Best way to remove Ahh Some Scum

[Cindy_H]

So I'm running Ahh Some in a tub that "came with the house" and I was not prepared for how much of the the sticky gunk is being dislodged and ringing around the edges. It's great cuz I know I'm getting the tub clean but I'd appreciate anyone's idea on how to best clean the brown sticky biofilm off of the edges besides paper towels and elbow grease!

Thanks!!!

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Just FYI - this is after wiping the side down many times!!!

 

[Arobbert]

1/2 a bucket warm water 8th tsp Ahh-Some. Use a wash cloth and rinse frequently. You may need to purge several times if it's bad.

- - - Updated - - -

So I'm running Ahh Some in a tub that "came with the house" and I was not prepared for how much of the the sticky gunk is being dislodged and ringing around the edges. It's great cuz I know I'm getting the tub clean but I'd appreciate anyone's idea on how to best clean the brown sticky biofilm off of the edges besides paper towels and elbow grease!

Thanks!!!

- - - Updated - - -

View attachment 72549Just FYI - this is after wiping the side down many times!!!

OMG! You may want to use rags and throw them away. You'll definitely want at least one more purge.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Cindy,

I use a shop vac and try and suck as much of that "goop" up before it gets to the sides of the spa.. You will have to dump the shop vac... a lot...

I then do what Bert says above... You will have to flush the spa at least twice, maybe more...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Cindy_H]

Thanks! This is all real time so I'll update my process/thinking....

I've been running the jets/air/filter pump for ~2 hrs. I've been wiping down the sides of the disgusting scum while it runs. I stopped the pumps for a bit and checked the filter baskets and wiped them down with paper towels (they didn't have the sticky goo). As time goes on, less goo accumulated on the edges but so too did the foamy bubbles go away. I also noted that ahh some says "if it's too bubbly, you probably added too much" so I figured "if it's not bubbly you need more." I decided to then add more ahh some - 1 Tbs. after each good wipe down and bubble diminishment. I started with 3 Tbs. ahh some in my 1000 gallon tub, and even that didn't bubble up as much as folks report. I am now up to 5 Tbs - but think this might be it before I drain. It's a 1000 gallon tub so I don't want to drain and refill 100x.

I also looked at some of the research papers Ahh Some uses to prove their product. The are lab tests and impressive - and the time course does show that in that experiment 10 minutes of ahh some is equivalent to 24 hrs so I'm wondering if that's why they say 10 minutes is enough? http://www.ahhsome.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MSUBiofilmTestResults_2.pdf

Any more data behind timing and amounts would be appreciated. I'd like to know why purging and reappying is better than adding more if needed...

ALSO - an amazing note - when I did turn off the jets I noticed the water was crystal clear! It had been clear enough, and the chemistry right, but had a slightly green tinge. What might ahh some have removed from the water if it's not a sanitizer? It is a coagulant too??

Thanks! I'll keep updating.

 

[ant 83]

I remove the gunk with a pool net.

Like the original poster, I use paper towel, and keep adding more to make more bubbles, until no more brown/green gunk is produced. Ive never refilled, and then added more ahh-some, so I 'm curious too if that step is recommended. And if so, why.

Make sure you wipe down everything, including in the recesses by the water jets. Bio film grows there. The fact that I can still find/see bio film after doing the purge leads me to believe that it's impossible to get it all out of the plumbing where I can't wipe.

 

[Cindy_H]

OK - so I ended up adding about 6 Tbs Ahh Some to my 1000 gal hot tub - keeping the temp up above 80 deg mostly running the jets for about 5 hours. I continually wiped the scum off the edges until very little was still being generated. My main observation was that at first the scum was very brown and sticky but at the end it was bright green and more slimy. I'm draining now and going to do another refill/treatment if only because it's the first time I've drained this used spa and I figure I'd better.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hi Cindy: You did good. Your spa water going forward will be the clearest water you’ve ever seen and you will not have to spend lots of time on maintenance. When you remove all this bio-gunk from the plumbing your sanitizer and other chemicals have an easier time to accomplish the mission.unfortunately, most hot tub dealers won’t mention biofilm to you. You know it was there. Follow A Robbert’s Advice and begin enjoying your clean hot tub.