Someone recognize this soapy looking residue on tub water surface?

[bassie123456]

Hi everyone,

I have just drained and refilled my tub. After an issue with white flakes that kept coming out of my pipes I did a few purges and finally filled the tub for use yesterday. The flakes are all gone now.

I haven't done anything with the water balance. I have filled the tub using a pre-fill filter to lower the CH since our tap water CH is too high. After that, I have only added dichlor. I am now at:

• CYA: 5
• CH: +/- 160
• PH: 7.8
• Temp: 98.6 f
• FC: 3
• 330 gallon tub with ozonator

I have not yet added Borates, no acids (except for the dichlor) or baking soda. So except for a little bit of dichlor, the water is as clean as it can be (and our tap water should be pretty good).

However, when I turn on all the jets, blower, etc and then turn it all off, there appears some kind of residue on the surface of my spa as you can see on the pictures. It is gone within a couple minutes with the filter on, and the water is crystal clear.

Does anyone recognize this? I have had this issue before but back then I thought it would have something to do with my other problem (the white flakes/particles) which has now been resolved.

Hopefully someone can help me tackle this very last issue I am having since switching to the dichlor-then-bleach approach. I have learned so much already thanks to this forum, but I cannot figure this one out. Thanks a lot in advance!

Pics:

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Could you have used too much detergent or fabric softeners in the laundry that has the bathing suits?

Maddie

 

[bassie123456]

Could you have used too much detergent or fabric softeners in the laundry that has the bathing suits?

Maddie

Thanks for your reply! I can't imagine.. We rinse our bathing suits with tap water before we get in the tub. Also there is almost no foam, which I would expect if it was due to detergents.

Could this by any chance still be some kind of scum or biofilm in my pipes causing this? We don't have ahhsome over here so I have used alternative but likewise products for the flush. Maybe I should get ahhsome shipped and try that..

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Contact Total Water Products (TWP) in Wales. They have the product you are seeking. Yes, it does appear to be remnants of biofilm or a white mould. Be sure to put your filter(s) inside the hot tub proper when you purge.

 

[bassie123456]

Contact Total Water Products (TWP) in Wales. They have the product you are seeking. Yes, it does appear to be remnants of biofilm or a white mould. Be sure to put your filter(s) inside the hot tub proper when you purge.

Thanks! I will contact them. And all instructions I read on alternatives for ahhsome said to remove the filter. You are saying to keep the filter in the tub? (and remove afterwards I assume?)

 

[bassie123456]

Contact Total Water Products (TWP) in Wales. They have the product you are seeking. Yes, it does appear to be remnants of biofilm or a white mould. Be sure to put your filter(s) inside the hot tub proper when you purge.

One more question, looking at my situation now, what ahh-some protocol would you suggest to follow?

 

[MPurcell]

Hallo

Remove the filter from the filter chamber (not sure how your tub is configured) and put it into the main tub while doing to Ah-some purge. This will remove anything that might recontaminate the water later.

Under normal circumstances, one Ah-some purge of 30 minutes to one hour with the water at ambient temperature would be sufficient, performed about once every six months, to keep the tub sparkling.

Your previous sanitation method may have allowed a significant buildup of biofilm in the approximately two years you used it, so you may need to do a little more than normal. Certainly, the other purge products you have already used should have removed some of the biofilm so that's a plus. Following are only my speculations; Ahsome guy would have to pitch in to confirm or deny. Increasing the temperature of the water may tend to soften materials and allow greater penetration. Keeping the purge going a longer period of time with circulation may help loosen more material. Also, other users have reported having to do multiple purges to get their situation fully resolved. I think there are some threads on the other forum that give some details of this.

Cheers, and good luck with it.

By the way, I've been running the bleach dichlor method for three months now. In fact, I am draining and refilling again today. All has gone well with it, except I had a gradual buildup of combined chlorine, probably due to putting the lid back on immediately after adding chlorine after a soak, so the water didn't have time to off-gas. Lately, I've been leaving the lid off for 30 minutes to an hour after adding the chlorine, and that has slowed the buildup of combined chlorine. With the new refill, we'll see how it goes leaving the lid off each time.

Michael

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hallo

Remove the filter from the filter chamber (not sure how your tub is configured) and put it into the main tub while doing to Ah-some purge. This will remove anything that might recontaminate the water later.

Under normal circumstances, one Ah-some purge of 30 minutes to one hour with the water at ambient temperature would be sufficient, performed about once every six months, to keep the tub sparkling.

