Biofilm or glue?

[marcovtwout]

I just finished a thourough cleaning session of my hot hub, which I am using for just over a year and was passed on to me by the previous owner of this house. I noticed this yellowish border inside the filter housing, mostly on the top of where the filters sit. I tried removing it with an abrasive pad but that hardly gives any result.

Is this some kind of really sticky biofilm? I figure it could also be some kind of pipe glue which has yellowed a bit over the years. Will happily provide more details if needed. Pictures included in attachments.

 

[Jimrahbe]

M,

Looks like glue to me, but did you not see it before? Did you use Ahh-some to clean your spa?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[marcovtwout]

I did notice it before, but didn't pay much attention to it until this time I noticed the filters were dirty around the same area. Pictures added of the 3-month old filters before cleaning.

For this yearly cleaning I used a line cleaner (SpaBalancer SystemFlush) that is advertised to work against biofilms as well. Hardly any gunk appeared after using the line cleaner over night, and I purged and thourougly cleaned the spa. I followed up with a high chlorine shock and then purged and briefly cleaned again.

The spa is used once a week on average and I maintain proper chemical levels and a logbook.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Hi Jimrahbe: Many hot tub owners just don't get it. They walk into a store and are sold a purge product that they think will remove biofilm, as they are told. They use it, get a little response and think their tub plumbing is clean.
Not their fault in most cases. Many hot tub dealers don't even know about biofilm. They rely on products where the profitability is best for them, not the customer. We see this every day. The Ahh-Some is more expensive in most cases. However, it works. This hot tub owner should purge with the Ahh-Some and really get the gunk out.

 

[Jimrahbe]

guy,

Kind of why I asked...

Thanks for the input,

Jim R.

 

[marcovtwout]

Hello Ahhsomeguy,

I'm having trouble to understand your comment as it seems written as an indirect and generic response to my question. Are you saying my hot tub currently has biofilm buildup, and did you conclude so from any of the pictures? Do you think the pictures of the filter housing show biofilm buildup and not glue?

Just to clarify: the pictures of the filter housing is after cleaning, the pictures of the filters themselves is before cleaning. I don't see why the specific line flush product I used would not work against biofilm, since it is advertised as such and the ingredients list biocides which is a common ingredient in biofilm removal. If you think another product is more effective please elaborate and don't be afraid to get technical.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Jimrahbe]

M,

There is no way for anyone to know if your spa still has biofilms in it or not... That said, we know that Ahh-some works much better than other "cleaners"..

I have seen several threads over the years where spa owners cleaned their tubs with other products and thought they were clean, until they used Ahh-some..

I still do not think that the yellow you are seeing is biofilm and even using Ahh-Some is not going to help that.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Oly]

Your pictures appear to show excess adhesive used during construction, in my opinion.
Regarding proper sanitation of your spa and breaking down biofilms, you will need a powerful surfactant, Surfactant | chemical compound and a biocide.
Ahh-Some utilizes a powerful surfactant and your chlorine is a powerful biocide.


If you purged your spa properly and it did not reveal any discoloration in the foam or scum at the water line then fill up your tub, sanitize it properly and enjoy yourself.

 

[marcovtwout]

Thank you both for confirming this is most likely glue/adhesive, which was my initial thought as well but it's good to have confirmation.

Also thank you for the background info on what ingredients makes a line cleaner effective, as the information provided by sellers is often vague. The product I used also has a cationic surfactant listed in the ingredients. Have also used it last year shortly after aquiring the hot tub, and that definitely made a lot of gunk come out. Like I wrote there was no gunk on the waterline this time, so I have probably nothing to worry about