Okay - long story, will try bullet points to get my point across. Looking for some direction and I always re-find my way here
I have a Jacuzzi J345 tub that is 4 years old this October.
I use the dichlor / bleach method.
I do a clean and fill twice a year - Spring after it warms up and Fall right before it stays below 40.
I always use SeaKlear Spa Flush, dump the tub, refill - add dichlor to 20ppm, dump again, refill and balance.
I always use ProTeam Gentle Spa to add 50ppm of Borates at the end and re-balance again.
The tub, since my last clean fill in April or May has only been used 2-3 times total. We keep up on the chemicals and check the levels every three days. Over the last two months, the water has had a musty smell that "sticks" to your skin if you dip your arm in taking a water sample. It has gone to a FC of 0 for a day or two at most maybe two or three times - but with nobody using the tub at all. The lid is not hardly opened at all except to check the water.
Here was my plan that has cause me a minor stroke:
i emptied the tub on Monday (9/5) and did not use any SeaKlear. My intention was to just refill and re-balance and change the filter to get rid of the smell. When I started to refill the tub by the sticking the hose into left filter hole with the grid, yellow colored water came out of the port for 10-15 seconds in to the bottom of the tub after a few seconds of the water running - not solid, but murky, like a chicken soup color yellow. The bottom of the tub water was noticeably yellow colored after it filled for a bit. I stopped the fill - dropped the pump back in and pumped it out. I then decided to fill the tub all the way up, didn't see anymore yellow, and added SeaKlear Spa Flush. Brown / Black / Dark Red scum lines around the tub immediately. Kept wiping them off with a paper towel so I didn't put it back into the water and it would come back. I ran high jets with air on. When it dried slightly around the tub it was a black / dark brown sludge - reminded me of tar. I let the tub set all night and ran it a few time here and there before bed. Went to work Tuesday and let the tub set - it cycles every 6 or 8 hours and was planning on emptying it Tuesday night.
A family emergency came up and I could not empty it that night. I had my wife check it and no scum line, but the water was cloudy blue from the SeaKlear and if you reach your hand into the tub, below the water line, the was a film on the inside of the tub on everything. Not like sandpaper, but rough. It wiped off with minimal elbow grease - but was on everything below the water line.
So it sat until Wednesday night where I could flush and wipe it down to remove the film. I added some more SeaKlear prior to dumping it and and some bleach - no effect on the film - so i used a microfiber towel and wiped away. Started to refill the tub and after about 5 inches of water in the bottom of the tub, my water has a noticeable green tint. I pump it out - do it again - about 3 times. Finally let it fill up all way and still has a green hue to it. Added 5 oz of 8.5% bleach to it and cycled it - nothing. PH was at 7.0 so i added PH + and took it to 7.8. Still green. Added 8 oz of SeaKlear and brown / red scum started to appear in the foam. My wife commented that it looked like someone threw up in the tub and it was just floating there. So I cycled it two times, added about 100ppm of bleach and cycled it for 30 minutes and the drained it. Refilled it and you can see little specks of red and black settled on the seats an bottom of the tub - could not get a good read on if it was still tinted green. With the outside lights on and the tubs lights on - it did appear to, so I will look tonight. I also add 10ppm dichlor to the tub and cycled it and left it for the night.
My plan, if the water is clear, was to dump it one more time, do a clean fill and balance. (it wasn't clear - still tinted green)
My minor stroke is, what happened? Am I safe to use the tub? If the water isn't clear - what is going on? I'm an engineer and I keep records everytime I open the tub and what was added, etc. The FC to 0 a couple of times was due to business trips and burning through the bleach faster, My CYA was also about 60 a couple of months ago which will hurt my longevity of the bleach - but can I get a helping hand please?
Any and all help is appreciated - and needed! I'm afraid I ruined my tub -
*************
9/8:
So I got home tonight and water is tinted a Lima bean green color. Ph was 7.5 and TA was 240. FC was 9.8 so maybe my teaspoon measurement or left over super chlorinated water kept it up there. I have not put in clean filters yet so I am running without filters - didn't know if it would contaminate them. The other set I took out is soaking in cascade and hot water (1 cup to 5 gallons).
I had some dark red sediment at the bottom of the tub - but not a lot.
I decided to do the decontamination portion of lowering TA to 80 and PH to 7.2 and then shocking to 50ppm with bleach. I'll do that and then refill and chlorinate to 10 ppm and let it sit overnight.
There is still a brown scum line not as bad but there.
Any input would help! Thanks.
***Edit - had to stop. Storm moved in and I left the tub at TA 110 and PH 7.8 and FC 9.8. Will continue more tomorrow night ***
Should I put in the filters? I didn't want to contaminate them.
I have never had this issue. Usually I do a SeaKlear Flush, dump, refill, cholrinate, dump, and refill and balance - all with no color issues AT ALL!