Your previous sanitation method may have allowed a significant buildup of biofilm in the approximately two years you used it, so you may need to do a little more than normal. Certainly, the other purge products you have already used should have removed some of the biofilm so that's a plus. Following are only my speculations; Ahsome guy would have to pitch in to confirm or deny. Increasing the temperature of the water may tend to soften materials and allow greater penetration. Keeping the purge going a longer period of time with circulation may help loosen more material. Also, other users have reported having to do multiple purges to get their situation fully resolved. I think there are some threads on the other forum that give some details of this.

Cheers, and good luck with it.

By the way, I've been running the bleach dichlor method for three months now. In fact, I am draining and refilling again today. All has gone well with it, except I had a gradual buildup of combined chlorine, probably due to putting the lid back on immediately after adding chlorine after a soak, so the water didn't have time to off-gas. Lately, I've been leaving the lid off for 30 minutes to an hour after adding the chlorine, and that has slowed the buildup of combined chlorine. With the new refill, we'll see how it goes leaving the lid off each time.

Michael

Michael is correct that we do recommend placing the filter(s) in the Hot Tub proper while cleaning the plumbing. Warm or hot water will allow for a quicker penetration of whatever may be lurking inside your plumbing infrastructure. No need to overdose though. Usually, using less is actually better. If you are going to allow the treated water to set longer or overnight please be sure to wipe away any of the released gunk with a microfiber cloth or towel so it does not stick to the acrylic. Biofilms are made of numerous contaminants where some can be comprised of polysaccharides or sugar molecules. Very sticky. So, wipe the waterline numerous times BEFORE you let the tub set filled for a longer period. You mention something about which protocol to use. You are not looking at the correct instructions. Look for the “instructions for usage” in a small oval in the hot tub product section of the website. You are referring to totally different instructions that help in other situations that I am not going to elaborate on in this forum. Those protocols are for specific situations that I don’t think apply to your hot tub. After you drain the tub rinse it completely and wipe the shell. Hose off filter(s) and place back in filter compartment. Refill the tub making sure that you fill the filter cavity first to be sure your pump gets a quick prime when you restart. You may see some residual gunk appear when you first start the pump(s) and jets. Just wipe the gunk with a cloth and you shall be good to go. I also like the bleach/di-chlor method of sanitation.

 

[bassie123456]

@Mpurcell, many thanks for your help and information. I am trying to get hands on ahhsome and will do the ahhsome purge or maybe purges if needed. My only hope is (since the flakes are all gone), that I actually am almost there already.

@Ahhsomeguy, thanks a lot! I understand. I was referring to these protocols because I have read somewhere that those did apply when having calcium sterate problem. And although I don't think that's my problem, I thought maybe do that protocol just in case and hope it will clear any biofilm + if any, calcium sterate. However, I will make sure to take a look at the 'instructions for usage' section you referred to and follow those instructions.

When doing purges with ahhsome, I assume I will see gunk being released. Is it recommended to keep purging untill you see no, or minimal gunk being released?

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

@Mpurcell, many thanks for your help and information. I am trying to get hands on ahhsome and will do the ahhsome purge or maybe purges if needed. My only hope is (since the flakes are all gone), that I actually am almost there already.

@Ahhsomeguy, thanks a lot! I understand. I was referring to these protocols because I have read somewhere that those did apply when having calcium sterate problem. And although I don't think that's my problem, I thought maybe do that protocol just in case and hope it will clear any biofilm + if any, calcium sterate. However, I will make sure to take a look at the 'instructions for usage' section you referred to and follow those instructions.

When doing purges with ahhsome, I assume I will see gunk being released. Is it recommended to keep purging untill you see no, or minimal gunk being released?

Usually one 20-30 minute cycle is all it takes.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Usually one 20-30 minute cycle is all it takes.

Bassie: Were you able to obtain the product from our Wales Distributor? We also have a few other outlets in Europe you can contact.

 

[bassie123456]

Bassie: Were you able to obtain the product from our Wales Distributor? We also have a few other outlets in Europe you can contact.

Hi Ahhsomeguy, yeah I got a quote. At the moment awaiting there reply to confirm the order. So I hope I have hands on ahhsome soon I must say, my water seems very good at the moment. It is really clear, my chlorine demand is way lower then on my previous fill. Only thing is I keep having this foamy/soapy scum after I have enabled all the jets. The white flakes are all gone for sure. Do you think it is safe to use the tub now? It seems totally safe to me. In that case I am thinking about doing the purge on my next refill (2-3 months from now).

