Tri-X Filter Resurrection Help Needed!

[DangerBoy]

I have a set of Hot Springs ceramic Tri-x hot tub filters that were left out in the elements for quite a while and that are quite dirty with a lot of dirt embedded in the pores. I tried soaking them in a bathtub with a bunch of TSP and some Muriatic acid added for 24 hours but it hasn't had much effect. The acid probably wasn't strong enough. I'm thinking that I might need to really nuke the things with a lot stronger acid solution to dissolve that dirt out of the pores unless someone can point me towards a different solution.

I was thinking I should try immersing the filters in a 5 gallon bucket filled just high enough to cover the filters weighed down and add a good shot of Muriatic. I know the acid won't bother the ceramic. I'm more concerned about the plastic/vinyl end caps on the filters. Are they okay to be exposed to a fairly strong acid? They don't appear to have reacted to the acid bath the filters are soaking in right now in my bathtub but that's probably not that strong (I just added several "glugs" slowly over a bit of time and didn't measure the quantity I added.)

Is this safe to try on those filters? Any other ideas as to how I can resurrect these filters? They're expensive to replace up here in Canada and I don't want to spend that kind of money. I really want to try and save these things if I can. I think if I use them this dirty, too much of the pore passages will be occluded or blocked off completely.

Thanks!

 

[DangerBoy]

I just called Watkins. The customer service tech said it would be okay to give those filters a good strong shot of acid for a day or so as the other materials used in their construction can handle it - at least for a short term exposure. She said long term exposure to the harsh acid bath was not recommended for them. Now I'll give the strong acid bath a test. Hopefully, it'll save those filters.