Would Ahh-Some work better on this SeaKlear? Appreciate any and all help!
I have a Jacuzzi J345 tub that is 4 years old this October.
I use the dichlor / bleach method.
I do a clean and fill twice a year - Spring after it warms up and Fall right before it stays below 40.
I always use SeaKlear Spa Flush, dump the tub, refill - add dichlor to 20ppm, dump again, refill and balance.
I always use ProTeam Gentle Spa to add 50ppm of Borates at the end and re-balance again.
The tub, since my last clean fill in April or May has only been used 2-3 times total. We keep up on the chemicals and check the levels every three days. Over the last two months, the water has had a musty smell that "sticks" to your skin if you dip your arm in taking a water sample. It has gone to a FC of 0 for a day or two at most maybe two or three times - but with nobody using the tub at all. The lid is not hardly opened at all except to check the water.
Here was my plan that has cause me a minor stroke:
i emptied the tub on Monday (9/5) and did not use any SeaKlear. My intention was to just refill and re-balance and change the filter to get rid of the smell. When I started to refill the tub by the sticking the hose into left filter hole with the grid, yellow colored water came out of the port for 10-15 seconds in to the bottom of the tub after a few seconds of the water running - not solid, but murky, like a chicken soup color yellow. The bottom of the tub water was noticeably yellow colored after it filled for a bit. I stopped the fill - dropped the pump back in and pumped it out. I then decided to fill the tub all the way up, didn't see anymore yellow, and added SeaKlear Spa Flush. Brown / Black / Dark Red scum lines around the tub immediately. Kept wiping them off with a paper towel so I didn't put it back into the water and it would come back. I ran high jets with air on. When it dried slightly around the tub it was a black / dark brown sludge - reminded me of tar. I let the tub set all night and ran it a few time here and there before bed. Went to work Tuesday and let the tub set - it cycles every 6 or 8 hours and was planning on emptying it Tuesday night.
A family emergency came up and I could not empty it that night. I had my wife check it and no scum line, but the water was cloudy blue from the SeaKlear and if you reach your hand into the tub, below the water line, the was a film on the inside of the tub on everything. Not like sandpaper, but rough. It wiped off with minimal elbow grease - but was on everything below the water line.
So it sat until Wednesday night where I could flush and wipe it down to remove the film. I added some more SeaKlear prior to dumping it and and some bleach - no effect on the film - so i used a microfiber towel and wiped away. Started to refill the tub and after about 5 inches of water in the bottom of the tub, my water has a noticeable green tint. I pump it out - do it again - about 3 times. Finally let it fill up all way and still has a green hue to it. Added 5 oz of 8.5% bleach to it and cycled it - nothing. PH was at 7.0 so i added PH + and took it to 7.8. Still green. Added 8 oz of SeaKlear and brown / red scum started to appear in the foam. My wife commented that it looked like someone threw up in the tub and it was just floating there. So I cycled it two times, added about 100ppm of bleach and cycled it for 30 minutes and the drained it. Refilled it and you can see little specks of red and black settled on the seats an bottom of the tub - could not get a good read on if it was still tinted green. With the outside lights on and the tubs lights on - it did appear to, so I will look tonight. I also add 10ppm dichlor to the tub and cycled it and left it for the night.
My plan, if the water is clear, was to dump it one more time, do a clean fill and balance. (it wasn't clear - still tinted green)
My minor stroke is, what happened? Am I safe to use the tub? If the water isn't clear - what is going on? I'm an engineer and I keep records everytime I open the tub and what was added, etc. The FC to 0 a couple of times was due to business trips and burning through the bleach faster, My CYA was also about 60 a couple of months ago which will hurt my longevity of the bleach - but can I get a helping hand please?
Any and all help is appreciated - and needed! I'm afraid I ruined my tub -
*************
9/8:
So I got home tonight and water is tinted a Lima bean green color. Ph was 7.5 and TA was 240. FC was 9.8 so maybe my teaspoon measurement or left over super chlorinated water kept it up there. I have not put in clean filters yet so I am running without filters - didn't know if it would contaminate them. The other set I took out is soaking in cascade and hot water (1 cup to 5 gallons).
I had some dark red sediment at the bottom of the tub - but not a lot.
I decided to do the decontamination portion of lowering TA to 80 and PH to 7.2 and then shocking to 50ppm with bleach. I'll do that and then refill and chlorinate to 10 ppm and let it sit overnight.
There is still a brown scum line not as bad but there.
Any input would help! Thanks.
***Edit - had to stop. Storm moved in and I left the tub at TA 110 and PH 7.8 and FC 9.8. Will continue more tomorrow night ***
Should I put in the filters? I didn't want to contaminate them.
I have never had this issue. Usually I do a SeaKlear Flush, dump, refill, cholrinate, dump, and refill and balance - all with no color issues AT ALL!
Would Ahh-Some work better on this SeaKlear? Appreciate any and all help!
