Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Richs100 on December 08, 2006, 08:21:48 am
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I've noticed that I have a white residue on my tub and stairs when the water from the tub has evaporated. It's a new tub. I use my dealer recommended sanitation system. 450 gal tub. Chlorine shock (2 tbsps) once a week, MPS (1 1/2 tbsps) after each use. (I have added baking soda to bring up Alk from 50 to 80)
Water chemistry is ok. FC 1.5, CC 0.5, pH 7.8, Alk 80ppm, Calcium 150 ppm. Silver Ion cartidge and ozonator. Any idea what this is? Is this normal? I never noticed it with my old tub using Bromide.
Here are some pictures:
(http://[IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q37/richs10/HotTubDamage2133.jpg)[/img]
(http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q37/richs10/HotTubDamage2132.jpg)
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Hey, I have that too! It looks like your family drips more than mine though. ;D
I am thinking that it is the minerals in the water just like the ring you get around your cold water faucets in the house.
I just wipe it off with a sponge.
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I use my dealer recommended sanitation system. 450 gal tub. Chlorine shock (2 tbsps) once a week, MPS (1 1/2 tbsps) after each use.
Not sure what the residue is, but as for your chemical routine -- if you prefer to use chlorine (as many people do, myself included) you may want to look into swapping your MPS and chlorine schedule. In other words, try 1tsp of chlorine after each use with an MPS shock once a week. MPS is not a sanitizer so it may not keep your tub clean day to day (unless it's "enhanced MPS" with some dichlor in it). Most chlorine people recommend using dichlor as the daily sanitizer with a weekly MPS shock to oxidize all the combined chlorine. Just something to look into...
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Hey, I have that too! It looks like your family drips more than mine though. ;D
I catagorically deny we drip any more than average. I deny the allegation and defy the alligator. ;D
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I use my dealer recommended sanitation system. 450 gal tub. Chlorine shock (2 tbsps) once a week, MPS (1 1/2 tbsps) after each use.
Not sure what the residue is, but as for your chemical routine -- if you prefer to use chlorine (as many people do, myself included) you may want to look into swapping your MPS and chlorine schedule. In other words, try 1tsp of chlorine after each use with an MPS shock once a week.
You know, PG, I have been thinking the same thing and may do that since chlorine is so much cheaper than MPS. I just wonder why the written instructions from my HotSpring dealer say the opposite.
My only concern would be: Do you accumulate more spent chlorine (chlorimides?) in the tub using chlorine every day instead of using MPS?
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I use my dealer recommended sanitation system. 450 gal tub. Chlorine shock (2 tbsps) once a week, MPS (1 1/2 tbsps) after each use.
Not sure what the residue is, but as for your chemical routine -- if you prefer to use chlorine (as many people do, myself included) you may want to look into swapping your MPS and chlorine schedule. In other words, try 1tsp of chlorine after each use with an MPS shock once a week.
You know, PG, I have been thinking the same thing and may do that since chlorine is so much cheaper than MPS. I just wonder why the written instructions from my HotSpring dealer say the opposite.
My only concern would be: Do you accumulate more spent chlorine (chlorimides?) in the tub using chlorine every day instead of using MPS?
Owner's manual and instructions on filter lid offer you options. Many people want to minimize chlorine use which is why many dealers recommend the MPS with daily use and chlorine as the weekly.
I have always felt the water is safer if you use the chlorine/daily method.
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My only concern would be: Do you accumulate more spent chlorine (chlorimides?) in the tub using chlorine every day instead of using MPS?
I think this could only happen if there were nasties in the tub for the chlorine to react with and form CC, and then if you did not shock (oxidize) to eliminate them. It would seem to me that if you have a 3ppm FC (or so) after each use that there would be less chance of nasties building up than if you only add a chlorine shock once a week.
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It's that Hot Spring tub, their know to do that. It has to do with the faulty filtering system they use. My suggestion is to call your dealer and demand a quality tub!
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OK the real reason probably is high PH and a high mineral content. Using MPS all the time may be the culprit as well if you start out with high TDS and use the tub a lot.
I don't believe that the Ca test will pick up a high other mineral content.
Sorry, I just couldn't resist! :) ;D
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It's that Hot Spring tub, their know to do that. It has to do with the faulty filtering system they use. My suggestion is to call your dealer and demand a quality tub!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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It's that Hot Spring tub, their know to do that. It has to do with the faulty filtering system they use. My suggestion is to call your dealer and demand a quality tub!
Vincenzo: Your real funny......looking. ;D
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OK the real reason probably is high PH and a high mineral content. Using MPS all the time may be the culprit as well if you start out with high TDS and use the tub a lot.
I don't believe that the Ca test will pick up a high other mineral content.
Sorry, I just couldn't resist! :) ;D
Ok, I'm gonna change over to a daily Chlorine system and see if it helps.
As Scotty would say: "I'll letchaknow"
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You might need to drain and refill before seeing any improvement. If it's doing that because the water is saturated with minerals (or junk), it might need fresh water. Honestly, I am assuming things here. I don't have anything that looks like that and I do leave puddles all over the place.
Is the water cloudy or anything? What happens if you splash non tub water onto a surface? Maybe it's the fill water.
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You might need to drain and refill before seeing any improvement. If it's doing that because the water is saturated with minerals (or junk), it might need fresh water. Honestly, I am assuming things here. I don't have anything that looks like that and I do leave puddles all over the place.
Is the water cloudy or anything? What happens if you splash non tub water onto a surface? Maybe it's the fill water.
I don't think I should dump because I just filled it 2 weeks ago. I'm gonna switch to the daily chlorine and do a good MPS shock Sunday night and see where I'm at then. The water is clear and non foamy. I do have to use conditioned well water so it may be the salts from the conditioner. It's a no-win situation since my well water is NASTY. My HS dealer tested both my well and tap and said "Go with the conditioned tap water...your well is scary". He didn't even recommend an half-and-half mix.
I am laughing at myself. I've had a tub for 13 years. Now that I get a new one, I can't stop testing or leave it alone. I'm gonna call it the "Psuedo-Newbie Effect".
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It might be the salt used to condition the water. I don't know of a way to test for salt in the water. Maybe there's too much salt?
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The difference bewteen using dichlor to sanitize daily and MPS to shock would most noticibly be a lowering of TDS (total dissolved solids) and an increse in CYA (cyunaric acid) Which may be exactly what will clean up your steps.
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I am still going with the high mineral content.
I am a dichlor user, did not use MPS during my first 4 months, and still got those pretty spots. My ph has been sky high and below 7, and I still got those spots. :P
If you have a water softener hooked up, it should only be hooked up to your cold water--not your hot water and not your hose. You wouldn't want to be drinking, cooking, and watering plants with that "salty" water.
I get a mineral residue ring around my kitchen faucet and I most certainly can tell which pipe is the cold water pipe in my laundry room sink-yuck!
I had asked a question awhile back about if Defender helps with that buildup and never got an answer. I had a tech out who told me that I need to make sure I use it faithfully as he has seen a lot of buildup on spas that haven't used it regularly. I am wondering if what he has seen on the neighborhood's tubs is mineral build-up similar to my faucet, NOT scale formation. I am assuming the hot tub scale is calcium? Yes, and a mineral, but perhaps not all minerals are the same and perhaps one mineral is taken care of with Defender and the others are not. Hmmm. This is an interesting thought. :-?
I live in Limestone bluff country.
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I am suprised that term did not chime in here and post his filtration pic.
After all even Hs Is just a tub that makes warm water.