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hi Ahhsomeguy, yeah I got a quote. At the moment awaiting there reply to confirm the order. So I hope I have hands on ahhsome soon I must say, my water seems very good at the moment. It is really clear, my chlorine demand is way lower then on my previous fill. Only thing is I keep having this foamy/soapy scum after I have enabled all the jets. The white flakes are all gone for sure. Do you think it is safe to use the tub now? It seems totally safe to me. In that case I am thinking about doing the purge on my next refill (2-3 months from now).

Yes, I did receive word from our European Distributor that they were getting you some Ahh-Some for you and some of your friends who also have hot tubs. I do think you can safely use the tub right now. However, be sure you have adequate sanitizer levels. The foam is somewhat of a concern to me as we must determine the source. We definitely want you to do another plumbing clean out after you receive the product. I feel strongly that there is still abundant biofilm in your plumbing infrastructure. Be sure to tell us the results of the Ahh-Some “purge”. You don’t mess around with biofilm issues. Elimination gets you crystal clear safe soaking water with minimal water maintenance issues. Remember this, no matter how well you maintain water chemistry and sanitizer levels, growth of organic and inorganic particulates in the plumbing will still be ongoing. Chlorine and most sanitizers does not remove biofilm even at extremely high ppm’s. You do need to use an effective cleaner periodically to do the job. Even brand new unused hot tubs should have their plumbing flushed since many are laden with this same issue. We have some dealers that flush every hot tub they get in prior to homeowner delivery. Those customers are happy Hot Tubbers.

 

[bassie123456]

Yes, I did receive word from our European Distributor that they were getting you some Ahh-Some for you and some of your friends who also have hot tubs. I do think you can safely use the tub right now. However, be sure you have adequate sanitizer levels. The foam is somewhat of a concern to me as we must determine the source. We definitely want you to do another plumbing clean out after you receive the product. I feel strongly that there is still abundant biofilm in your plumbing infrastructure. Be sure to tell us the results of the Ahh-Some “purge”. You don’t mess around with biofilm issues. Elimination gets you crystal clear safe soaking water with minimal water maintenance issues. Remember this, no matter how well you maintain water chemistry and sanitizer levels, growth of organic and inorganic particulates in the plumbing will still be ongoing. Chlorine and most sanitizers does not remove biofilm even at extremely high ppm’s. You do need to use an effective cleaner periodically to do the job. Even brand new unused hot tubs should have their plumbing flushed since many are laden with this same issue. We have some dealers that flush every hot tub they get in prior to homeowner delivery. Those customers are happy Hot Tubbers.

Thanks! For now I will continue enjoying our tub and make sure my PH and FC is always within proper ranges. The water looks crystal clear, there is no weird smell (except for a little chlorine smell) and there is no scum or slimy stuff on the walls of the tub, so I assume it's maybe just stuff in the plumbing and apart from that, I think the water quality and sanitation is pretty good. As soon as I have hands on ahh-some I will do a purge. Would you recommend to do a purge on every drain&fill (in my case 3-5 months) or is for example once a year enough (assuming there has always been proper sanitation). I am very curious what is going to happen when I do my first purge with ahh-some and I am definitely going to update this post with the outcome.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Thanks! For now I will continue enjoying our tub and make sure my PH and FC is always within proper ranges. The water looks crystal clear, there is no weird smell (except for a little chlorine smell) and there is no scum or slimy stuff on the walls of the tub, so I assume it's maybe just stuff in the plumbing and apart from that, I think the water quality and sanitation is pretty good. As soon as I have hands on ahh-some I will do a purge. Would you recommend to do a purge on every drain&fill (in my case 3-5 months) or is for example once a year enough (assuming there has always been proper sanitation). I am very curious what is going to happen when I do my first purge with ahh-some and I am definitely going to update this post with the outcome.

Hi Bassie123456: I checked with our Distributor in Wales and they tell me that you were shipped the Ahh-Some Hot Tub Plumbing Cleaner. Please let this forum know the results of your next purge. This will solve your problem with the water clarity.

 

[bassie123456]

Hi Ahhsomeguy, indeed it's been shipped and it should arrive in a day or 2. I hope next weekend I can do the purge. I will definitely update this thread with the outcome! Can't wait to see what happens and if it indeed resolves this foamy residue issue.