat/etc clung to the tub and were a metric PAIN IN THE BUTT to get off. I remember having to use goo gone with a ton of elbow grease to get these globs off the tub.  Is this typical?  If so any advice how to clean it easier?

From my experience, you want to tackle this gunk ASAP - don't even wait to drain the tub.  Grab some paper towels, gloves and start cleaning the scum line right away while it's still hot/wet.  The more you can clean off right away, the better.

Once you've drained the tub, I find a magic eraser and a vinegar/water solution work great to scrub off any remaining grime stuck on the shell (note I also add a pinch of pure D-Limonene citrus extract to the cleaning solution - it's a great cleaner and helps improve the odor of the solution haha) .  In my experience it is way harder to clean the tub after the gunk has had a chance to cool off and dry up, so tackle it first before you worry about draining the water.

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16 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

I am inclined to say yes, and can describe a procedure to do so with much less water wasted. But first let's ask @Ahhsomeguy, since he makes the stuff. Might not hear back til Monday though.

I’d be very interested in this procedure thanks.  Anything to not have refill and drain a 2nd time would be good

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11 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

The exact details and needed stuff depend on the brand and design of the spa, but basically fill the footwell and plug or flood the filter inlets. Run each pump for a few seconds only. But get the details first, as they vary and plugging the wrong thing can damage equipment.

Marquis V65 - Vector 21

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Oh, a plug in. Where do you live?

That's an easy one. Fill the footwell through the filter inlet and get a winter plug from the pool store that will fit in your filter inlet, or use one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Bladder-Garden-Attachment-Medium/dp/B000KKOZ6A

Run the pump for just a second or two, until you see water come out of all jets, then turn it off or you aren't flushing it, you're just mixing it.

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25 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

Oh, I thought you were still shopping. Got any pics? 

How many filters? 24hr circulation pump? 

I live in Denver.   I pulled the trigger about 4 weeks ago - but it won’t be here till late November (hot tubs are seriously back ordered  due to pandemic) and have been getting the 220v electrical run and building the box/gravel base in preparation.   it’s a small tub for a small footprint.  5x7 3 person.    

good question on the 24hr circulation pump. Do I want a 24 hr circ?  I need to look up and see.  It’s only a 1-pump with 2 speeds due to the size of the tub.  What I liked about it was it’s nothing as high/tall as the others.   Sitting on the base I’m building most hot tubs sat way too hight. 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

Oh, a plug in. Where do you live?

That's an easy one. Fill the footwell through the filter inlet and get a winter plug from the pool store that will fit in your filter inlet, or use one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Bladder-Garden-Attachment-Medium/dp/B000KKOZ6A

Run the pump for just a second or two, until you see water come out of all jets, then turn it off or you aren't flushing it, you're just mixing it.

It’s not a plug in but the model is convertible to 110 or 220.  Mines going to be hooked up to 220

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Here is what we recommend to do after completing a plumbing colonoscopy or purge process.  Be sure to wipe off any sticky clinging gooey gunk that has come out during the purge.  Wipe this as you see it.  Do NOT let this stuff dry on the shell or acrylic.  Biofilm is primarily a polysaccharide, which is comprised of sugar molecules. So, sticky sticky sticky.  A wet towel does a great job.  After draining as much water as you can, just wipe the entire inside shell clean.  Refill!  One note here.  When refilling be sure to add water into the filter well (where the filter(s) is (are) located to be sure that upon startup, the pump primes quickly and leaves no chance for a heater "dry fire" event.  Adjust chemicals to balance the water.  No need to refill, run the jets for a few minutes and drain again unless you feel that there was so much gunk released that this would be the best course of action.  For the next day or so you should and may see floaters that drained back into the piping while draining the initial purge water. No big deal.  Just wipe them as they accumulate around the waterline.  Any hard to remove stickies can easily be cleaned off by using a small amount of the Ahh-Some Gel, 1/2 teaspoon added to 32 ounces of water in a trigger spray bottle, let it dissolve, and spray on the ares of concern.  Works quite well.  Hope this helps everyone.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just used ahh-some last week, it really works fantastically but I have to echo the advice to clean the deposits right away when it's purging. I put the stuff in and ran the jets it immediately foamed like crazy, no big deal, says so on the label. After 15 min or so the foaming is decreasing and I start seeing the water line accumulating a lot of sticky slime. At that point I should have started wiping it off but I waited another 15 min and started draining the water before getting to the wiping. Big mistake, it was really tough to get off by then, and I ended up using a scouring pad and a hose keeping it wet to remove it completely.

I was also really diligent about doing a second fill to "rinse" but in hindsight after doing this I don't know that you can really completely rinse it out there were some chemical bubbles on the next fill too but all that disappeared after a day of circulation with the filter installed and it didn't affect the water chemistry or anything. I don't think it's dangerous to have a little chemical still lurking around is what I'm saying.

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  • 1 month later...

@Ahhsomeguy  do you advise a need to purge/clean with your product prior to use of a brand new factory delivered tub?  Or is it typically okay to fill heat chemical adjust and use right away?

 

also - does ahhsume need to be use only when the water is fully warmed.  I only ask because if yes the water needs to be hot and I should purge prior to my first use it would mean waiting 4-6 hours to heat the tub on 1st fill only to have to drain right away and refill again.  What do you advise for tubs on a first time start up?

 

@RDspaguywhat do you think about purging prior to using the new tub being delivered?

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15 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

That's when you need it most. You would be shocked at some of the nastiness that comes out of new spas at the store or delivery. If you knew the testing procedures and storage/shipping practices you would not ask such a question. New spas are NASTY!

So then is the new startup procedure:

1) fill hot tub with water 

2) fully heat water (to what temp?)

3) add ahhsom

4) clean, drain

5) refill 

6) heat again

7) add chemicals and test

then use?

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6 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

It doesn't have to be hot, and you should balance and shock right before the Ahhsome.

 

1 hour ago, Ahhsomeguy said:

Ahh-Some hot tub cleaner will work in any temperature water but it will dissolve faster in warm or hot water. 

 

6 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

It doesn't have to be hot, and you should balance and shock right before the Ahhsome.

@Ahhsomeguy  oh. So

fill and balance PH/alkalinity right?  Then add shock.  Then add awesome and water can be cold?  Turn on jets?

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