Gooey filter ends

[g13092]

Hello TFP people. I've been lurking for a year, finally registered and here's the first post!

A little over one year ago, we started getting rashes from our tub (2005 Jacuzzi J-335). I had been having trouble keeping it balanced in the year prior, using Nature2 since day 1. A co-worker turned me on to TFP - he runs his in-ground pool using the methods here. After getting the nice taylor K-2006 kit and doing a seaklear flush, I got started with a bleach only program. The only thing I found tricky was daily checking and keeping the FC from zeroing. You go out of town for two days and blam! So, I added a Saltron over-the-side generator and salt. Ran it like this for a year without a flush, drain and fill, or any balance issues. Only had to add muriatic acid to keep PH around 7.6 and shots of bleach before or after soaks - what a great system!

Then last week, I notice the GFCI is tripped. I troubleshot down to the 24hr circulation pump (which is also about 1 year old...). Ok, gotta get back to that later - it's winter in the north, so I drained and winterized the tub until spring. BUT, when I pulled the filters, I found a strange residue on the endcaps. It was slimy, but not like an algae, more like a chemical 'melting' of the rubber. It dried to a powdery residue. Unfortunately, I didn't check the water before dumping the tub, but the only think I could imagine is that the PH was way far off...

Anyone ever seen this?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13tiLIbHnbdcVmB29Z4Cq-jHy3atZjm--_A/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I0QmXU89JRVhlFWmDUt0-sE25M6ISZxbRw/view?usp=sharing

Merry Christmas!
Mark

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What do you mean by you "winterized" the tub? What specifically did you do?

Certainly looks like the rubber disintegrated. Any chance that filter was some kind of cheapo, substandard replacement or was it the OEM filter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also, next time you deep clean the tub, use Ahh-Some Water Cleanser, for pool, hut tub, jet bath, and washing machines instead of SeaKlear. It performs better - http://www.ahh-some.com/docs/MSUBiofilmTestResults_2.pdf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[g13092]

To winterize, I drained it, shop vac'd out every low spot, jet, and drain, then opened the unions at the jet pumps. I didn't introduce any rv antifreeze, just got it thoroughly dry.

The filters are original, believe it or not. Standard issue jacuzzi parts. It would seem that over the prior 9 years, they aged gracefully, then went down hill very rapidly since I switched over to the bleach method. The media is still in great shape, its just the molded rubber part that is degrading.

Thanks for the ahhsome tip, I'll give it a try. I've seen it discussed here, but that was after I had seaklear on hand.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Looks and sounds like rubber degradation to me. Chlorine is a pretty powerful oxidizer and can cause lots of damage to polymers not designed to work in those environments. Also, ozone is known to cause cracking in rubber compounds that don't have the appropriate chemical stabilizers in them. Any ozonator in your tub?

9 years is pretty darn good for a filter cartridge. Time to invest in a new one if you ask me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[g13092]

Any ozonator in your tub?

I used to run ozone, but disabled it when I switched over to the bleach method. I read somewhere here that ozone theoretically increased FC consumption rate.

I suppose you're right, there are quite a few miles on those filters. I would think the materials would be resistant to ozone and chlorine. However their age may have been why they degraded so fast with the bleach method.

I haven't started to research yet... What's the recommended filter cartridge brand these days?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I used to run ozone, but disabled it when I switched over to the bleach method. I read somewhere here that ozone theoretically increased FC consumption rate.

It's not theoretical, it's real. If the ozonator runs while the hot tub its simply recirculating clean water (no organics) and chlorine is present, then the ozone will react with the chlorine and reduce it to chloride. If bather waste is present, then both the ozone and chlorine will react with that. So ozone can help to reduce chlorine consumption from bather waste but it will increase chlorine consumption once the water is free of organics. The problem is, most ozone generators are ineffectual at best because they are undersized relative to the task and they simply use ambient air to try to generate ozone which is highly inefficient. So they generate very little ozone even when they are brand new. Thus, most people find that they can run a tub with or without it connected and see very little difference.

I suppose you're right, there are quite a few miles on those filters. I would think the materials would be resistant to ozone and chlorine. However their age may have been why they degraded so fast with the bleach method.

Sounds about right. Even pool robots and cleaners with rubberized parts degrade in pool water over time. My Kreepy Krawly pool vacuum has some rubberized surfaces and they have started to develop a porous exterior to them. When I take it out of the water and let it dry out a little, the colored rubber surfaces turn whitish-grey (from porosity) and I can literally rub the surface and the rubber will disintegrate a little.

I haven't started to research yet... What's the recommended filter cartridge brand these days?

No idea, I don't own a hot tub. I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[g13092]

It's not theoretical, it's real.

I don't doubt it at all I just didn't have the source to cite.

Thus, most people find that they can run a tub with or without it connected and see very little difference.

My original ozone box broke. I only figured it out when the tee / venturi fittings failed and started leaking. Who knows how long it was down, could have been years. I saw bubbles, figured I had ozone (just like everyone else does). I put a new ozonator and associated tubing on, but found no appreciable difference in tub cleanliness or chemistry stability. Now if I had a bromine setup, the story would clearly be different.

When I take it out of the water and let it dry out a little, the colored rubber surfaces turn whitish-grey (from porosity) and I can literally rub the surface and the rubber will disintegrate a little.

Ah, this is how I'd describe the 'slime', so I feel better after hearing this.

Thanks!