Cleaning Hot Tub Filters? Is TSP Phosphate Free good? Vinegar for hard water?

[duganderson]

What do you recommend for cleaning your filters before or after spraying them?

Is the Photphate Free version of TSP good?

I've heard folks using vinegar if you have hard water? What do you recommend for hard water?

Thank you, Doug

 

[Mdragger88]

Doug,
The phosphate free tsp is no where near as effective as “real” tsp.
Whatever you end up using (tsp/dishwasher powder/degreaser/simple green etc) - be sure to thoroughly degrease 1st before using any kind of acid for the scale (vinegar is fine) or you will solidify the grease with the acid & ruin your filters.
I don’t have hard water so I don’t have to do anything with acids but for the cleaning/degreasing I rinse my filters then throw them in the tub while purging with Ahhsome then rinse afterwards.
In the past inbetween purges, I have also used simple green D - its less foamy than regular simple green. You can also add a dab of Ahhsome to a spray bottle with warm water & spray that on the filters then let them sit a little while (don’t let them dry out) or soak them in a small tub with some Ahhsome before rinsing.

 

[phonedave]

I soak mine in Oxy Clean every so often. I spray them out weekly, and roughly once a month I swap them out and put in my second set while I soak and then rinse the first set.

 

[Mdragger88]

I soak mine in Oxy Clean every so often. I spray them out weekly, and roughly once a month I swap them out and put in my second set while I soak and then rinse the first set.

I may try this! Do they go back white?

 

[phonedave]

I may try this! Do they go back white?

Not back to bright shinny super white.

More like they go back to a off white, but they never seem to get worse. They keep going back to the same off white.

I have a set where I am going to have to get new ones soon, because they are falling apart (the band is coming off and you can feel them getting less rigid) but they are still the same off white color. I don't think it is from the Oxy, they are going on 2 years old now.