I have black Algae on the sides of my hot tub. Most are just above the water line but some are below. What have you found to be successful in removing it? Leslie Pools said their chemicals won't work because the water is too hot. I have scrapped what i can off and it was a tough job, like trying to scrape off old glue!
Black Algaeon a Hot Tub
- Thread starter Rickblack001
- Start date
What is the surface of your hot tub? What did you scrape it with? Do you have any pics of the algae?
The tub surface is a smooth plastic (acrylic). I used a kitchen sponge with a scrubbing side, 3M I think. I will have to take a picture this evening.
I have never heard of black algae on a fiberglas surface. If you scrape the top of one off and smear it on a piece of white paper, what color is it?
Re: Black Algae on a Hot Tub
I rubbed a sccrping on some paper and, for the most part, it smeared clear. I was in a time crunch and didn't get any pictures.
I rubbed a sccrping on some paper and, for the most part, it smeared clear. I was in a time crunch and didn't get any pictures.
If it's black algae (it should look like a black scab and can be smeared dark green on paper)
If your tub is acrylic I'm assuming it's a standalone tub. Considering the small size of the tub (400gallons?) I would drain it completely then get in the tub and use a bleach soaked sponge and rub off what you can. If the sponge isn't coarse enough use something like a plastic scraping tool http://www.amazon.com/Nylon-Pan-Scraper ... fe+scraper
Basically black algae is usually a big deal since it's very rugged and can take a beating when it comes to shocking a pool. since you can drain your tub and physically scrape by hand and use bleach directly it shouldn't be too much of a problem. After you have everything looking clean I would fill the tub with a black algae shock level of chlorine to make sure there isn't anything hiding out in the plumbing that can start the process over again.
If your tub is acrylic I'm assuming it's a standalone tub. Considering the small size of the tub (400gallons?) I would drain it completely then get in the tub and use a bleach soaked sponge and rub off what you can. If the sponge isn't coarse enough use something like a plastic scraping tool http://www.amazon.com/Nylon-Pan-Scraper ... fe+scraper
Basically black algae is usually a big deal since it's very rugged and can take a beating when it comes to shocking a pool. since you can drain your tub and physically scrape by hand and use bleach directly it shouldn't be too much of a problem. After you have everything looking clean I would fill the tub with a black algae shock level of chlorine to make sure there isn't anything hiding out in the plumbing that can start the process over again.
Thanks, you are correct in your 400 gal spa guess and I'll take the steps you recommend. What would a Black Algae level of chlorine shock be?
Black algae will smear green on a white paper, so I suspect what you have isn't algae. The best solution is to drain and clean as said above.
That doesn't sound like algae at all. Chlorine may have no affect on whatever it is.
if it's sticky it might be oils or maybe tree sap that turned dark from dirt. pictures!!