Fake tan is heinous

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SteveOL

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2024
47
Buninyong, Victoria, Australia
G'day all.

So my daughter has been giving our hot tub a fair workout here in Australia, especially leading up to summer when she had a fake tan, and during summer when she, amazingly, also sometimes goes with a fake tan.

Anyhoo, I have been giving my hot tub a deep purge over the past couple of days to rid it of a pseudomonas bug which lab testing found was present. Yesterday I used a product with sulfamic acid and citric acid in it. It seemed to do a good job of removing any biofilms and whatnot and other oils and junk. (First photo).

Then today after emptying and cleaning I refilled and used a product with benzalkonium chloride which didn't foam as much but instantly brought up a lovely brown ring of gunk around the tub. (Photo 2). I have since deduced this is my daughter's fake tan. Inside the filter area it was caked on.

Neither of my kids will shower before getting in the tub which is bad enough, but fake tan is heinous. Fake tan? No tub for you!

Any tips for getting that brown stain off the acrylic tub?

Steve
 

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I’m not familiar with your “purging”chemicals as I only use AhhSome for purging. I just use a microfiber towel to wipe off any gunk (biofilm) from the acrylic before the gunk dries.
If you are satisfied you have killed what you needed to kill, I’d do a final purge with AhhSome. I’d run it 3-4 30 minute cycles.
 
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Fake tan is theeee worst!
Mainly its the “guide” that causes the most issue. The guide is what makes you look instantly tan before the chem actually changes the melanin of your skin. It will stain clothes & bed sheets as well.
After that has been washed away its not a problem.
You may try magic eraser if less abrasive methods aren’t cutting it.
Not sure what product you’re using but when purging you want to wipe the stuff off while its wet. You may try doing another purge with it.
Note* acids will harden & solidify oils & make them hard to remove.
If grime and oils are involved you should remove those first with something alkaline (think degreaser/surfactant (like your purge product) then use acid for mineral scale.
Doing it backwards can ruin your filters.
 
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When I purged my hot tub after years of ignorant use (not purging), the ring was exactly that color.

When I recently did my jetted bath tub, it was darker and not as slimy

Purged my whirlpool bath today

We hadn't used the jetted tub in a year or two when the Mrs asked recently if she could, and I promptly cringed. Lemme clean it first and then I'll keep it purged if it keeps being used. I got a bunch of gunk out and the ahhsome lived up to its name yet again. I was kinda surprised...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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@SteveOL
You mentioned that it wasn’t very foamy, i suspect this is because the surfactants in the product had alot to break down. Less grime = more foam & vice versa.
Have another go round with it.
Also be sure to have some sanitizer in the water since you need to touch the water to clean (i would go slam level)
 
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I’m not familiar with your “purging”chemicals as I only use AhhSome for purging. I just use a microfiber towel to wipe off any gunk (biofilm) from the acrylic before the gunk dries.
Gebo said:
If you are satisfied you have killed what you needed to kill, I’d do a final purge with AhhSome. I’d run it 3-4 30 minute cycles.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Gebo. In Australia so AhhSome is not an option. I've done a couple of purges and am currently filling again. I hope I've got everything. I've wiped down surfaces with liquid chlorine too. Then I'll super chlorinate, run it for 30-60 minutes, empty, fill and balance.
 
Mdragger88 said:
Fake tan is theeee worst!
Mainly its the “guide” that causes the most issue. The guide is what makes you look instantly tan before the chem actually changes the melanin of your skin. It will stain clothes & bed sheets as well.
After that has been washed away its not a problem.
You may try magic eraser if less abrasive methods aren’t cutting it.
Not sure what product you’re using but when purging you want to wipe the stuff off while its wet. You may try doing another purge with it.
Note* acids will harden & solidify oils & make them hard to remove.
If grime and oils are involved you should remove those first with something alkaline (think degreaser/surfactant (like your purge product) then use acid for mineral scale.
Doing it backwards can ruin your filters.
Click to expand...
I'm going with brand new filters. Cleaned the surfaces to within an inch of their life.
 
