Help..Deck stain in the tub, uh oh

[Bama]

A couple of hours ago, I heard my spa making a sound like an old refrigerator makes...an extra loud hum, ok?
So, I opened it up and noticed a reddish sludge on the filters.
These filters are brand new, ok?  
Immediately, I knew what it was, because the sludge matched the color of our deck stain.  At least, I'm pretty darn sure it's deck stain.
(We recently stained our deck)
So, I immediately turned the breaker off.
Then, I removed the filters and put them in the washer with bleach, soap, and hot water.   They are washing now.
What do I do now?
My first thought is to  dump a truck load of bleach in the spa, cycle it, drain it, then flush the lines.    But,....I don't know how to flush the lines?
I don't know if they CAN be flushed?
Can anyone help me, please?

***No, it wasn't me who tracked deck stain into the tub.  
I won't say who it was, even though I specifically asked
that NO one walk on the deck prior to getting into the spa.   :-/ :-/

[Brewman]

Is the stain oil based or latex?  Latex will come out easy in water, oil based maybe no so much.
 
Not sure how good soap and water would clean your filters if the stain is oil based.  

Must have been an awful lot of stain in the spa to have clogged up your filters.

[eln1559]

Yes your lines can be flushed.  There is a product called Swirl Away that should help get everything out of the lines.  

[Bama]

Thanks all....

I called my husband and told him the problem.
He says it must be the bearings on one of the motors
and not deck stain.  
So, I've got a call into the dealer.   My spa was purchased/ordered on
8/14/06, but delievered on October 14, 2006....So
wouldn't the warranty date begin on the delivery date
as opposed to the purchase date?

[Spiderman]

....So
wouldn't the warranty date begin on the delivery date
as opposed to the purchase date?

Yes, it starts when delivered, unless it's a Sea-Monkey Spa  

[hottubdan]

What kind of spa is it?

And why does he think its a bearing?

How do the motor(s) sound?

[East_TX_Spa]

If memory serves me right, I believe she has an LA Spa.

This is a new one I haven't ever heard.  I'm interested to see what the diagnosis is.

And yes, your old avatar was great, but put up a new one that suits you!

Termie

[Bama]

Thanks all for your input!
Yes, Termie you are right....it is an LA spa Paradise H-2.

I went to the dealer today to make my request for repairs.
I got a copy of the repair order.

I'm not surprised that something has gone wrong, because
I'm in it a couple of times per day.

My spa has 3 motors, any or all of the three sounded like an
old vibrating refrigerator.
Am I the only one who has had an old refrigerator??

[WannaSoakNow]

Welcome back...I have no idea what your avatar was but would like to see it.....

I didn't see where you answered if it was LATEX or OIL BASED stain??? (Perhaps I missed it.) If it's latex based you should be able to be flushed out of the system with water changes. Oil base not so easy. I would not try to clean the filter but, change it out with the flushing process. After that is done, then put a fresh filter in that has no residue from the stain.

As long as the filter and spa has remained WET, the latex stain should remain soluable. I am wondering why, as HotTubDan ask's, what makes your husband think it's a bearing? I'd be interested in what happens and what the final outcome is.

Good Luck.

[Bama]

Sorry, I failed to answer the question...
The deck stain is oil based.  We oiled our deck 3 weeks ago, but we
laid out rubber mats from the door to the spa.  
I made an uneducated guess that it was deck oil,
when I saw the color inside the spa.
I called my husband, he hasn't seen the spa, but he was guessing
that it is  bearing oil and not deck stain.
I'm still waiting on the tech.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Sorry to tell you, there's no possible way for grease to get from the bearings back into the water of the spa. Water from the spa could conceivably, eventually, maybe, get into the bearings, but the water is always under some pressure and there's no way it could somehow then travel back into the spa.

Even if somehow, even in this universe, it could, you'd see large amounts of water leaking under the pump(s).

[Bama]

Well.....as it turns out, my first wild guess was correct!
It was oily deck stain!!!
What a mess?
The loud vibrating sound I heard had nothing to do with the
deck stain in the water.  It was a loose screw on the heating element.
The tech fixed that.

Dr. Spa,  the tech told us the same thing that you are saying...no way for bearing oil to get into the water.  

Well, lesson learned!!!

Thanks to all for your input!