Spa and debris / mold in water

[tstex]

Hello to All,

First time I have posted in the spa forum.

We have pool service but I am starting to learn the chemistry here and doing testing w my TF-100 kit.

Our pool was filled w water in late Jan 2015...have a large spa [800 gal] w 8 jets & blower. Have not used the spa but only about 3-4 times max since we've had the pool. Last time I used the spa 2 weeks ago and more so tonight, I noticed there were pieces of 1/4" size debris moving around inside the spa. Since it was night time when I used it both times, you could see the things in there better w the LED light. When I turned off the blower, it was much more conspicuous. What I am thinking is that since I do not use the spa that often, mold or something formed in the lines, but it seems much more present when I turned on the blower. For example, when I got in tonight after temp reached 101, I did not see anything really visible in there, but after I turned on the blower, then off again w in 15 sec's, I noticed the funk. I turned off the blower bc it was so loud I could not hear the WS broadcast. I took my net and filtered out the stuff. It wasn;t until I turned on the blower again ran it for minute or two then turned it off and it was really in there....netted it as much as I could again, then I just turned the controls from SPA MODE to POOL MODE and ran the pump to clean out the spa and I have the robot shark going too in the pool.

Our pool temp in Hou as cooled pretty well from the low 80's to now 70-71 degrees. Is mold forming in the water lines, or is this something else? What can I do now to rectify the problem? And, then, what can I proactively do to prevent this from happening again? If you have any questions, pls let me know?

Thank you very much for your feedback,
tstex

 

[chem geek]

If the spa is separate from your pool (i.e. doesn't share water), then use Ahh-Some before the next water change.

 

[tstex]

If the spa is separate from your pool (i.e. doesn't share water), then use Ahh-Some before the next water change.

My fault for not clarifying. The spa is connected to the pool and when in POOL & FILTER mode, the spa spillover goes into the pool. This "funk" has not been seen when operating the pool & spa in the spillover manner. In fact, when I changed from POOL to SPA mode, turned on THE HEATER, I came over to the spa periodically to feel the water [light on] and it was crystal clear. It was only after I had turned-on THE BLOWER that the matter really appeared.

Ques: Do blower lines just have air in them or do they have water, or does residual water get in the lines after you use them? Does this make sense?

So, if the SPA & POOL are dynamically connected, what is going on?

Thank you very much,
tstex

Note: I just saw the "Ah Ha" product. So yes, my SPA is connected to the pool. And, the temperature is the same as the pool until I heat up the SPA in SPA MODE...thanks again

 

[chem geek]

So it sounds like you can isolate the spa circulation in spa mode in which case you could use Ahh-Some. You'd have to drain and refill the spa after using that and may need to do this more than once depending on how much gunk there is. If you can't isolate the water between the two, then that will be more difficult.

As for the blower lines, someone else will have to answer that question.

 

[tstex]

Thanks Chem-G...It seems to be a function of when I use the blower.

Cranked-up the blower for quite awhile and was not running the pump...then applied so bleach and let it work this area...then turned on the pump...ran for circulation purposes...then tossed in the QC-Shark and ran it for 2 hrs really working the area...ran the blower again on and off for next 30 min's...the vol of crud seems to be disappearing quickly. This is now being done in the day, so I am not sure if a night viewing w the spa light on will better illuminate the issue.

I am under the impression, just like the scuppers, I need to run the blower periodically to make sure it gets flushed...I also run the scuppers 3-4 times a week to circulate fresh water in there w recently added chlorine and other...

Again, I appreciate your follow-up - tstex