Mdragger88 said:
@SteveOL
You mentioned that it wasn’t very foamy, i suspect this is because the surfactants in the product had alot to break down. Less grime = more foam & vice versa.
Have another go round with it.
Also be sure to have some sanitizer in the water since you need to touch the water to clean (i would go slam level)
Click to expand...
It was super foamy during the first purge. Not as much second time around when the fake tan came out of the pipework. Been using gloves.
 
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For decontamination purposes you can let the purge water sit overnight with slam fc level. Kinda like soaking a gross pot 😉
I believe the time frame recommended for pseudomonas decontamination is anywhere from 10 to 48 hours at shock level after refilling the spa.
This allows the water to warm up too which is not only more comfortable but in my personal opinion, more effective.
I wouldn’t do this with the acidic product you mentioned but instead the surfactant one as I assume its similar to ahhsome. I can’t remember the name but I think the Ahhsome people may produce a purge product they sell in Australia. In the US they have 2 brands (ahhsome & total cleanse)
 
Ahh! Found it!
Ahhsomeguy said:
We do provide Our raw ingredients to a private label manufacturer in NZ and Australia. The sell it as a liquid called Pipe Klenz by a company called LoChlor. This is our formula and it works. This company is a very large manufacturer and you will have no problem locating the product.
Click to expand...
 
Mdragger88 said:
For decontamination purposes you can let the purge water sit overnight with slam fc level. Kinda like soaking a gross pot 😉
I believe the time frame recommended for pseudomonas decontamination is anywhere from 10 to 48 hours at shock level after refilling the spa.
This allows the water to warm up too which is not only more comfortable but in my personal opinion, more effective.
I wouldn’t do this with the acidic product you mentioned but instead the surfactant one as I assume its similar to ahhsome. I can’t remember the name but I think the Ahhsome people may produce a purge product they sell in Australia. In the US they have 2 brands (ahhsome & total cleanse)
Click to expand...
I actually went with this one from a member at Pool Spa Forum.

Decontamination

This topic comes up quite a bit, so I thought I'd post a How To guide. Decontamination is the process of Super Shocking to Kill and Oxidize everything in your tub. There are two reasons why you would want to do this. One is your tub contains an excess amount of organic waste, and is using large a...
www.poolspaforum.com

I also bore in mind recommended corrective actions for spas from our State Government's Department of Health water quality guidelines for public aquatic facilities. But it's actually not as comprehensive as the one from Nitro at Pool Spa Forum.
 
There are multiple recommendations depending upon where you look. Different state’s health departments etc. which is why I listed the range. Unfortunately some people recommend crazy high fc amounts (like 200ppm) which are not condoned here due to safety risks for people & equipment. Nitro’s suggestion is relatively high but only for a short period of time.
Extended exposure to safe shock/slam levels should be equally as effective after biofims are removed. Each must determine their own risk tolerance. I wish you the best of success (which I think you will achieve either way) and hopefully you can get back to happily hot tubbing!
 
Mdragger88 said:
There are multiple recommendations depending upon where you look. Different state’s health departments etc. which is why I listed the range. Unfortunately some people recommend crazy high fc amounts (like 200ppm) which are not condoned here due to safety risks for people & equipment. Nitro’s suggestion is relatively high but only for a short period of time.
Extended exposure to safe shock/slam levels should be equally as effective after biofims are removed. Each must determine their own risk tolerance. I wish you the best of success (which I think you will achieve either way) and hopefully you can get back to happily hot tubbing!
Click to expand...
No joy, I’m afraid. Tentatively got in tonight for 25 minutes and was itching before I went to bed. Tiny bumps on my skin in random areas that drive me crazy. I’m so very disappointed. Have had the spa for just over a year and barely used it myself for more than half that time. Everyone else in my family and visitors have no issue. Worst investment I’ve ever made.
 
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