Green Water & Mildew Odor

[walkersj]

We have a Hydropool spa 1+ years old. Used to use chlorine, but it was tough on my skin so we switched to Baqua Spa in January. Have had lots of issues since switching.

1. PH & TA are constant battle, always too high. It is eating the decreaser. Will go two or three days ok and then is too high again.

2. The last week or so the water has taken on a green color (very green), but is clear.

3. There also has been a strong mildew odor of the water almost since switching over to Baqua Spa. After the water is changed it gets better for a while and then gradually comes back.

The water has been changed 3 times since January in an attempt to correct these problems and was last changed 2 weeks ago (just before it started looking green). We are on well water. Have had the water tested at our dealer a number of times when it has been off and it always comes back PH & TA too high but nothing else. The dealer has not been able to offer us any suggestions.

Not sure what is going on. We have had a pool in the past without any of these kinds of problems, and didn't have problems managing the spa with chlorine, so don't think it's us!

Ideas?

[MaRiSpaTech]

I would switch back to chlorine. I’m not a fan of Baqua products. If skin irritation is a problem then simply add the chlorine when you get out after each use. It is also important to shock weekly to prevent a buildup of combined chlorine. Combined chlorine is what causes the chemical smell and skin irritation. I recommend shocking with non chlorine shock one week, and chlorine the next week. That way you don’t need to worry about adding enough chlorine for shocking. You can also just shock with non chlorine shock every time, but the above method is more economical among other things. You can also try Nature 2 as a supplement.

[floridaspaman]

We have a Hydropool spa 1+ years old. Used to use chlorine, but it was tough on my skin so we switched to Baqua Spa in January. Have had lots of issues since switching.

1. PH & TA are constant battle, always too high. It is eating the decreaser. Will go two or three days ok and then is too high again.

2. The last week or so the water has taken on a green color (very green), but is clear.

3. There also has been a strong mildew odor of the water almost since switching over to Baqua Spa. After the water is changed it gets better for a while and then gradually comes back.

The water has been changed 3 times since January in an attempt to correct these problems and was last changed 2 weeks ago (just before it started looking green). We are on well water. Have had the water tested at our dealer a number of times when it has been off and it always comes back PH & TA too high but nothing else. The dealer has not been able to offer us any suggestions.

Not sure what is going on. We have had a pool in the past without any of these kinds of problems, and didn't have problems managing the spa with chlorine, so don't think it's us!

Ideas?

You should have purchased a spa with an ozone system and chemical free when you use it if you have skin issues. I would go with chlorine shock the spa let it settle down test the chlorine levels if you need to lower chlorine open the spa when the sun is out for a little bit and let it run.

Helpful hint #1 from the man. You can adjust your ph naturally using baking soda to increase ph and distilled white vinegar to decrease ph. Both work as good as the storebought up and down ph. Read the label on your increaser it is soda ash which is what baking soda is. Wait two days to check your ph again so it settles down. Usually about 8oz of either per 500 gallons or so play with it.

[waterbear]

You should have purchased a spa with an ozone system and chemical free when you use it if you have skin issues. I would go with chlorine shock the spa let it settle down test the chlorine levels if you need to lower chlorine open the spa when the sun is out for a little bit and let it run.

Helpful hint #1 from the man. You can adjust your ph naturally using baking soda to increase ph and distilled white vinegar to decrease ph. Both work as good as the storebought up and down ph. Read the label on your increaser it is soda ash which is what baking soda is. Wait two days to check your ph again so it settles down. Usually about 8oz of either per 500 gallons or so play with it.

Some clarification on the misinformation above:

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate----this is used to raise total alkalinity NOT pH! While it is true that it will cause a temporary increase in pH when added it does so by raising the total alkalinity! 8 oz of baking soda in a 500 gallon spa will raise your total alkalinity about 80 ppm!!!!!!!!

Soda ash is sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda found in the laundry aise of your grocery store. This will raise pH but will also raise total alkalinity. THIS IS NOT THE SAME CHEMICAL AS BAKING SODA!

Borax (sodium tetraborate), also found in the laundry aisle of your grocery store, will raise pH with minimal effect on total alkalinity and if you maintan a 30-50 ppm borate level in the water will also act as an algaestat and will reduce sanitizer demand. This is the indredient in such products as Proteam's Supreme and Gentle Spa and in Bioguard's Optimzer.

