Problems after Refilling Hot Tub / Hot Weather

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amattas

amattas

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Jun 18, 2017
98
Cincinnati, OH
Alright, so normally I don't have a problem with my hot tub, however, right now I can't get it back to clear. The first week after I filled it everything was fine, however, my Calcium Hardness was low so I added Leisure Time Protectant Calcium Booster. Over the next 36 hours after adding that chemical my Spa went from nice and clear to a terrible milky color.

My first instinct was to shock it (Dichlor) because my CCL went > 1PPM, so I took FCL up to 9PPM, and it didn't really do anything over the next 36 hours my FCL never dropped before 6 PPM, but my CCL was still .4-.5 So my next thought was I didn't shock it hard enough, so I've gave it another hit and took it up to ~17PPM and also added some MPS to help oxidize any chloramine's off faster. That seemed to get my CCL down to ~.2 which was progress, however, it's still cloudy.

As of writing this right now 48 hours later my chemistry looks like the below. So I still think growing in there, but I have no freaking clue what or how to kill it, or if this is just a problem because it's so hot out and my hot tub keeps going into summer logic and isn't circulating the chemicals.

Does anyone have thoughts?

TEST RESULT
Test factorsTest resultRange
Free Chlorine11.992-5
Total Chlorine13.32-5
Combined Chlorine1.310-0.2
pH7.37.2-7.6
Alkalinity6250-120
Hardness173150-250
Cyanuric Acid620-150
Iron0.10-0.2
Copper00-0.2
Borate4645-55
 
What type of hot tub? What type of filter? How many gallons?

Depending on the type of hot tub I question if CH makes a difference to you.

Lots of CYA in there for a new water fill and for a CL based tub.
 
ajw22 said:
What type of hot tub? What type of filter? How many gallons?

Depending on the type of hot tub I question if CH makes a difference to you.

Lots of CYA in there for a new water fill and for a CL based tub.
Click to expand...

Jacuzzi Freestanding, with pleated filters.

i thought the same on the CYA tbh, it was especially weird to me because through the winter using he same jig of chlorine and barely had any CYA rise. (Could it be a bad batch of dichlor?)

I was half tempted to shock it with Sodium Hypo from my pool instead but the hot tub dealer said it can etch the acrylic.
 
I dont think you need calcium booster in an acrylic hot tub.

I know i get yelled at here for suggesting a drain and refill. But this is a stand-alone hot tub. And if the CYA level is correct you need to do a major drain anyway to get it down. Start fresh unless you have water supply limitations.

When was the filter cleaned or replaced? The filter could have organics causing your CL usage.
 
Arobbert said:
I doubt this has anything to do with calcium hardness. The CC is high indicating a biological contaminant.

The shock level for a cya of 60 should be fc 24 as per the chart linked below:
https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

See this link for shock instructions.
https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

You may have a bio film. If shocking doesn't fix the problem you should drain and purge with Ahh-Some.
Click to expand...

Biofilm? New term to me, please explain.

Also I do have a couple general question - the hot tub dealer has explicitly said don't use Sodium Hypo as it'll damage the tub, and to just drain the tub when the CYA > 150, I know this to be terrible advice after all the reading about my pool on here I've done. So assuming I have CYA in my spa at about 40, is it safe to use Cal Hypo without damaging the shell as the dealer claims is possible?
 
If you can find out what is in SpaPerfect let us know but I could find no ingredients listed on their MSDS. Whenever you are draining the spa it is critical to fully clean and purge all the plumbing below the water line with a surfactant suitable for spas and capable of breaking down biofilms and allowing you to control microorganisms with your sanitizers.
 
amattas said:
N/m I read on it, but isn't that what the SpaPerfect I regularly add is supposed to take care of?
Click to expand...

I used to have an acrylic spa many years ago and used Spa Perfect for a while. As far as I could tell it was to breakup scum that may be floating on the top of the water so it could flow to the filter. It did not seem to have any sanitizing ability.
 
ajw22 said:
I used to have an acrylic spa many years ago and used Spa Perfect for a while. As far as I could tell it was to breakup scum that may be floating on the top of the water so it could flow to the filter. It did not seem to have any sanitizing ability.
Click to expand...

Sorry was comparing Ahh-Some to Spa Perfect.

But my question still stands on Sodium Hypo and the Spa.

Also it just hit me my high CCL may be the MPS... :mad: So if my CCL drops and the cloudyness remains I’m out of ideas.
 

