Help with Biofilms

[plnewb]

Moved from HERE to prevent hijack.

which will result in either and algae bloom or, worse, biofilm formation in the plumbing that will then lead to bacterial reservoirs of fecal coliforms and other nasty pathogenic bacteria

I assume my late uncle, who was known to hate CYA (although I suspect it was more because the tabs were, in his eyes, way more expensive than LC) has left behind in his pool.

As his nephew who now has to maintain his pool, what steps I can take to remove the biofilm formation in the plumbing?

Happy to turn this into a separate thread - please let me know

 

[Knetsel]

do you have biofilm i,n the plumbing ? How can one detect this ? will plumbing develop biofilm if HOCl is high enough ?

 

[plnewb]

do you have biofilm i,n the plumbing ? How can one detect this ?

I am curious as well. Except the check valve, none of my plumbing is transparent, so the only way I could detect biofilm is to use a sewer endoscope one can rent fro HD - I don't know if that's a good idea or whether there are better ways?

will plumbing develop biofilm if HOCl is high enough ?

I assume plumbing will not develop biofilm if HOCl is high enough from the very beginning but what happens after biofilm develops and how to remove that - I don't know

 

[plnewb]

I was reading Spa & Hot Tub Maintenance A Basic Guide and it mentions:

a. flushing lines to get rid of biofilm
b. some unmentioned product to get rid of biofilm

I am curious what a means and what b is

 

[Newdude]

Hot tubs are tested at the factory but the lines aren't properly emptied. It takes almost no time for the residual water left in the plumbing to get stagnant and nasty. By the time the customer gets the tub, the plumbing has a slimy layer of biofilm that is chlorine resistant. The outer layer will die but it could be many, many layers thick.

So we reccomend Ahhsome as a plumbing cleanser in hot tubs. My hot tub was so gross 7 years later, that it took a dozen purges in a row because they kept spewing nasty sludge.

We haven't seen a need for it in pools, even pools that sat extendedly. Maybe it's less detrimental as it's such a smaller percentage and dwarfed by 20k (?) gallons ? The same company makes a pipe cleaner purge product for pools. You're welcome to try it as their other products work exactly as claimed, and if nothing else, it won't hurt anything. Make sure you get the pool version and not the hot tub version though.

 

[plnewb]

So we reccomend Ahhsome as a plumbing cleanser in hot tubs.

I'm curious what it is - any idea?

I see this post but it doesn't mention how this works: what is ahh-some?

and the product page makes no mention either:

Amazon.com

it took a dozen purges in a row

What's the method of purging?

 

[Newdude]

I'm curious what it is - any idea?

Nope. Lol. Mostly trade secrets. @JoyfulNoise likely has a better grip than me on what Ahhsome is. I'll forget again by next time anyway.

The hot tub and appliance versions are confirmed to work well for their intended purpose.

What's the method of purging?

For a hot tub you add a dose and run a jet cycle while scooping out the crud it spews. The you use half doses for subsequent cycles until there's no more crud coming out. I don't think it's as dramatic for pool plumbing, the instructions will be on the bottle.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Nope. Lol. Mostly trade secrets. @JoyfulNoise likely has a better grip than me on what Ahhsome is. I'll forget again by next time anyway.

Concentrated surfactants based on ADBAC biocide. The specific formulation is only known to the manufacturer. These compounds acts as both biocidal agents as well as clarifying agents due their charged nature. When used in conjunction with a strong sanitizer/oxidizer like chlorine, the biofilms break up into smaller particulates, lift away from surfaces and are destroyed by chlorine. The yellow/brown “gunk” you see in the foam created as well as on the walls of the tub is all of that biomass removed from the internal surfaces. Sanitizers alone, even at high concentrations, can not penetrate biofilms to get at the bacterial colonies that live beneath them. Lifting and dispersing the films creates a clean plumbing system that lowers over all sanitizer demand.

 

[proavia]

I believe it's recommended to remove the filter cartridge from the filter when purging. The cartridge can be left floating in the hot tub during purges.

@Ahhsomeguy may be able to provide further insight.

 

[Ahhsomeguy]

Yes, it is recommended to remove the filter from the filter well housing prior to purging. With much sludgy and sticky bio-gunk being cleaned from the plumbing lines you may clog up the filter not allowing sufficient water to pass through the filter to satisfy the pump's thirst for water. Pump seals can be affected because of heat build up in the pump housing. Remove the filter(s).