White vinegar is a 5% solution of acetic acid. It is what is known chemically as a 'weak acid' and is not effective at lowering the pH of your spa! To do so you need a chemically 'strong acid' such as sodium bisulfate (forms sulfuric acid when dissolved) or muriatic acid (very difficult to dose in the small amount of water used in a spa.) Sodium bisulfate would be my first choice. It is what is commonly called "Dry Acid, pH increaser, pH Plus, etc. (Weak acids vs. strong acids have to do with what is known as the dissociation of the acid in water. Acids are simply substances that contribute hydrogen ions. Strong acids do this very well. Weak acids do not.)

[MSeguin]

We have a Hydropool spa 1+ years old. Used to use chlorine, but it was tough on my skin so we switched to Baqua Spa in January. Have had lots of issues since switching.

1. PH & TA are constant battle, always too high. It is eating the decreaser. Will go two or three days ok and then is too high again.

2. The last week or so the water has taken on a green color (very green), but is clear.

3. There also has been a strong mildew odor of the water almost since switching over to Baqua Spa. After the water is changed it gets better for a while and then gradually comes back.

The water has been changed 3 times since January in an attempt to correct these problems and was last changed 2 weeks ago (just before it started looking green). We are on well water. Have had the water tested at our dealer a number of times when it has been off and it always comes back PH & TA too high but nothing else. The dealer has not been able to offer us any suggestions.

Not sure what is going on. We have had a pool in the past without any of these kinds of problems, and didn't have problems managing the spa with chlorine, so don't think it's us!

Ideas?

the Biggest mistake people make is adjust there PH way to much I have found if you adjust you Alkalinity you PH will follow suit also using baking soda you will raise your TDS (total dissolve solids) in your water allot faster and will need a water change sooner, Depending on the time of day you test for Ph it will be different Example if your Ph is sitting at about 7 ppm and you run you hot tub for a 4hr filter cycle 2 times a day as you should with a hydropool just after your filter cycle stops you will notice your Ph is high because of the amount of air in the water so adjust your alkalinity and don't worry to much about your Ph... if your using Bromine puck they will drive your alkalinity down you should have to adjust this every 3-4 weeks on average.. if you use a brominator build into your filter with the hydropool set your dial to 4 1/2 and just leave it then shock as needed. if you have anymore questions send me a pm i will be glad to help

[Richs100]

We are on well water. Have had the water tested at our dealer a number of times when it has been off and it always comes back PH & TA too high but nothing else. The dealer has not been able to offer us any suggestions.

Walkersj:

I am no water expert, but maybe someone else (like Waterbear!) can comment if it makes sense.

When I was buying my new tub last year, I looked at the HS auto feeder which uses Baqua. My dealer immediately steered me away from this ($2000.00) option when I told him I was on well water. He told me that they had had a lot of problems using Baqua with well water and did not recommend it. I tend to believe him since he knew that I'm the kinda fool that will write out a check for a $2K option if it means that I can do less work myself. (He made out in the end, though, since he got me on the SPAudio option!)

Second, you say that your dealer tested your water but you only mention pH and Alk. Is he testing for anything else? Minerals, metal, softness? I have heard that green indicates copper? My water is loaded with iron so I use the softened water (at his recommendation) and it works well. I just add calcium at the water change. The softener also pulls out the iron. If you have the option of using softened water, you may want to try this.

Third, you mention that you had skin sensitivity issues with dichlor (chlorine). I only dose after I soak so by the time I go back in a day or so later, there seems to be little or no chemicals present. Admittedly, I'm not sensitive to chlorine, so this may not work for you.

Finally, FWIW, recent posts here and on other boards bring into question the effect Baqua could have on certain plastics in your tub. Supposedly, most tub manufacturers have changed their plastics, but there was an issue with the jets in new Arctic tubs. I believe Tom, who works for Arctic, has recently said Arctic no longer recommends Baqua for their tubs. For this reason, I won't consider Baqua with other time-tested alternatives available.

Hope some of this helps.

Rich

[MSeguin]

Rich made some great points if i could add a few things.

First be careful when you use soft water you water does need some mineral and if there is not enough in the water it will start to eat your eater element..

In many places where my customers use wells we do a phosphate test and if we find large amounts of phosphate in the water we use a chemical call phos-free for 24hr then we clean the filter balance the water then add sanitizer.

Hope this helps.