FC not dropping?

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My tub was used so first thing I did was run ahh some through it. Pull the filters and put them in the center of the tub. Directions say you can use with cold or hot water. I think it's 1 tsp per 100 gallons but plz verify.

I ran my tub for 20 minutes w/ all pumps, blower and jets open and put FC to 15ppm Let it run on filter cycle for 2 hours then 20 minute jet cycle, another 2 hr filter cycle, final jet cycle then dumped. That was overkill according to directions but I could only do this once.

Skimming the brown foam off as it forms makes tub cleaning easier when you empty. Give it a very good rinse, clean shell then refill.

My chlorine demand was high for 1.5 days after refill. I just kept FC at 12ppm until the demand dropped to 1.5 ppm over 8 hours. During this period of time at high chlorine levels, I would see brown discharge in tissue paper type form exiting from several jets, my assumption was it was biofilm releasing.

I would of liked to run a second ahh some treatment but being on a well with the dry summer we had, my well couldn't take that much draw down in such a short time.

Rinse filters well to avoid residue that can cause foaming on refill. Good luck.
 
bikeguy said:
Thanks. I recieved mine around Oct 6th ish as well. Same store I'm guessing as yours is an Artesian as well.

I've just been hammering it with chlorine and (keeping it around 12ppm) trying to see if I can get it to keep a level of FC. Not sure what's going on, right now its dropping ~50% of the FC level in 12h or so (if I can believe my colorQ kit).

I think you said after you refilled it (after Ahh some) the chlorine demand dropped as well?

Very frustrated right now. I've order a test kit but its at the border and I can't get it for a week or two unfortunately. I've tried several stores for a water test and they're all over the map and the stores seem to use everything from strips to test the water to the Lamontte spin tester (can't remember the name) but I don't really believe any of the results as they don't make a lot of sense.

Where did you get your Ahh-some? mail order I guess.
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Unfortunately, for me, i ordered my Ahh-Some from Amazon.ca and paid much more since i was not going to make a trip for just that one item. Though in future will since even with exchange it is much cheaper on AMazon.com and pick up just at border.

Yes after i cleaned, drained and refilled my chlorine was dropping about 4-5ppm in 24 hours. What i believe i'm learning is it is important to keep CC at 0 or .5 (though i knew this before) but i did not realize with a hot tub how fast they can increase.

Since I've been using the tub pretty much daily with anywhere from 2 to 5/6 people, they can increase quite fast.

So i'm still trying to figure out exact pattern, but.. need to figure out how much chlorine each user adds to demand and then add the appropriate amount to bring it back to say 8ppm so that 24 hours later it will be around 3ppm but leave tub open and running with all jets and air for 20 min so cc is gassed off.


I'm struggling a bit with amounts of chlorine so that basically when i use it, chlorine is not too high since i don't want lots of chemical (chlorine smell) or harshness on skin etc when i use. Then as i said figure out the key amount after soak to bring to an appropriate level that will:
1. burn off or keep cc at zero
2. raise FC to level that will last 24 hours


This site is awesome for getting help and info for managing my pool and hot tub. I've learned so much. And just when i think i understand, i learn more
 
Just for everyone's information, Ahh-some contains as one of it's primary ingredients a very concentrated linear quat algaecides. The linear quats act as both algaecides AND as very powerful surfactants, it's the latter property of the linear quat that makes Ahh-some so....well....AWESOME! Typically you raise the FC in the tub and then add the Ahh-some. What happens is the linear quat breaks down the biofilm layer allowing the chlorine to penetrate it and destroy both the organic scum that makes up the inert part of the biofilm as well as the bacteria and biological critters that live in it. When linear quats are exposed to high levels of FC, they breakdown into compounds that cause foaming of the water. This is one reason why Ahh-some generates such a copious amount of froth and foam. Also, the linear quat will not likely be cleared out on a single rinse of the tub and so when you restart the hot tub, the FC demand will be higher initially as the chlorine reacts with left-over Ahh-some. Eventually the Ahh-some will be all cleared out and the FC demand should return to normal levels one would expect from a clean tub. If it is possible and not too costly, one could use the Ahh-some product to clean the tub, drain it out, refill the tub again and circulate for a while with chlorine and then dump that out and refill with a final water load to reduce the amount of left over product. This is also why you should heed the directions on the product label and not use more than what is directed. We had one thread on TFP of someone that used too much Ahh-some and they spent, literally, weeks fighting foamy water and high FC demand. It took several flushes of the hot tub to get all of the product out.
 
@Noise

Good information, thank you. While it made sense to me to raise free chlorine level to shock level the directions for hot tub use do not say to do this but that's what you wrote above "typically raise chlorine levels..."

I was concerned a little on what affect high levels of chlorine would have on ahh-some. Since many on these boards used it with higher chlorine levels, I decided it would be OK to proceed.

It would be nice if this was mentioned in the directions for hot tub use. It is mentioned in the jetted tub section though.

Any comment on what that brown colored tissue paper type substance was that would float out of a jet after clean and refill. Is this biofilm that continued to release?

Also, can you perform a second purge using the same water? In other words, for those of us on well water, can you let the tub sit for 24 hours on a filter cycle in the treated water, then add half the amount and run the jets to release more of the contaminants?

I plan to have water delivered next time. It would not be practical for the haller to wait around while I do two treatments, each time with fresh water and then a rinse and final fill.
 
twodogs02 said:
@Noise

Good information, thank you. While it made sense to me to raise free chlorine level to shock level the directions for hot tub use do not say to do this but that's what you wrote above "typically raise chlorine levels..."

I was concerned a little on what affect high levels of chlorine would have on ahh-some. Since many on these boards used it with higher chlorine levels, I decided it would be OK to proceed.

It would be nice if this was mentioned in the directions for hot tub use. It is mentioned in the jetted tub section though.

Any comment on what that brown colored tissue paper type substance was that would float out of a jet after clean and refill. Is this biofilm that continued to release?

Also, can you perform a second purge using the same water? In other words, for those of us on well water, can you let the tub sit for 24 hours on a filter cycle in the treated water, then add half the amount and run the jets to release more of the contaminants?

I plan to have water delivered next time. It would not be practical for the haller to wait around while I do two treatments, each time with fresh water and then a rinse and final fill.
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I think the difference in instructions boils down to the fact that there are multiple ways to sanitize a hot tub (chlorine, bromine, silver + MPS, Baquacil, etc) and adding in additional chlorine may not be totally compatible with all of those methods (e.g., Baquacil or silver +MPS). "Jetted Baths" specifically refer to specialized bath tubs that some people install in their homes which are just normal sized bath tubs plumbed with therapy jets and a pump (may or may not have a heater). So in that instance, you'd want to fill the "jetted bath" with water and some additional chlorine to help the Ahh-some sanitize the plumbing. Most "jetted tubs" use a low volume of water (30-50 gallons) and are drained after each use. That type of use is rife for biofilms as the plumbing would always be damp and have stagnant water in it.

I'm not sure using the same water volume twice would get you any cleaner. Once your tub is cleaned with Ahh-some, you can expect it to remain clean for as long as you follow TFP recommended levels. Most tub owners find that, long term, the Ahh-some produces little "brown foam" with each use (most people do it once or twice per year). It's really designed to clean out tubs that are neglected, old or brand new where stagnant water is an issue. Once a tub is cleaned of it's biofilms, there's a very low probability that they will reform with properly sanitized water flowing through it.

Yes, that brown "tissue-paper" substance is a biofilm. The Ahh-some dislodged it and the chlorine has bleached it a little. Kinda of gross, huh?
 
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