Okay, I'm in the middle of ahhsome cleaning.

[Acmfl]

My hot tub is old and we got it in 2012 used. I finally have a good handle on the TFP method for my pool so I thought it was time to get on the program for my hot tub. This time of year is great because it's so hot out we don't use the hot tub much. I figured if it was out of commission for a while, no big deal.

I was only planning 2 purges this time out because of the water refills required. I figured I do more in a month or so if needed.

I put in the ahhsome dose, ran for an hour and started draining. It's about half drained right now. I've been cleaning the gunk up with a couple of rags soaked in a bleach water. So far it's nowhere near the level of gross I was expecting! I mean it's gross, but the hot tub is 16 yrs old. I don't know what I was expecting but I was imagining a superfund site with protective clothing, masks, eye protection and gloves! All I needed was gloves. As soon as it's drained I will be doing a second ahhsome purge, drain, cleanup and a water fill up to fully rinse it out. Then one last drain before I fill it and balance it.

Questions:

1. I'm confused about the blowing out the lines part of the proceedure. Can someone clarify?

2. I'm going to switch over to liquid chlorine from bromine tabs. I thought I'd try chlorine out until my next purge. Anything I need to know besides the helpful sticky on using chlorine in a hot tub topic?

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hi Acmfl: Sounds like you are doing a very good job with the plumbing colonoscopy. Be sure to rinse the shell immediately after draining or while it is draining. You do NOT want the gunk to sit on the acrylic and dry. This would make it very difficult to wipe off. Some people advise that using a garage type vacuum canister you can "suck out" remaining water and gunk that may have returned to the plumbing as the water drains. However, you are going to perform a second purge right away. Helpful hints: Don't worry about using a vacuum. It is not necessary since you are doing the second "purge". fill the tub back up and get the water heated to 90-100 degrees. Add slightly LESS Ahh-Some for the second round of cleaning, usually, 3/4 LEVEL teaspoon per 100 gallons for the next purge. Only run the jets 10-15 minutes on this run. Drain, wipe and rinse repeatedly and you are done. Fill er up again and get your water chemistry attended to. You may see a few flecks or some gunk that didn't drain out completely Just wipe it with a cloth or paper towel. You will find that your water is going to sparkling clear and be less maintenance going forward now that the plumbing is degunked.

So glad to see that you are listening to some of the forum participants on your maintenance issues and sanitizer program. This forum is a wonderful gift to hot tub and pool owners. There are some very professional people who give excellent advice. You are in good hands in this forum I assure you. Thanks for using the Ahh-Some. Would very much appreciate you posting again as to the results and maintenance going forward. People help people.

 

[Acmfl]

Thanks Ahhsomeguy! I was cleaning the gunk off as it drained the first time. What worked really well for me is I had a small bucket with bleach water and two rags. I would use one rag, then rinse off with the hose and put it back in the bleach water. Then I'd use the other rag to clean and keep repeating.

I just finished the second ahhsome purge and I'm draining right now. I ended up running the hot tub for an hour again. The second one produced much less gunk and I cleaned a lot of it off while it was running. I was able to clean the rest off the edges of the hot tub very quickly. There doesn't look like any more gunk is left in the tub and it's about half drained. The water is pretty clear, but I'm still going to fill again with clean water, drain one more time then fill again and balance.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Great. You did good. Please make future posts as to how your water maintenance is going. Do the bleach-Di-Chlor method and let people know if you are happy with the results. I am a big fan of this method. We have been tinkering with maintenance methods since 1970. This seems like a keeper even though other manufacturers offering various expensive alternative products probably don't agree. It is sooo easy to do. Plus, you save lots of money. And, IT WORKS!

 

[Acmfl]

I had to stop for the night even though it wasn't completely drained because a big storm rolled in. There was even a funnel cloud. Lots of lightning, just got the cover on in time before we had to hitail it inside. Luckily I'm pretty sure I got most of the gunk out. I should be drained in the am and I will finish up and post results. Thanks for the responses!

 

[Acmfl]

The hot tub looks great! I am switching over to bleach. I couldn't find dichlor so I added cya in a knee hi yesterday, but it didn't show any CYA when I checked it today. I added MA today since my TA was 130. I will recheck my CYA tomorrow and add more if necessary. My only concern is being sure I check the chlorine levels every day. With the bromine floater I was only checking it once a week or so.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

So, you seem to,have given your hot tub plumbing a complete colonoscopy. Your water clarity should be amazing after the purge.

 

[Acmfl]

So, you seem to,have given your hot tub plumbing a complete colonoscopy. Your water clarity should be amazing after the purge.

My water is awesome! The switch over to chlorine has been a huge success. I actually haven't been in much since the cleaning but I went in tonight. It was the first time I've been in our hot tub without having the bromine smell. Just nice clean water, no fumes.

 

[Acmfl]

Just a quick update. My hot tub is using very little chlorine and in fact I'm struggling with not putting more in. But when I check my numbers, I'm still good. The water smells and looks great! Even my TA and PH have stayed level over the last month. We didn't use it much last month which probably explains the low chlorine usage.

Something funny though, after doing the purging with the ahhsome, I lost a bunch of water and thought I had a leak in one of the jets. (The water level stopped losing water right at a row of jets-and face it it's a really old hot tub.) Turns out when I was draining, refilling over and over I lost the washer on the drain plug. Easy fix and back up and running.

 

[Akathisia]

Yeah Ahh-Some makes a big difference.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

It is absolutely amazing how many hot tub retailers are afraid to discuss the fact that purging and cleaning the plumbing of bio-buildup can assist the owner in so many positive ways. Every single hot tub need to have the plumbing colonoscopy twice a year. Hot tub owners who do this simple maintenance protocol have minimal issues and really enjoy how the water glistens. Over 70% of hot tub owners are confused about water care because of the issues that they have. Sad but true.

 

[Akathisia]

Yep and after the initial introduction of Ahh-Some, each susequent treatment is an easy part of the water change that I do.