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amattas said:
Biofilm? New term to me, please explain.

Also I do have a couple general question - the hot tub dealer has explicitly said don't use Sodium Hypo as it'll damage the tub, and to just drain the tub when the CYA > 150, I know this to be terrible advice after all the reading about my pool on here I've done. So assuming I have CYA in my spa at about 40, is it safe to use Cal Hypo without damaging the shell as the dealer claims is possible?
Click to expand...

The Ahh-Some website has a good description of what biofilm is. You will also find numerous posts on this on other forums if you search the term.

Cal Hypo will increase your calcium hardness which you don't really want. Use Sodium Hypo AKA bleach.
 
amattas said:
Also I do have a couple general question - the hot tub dealer has explicitly said don't use Sodium Hypo as it'll damage the tub, and to just drain the tub when the CYA > 150, I know this to be terrible advice after all the reading about my pool on here I've done. So assuming I have CYA in my spa at about 40, is it safe to use Cal Hypo without damaging the shell as the dealer claims is possible?
Click to expand...
Sodium Hypo will not damage your tub. I'm assuming:
  1. The dealer doesn't know what he's talking about, or
  2. The dealer doesn't want you to figure out that you can buy cheap bleach instead of expensive spa chemicals from his store.

A couple notes on buying bleach (sodium hypo): Apparently all Clorox brand bleach now has junk it in that will cause foaming. Cheap store name brands will work, such as Great Value at Walmart. Do not get anything with fragrance, anything that's "easy pour" or "splashless" or anything similar. You just want plain bleach and nothing else. Try not to get it from a gas station or tiny store, as it might be old. You typically want it made within the last 6 months. The bottles do have date codes but the format varies between brands. You can of course buy sodium hypo from a pool/spa store or Walmart as well (often called "liquid shock" or "liquid chlorine").

You'll find both your dealer and the spa manufacturer say things that don't line up with what we say here. Don't worry about it. Listen to the advise here and you'll be in great shape.
 
Thanks, that was my guess too, although it is odd because I usually buy my Sodium Hypo at the pool store.

I’m lucky that regard, their Maintain brand Sodium Hypo (10%) I usually get between $2.79-$3.39 a gallon, and Sanygen 12% is about $.75 more. Walmart’s (10%) pool chlorine is $3.64/jug, and (6%) generic regular bleach is $2.60 a jug, so typically the pool store is a better shake.
 
Well the hot tub last night got to CCL 0, with FCL of 5.97 with a little cloudiness left so I added clarifier and it’s back to normal.

the hot tub company indeed confirmed summer logic tends to give customers problems and all you can do is add more chlorine, so I’m definitely going to experiment with the Sodium Hypo Route (if only they made smaller bottles for hot tubs)
 
Hello amattas: Your recent question is a very good one as to our ingredients and how it compares to other pipe cleaners. We can't speak for those other products but we can tell you that the Ahh-Some plumbing & jet cleaner incorporates a very concentrated cationic surfactant with carbon chains that are extremely effective. In addition to this we have proprietary carriers that work in conjunction with the active ingredients. We don't just penetrate the biofilm lipid layer, our formulary works diligently to get deep inside the slime layers to scour and scrape it off the piping. Test results are available that shows exact data as regards to the effectiveness of removing and killing PA (Pseudomonas Aeruginosa) bacteria. These are the rascals that typically cause one to acquire "hot tub rash". We cannot speculate as to what other manufacturers have in their cleaning formularies, however, based on our test data and the fact that many of the world's hot tub manufacturers, recommend the Ahh-Some product to their dealer network, we feel strongly that the Ahh-Some is the clear winner in the plumbing & jet cleaning protocols. We are not trying to make this sound like an advertisement. This is clearly not our goal in writing this post. This was done in an effort to help you and the millions of other hot tub and jetted bath owners to make you aware of the tremendous benefits to elimination biofilm from your vessels. You've been reading about E-Coli and Legionella outbreaks in some hot tubs and pools around the country. Just Google it. We strongly recommend that "TFP" readers support this forum by getting products from the TFtestkits.net website. They have many products you need and they are here to assist you. They do a great job and get the goods out to you quickly and save you money as well. This forum is run by Good People who eat and sleep this business. They deserve our support. Ok amattas! Hope this helps answer your question.
 
One more question on the AhhSome piece, looking at the research data on your web-site why was were the two products tested at different temperatures, seems like something that should have been controlled for?
 

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