Hotsprings Grandee-chemicals/filter cleaning?

[thomas07]

I have had hot tub for 3 months now...use about 1-2x per week if lucky. We used it heavily on New Years Eve and about 5 days later lifted cover to fine pale green smelly water. I shocked and corrected problem although water is not as clear as I think it should be, or perhaps one cannot expect it to be crystal clear after 3 months of usuage? I treat weekly with chlorine and ph+- or chlorinate prior to using tub. A friend of mine said bromine is a better choice because chlorine tends to dissipate quicker in hot water...Is this true? Is there a tried and recommended method to cleaning filters/How often is needed? Thanks for any help out there.

[tony]

I have had hot tub for 3 months now...use about 1-2x per week if lucky. We used it heavily on New Years Eve and about 5 days later lifted cover to fine pale green smelly water. I shocked and corrected problem although water is not as clear as I think it should be, or perhaps one cannot expect it to be crystal clear after 3 months of usuage? I treat weekly with chlorine and ph+- or chlorinate prior to using tub. A friend of mine said bromine is a better choice because chlorine tends to dissipate quicker in hot water...Is this true? Is there a tried and recommended method to cleaning filters/How often is needed? Thanks for any help out there.

Rinsing filters and keeping your chlorine levels up will clear your water.  You should be able to get it crystal clear even at three months.  Bromine tabs will give you a constant sanitizer level vs chlorine which needs to be added manually and will dissipate over time in cold or hot water.  Chlorine actually increases in effectiveness as the water temp rises till you reach 120 degrees.  Chlorine is the most used sanitizer for pools and spas.

I clean my filters monthly with filter cleaner over night in a filter flask which is nothing but a glorified bucket but they fit the filter perfectly.  If you use the HotSpring Tri-X filters, you can run them through the dishwasher.

[kokanee001]

I have Tri-X filters in my Vanguard. I run them thru my DW using only hot water and they come out very clean.
 
I asked the HS dealer if I ever needed to use any kind of degreaser on them and his response was, "No, that would be defeating the purpose of having those filters."

However, now that 6 mos have passed (I wash them monthly), I noticed that there is a growing buildup of a nearly hard yellowish substance on the blue plastic end of the filter. I scraped some off with a knife and it almost seems to be like solidified body oils. I don't know what solidified body oil looks like, but I can't imagine anything else it could be. Does anyone know what this might be?

If it's what I think, then I'm going to have to bathe the filters in a degreasing solution. Do any of you folks with Tri-X filters use a degreaser?

[Gomboman]

I have Tri-X filters in my Vanguard. I run them thru my DW using only hot water and they come out very clean.
 
I asked the HS dealer if I ever needed to use any kind of degreaser on them and his response was, "No, that would be defeating the purpose of having those filters."

However, now that 6 mos have passed (I wash them monthly), I noticed that there is a growing buildup of a nearly hard yellowish substance on the blue plastic end of the filter. I scraped some off with a knife and it almost seems to be like solidified body oils. I don't know what solidified body oil looks like, but I can't imagine anything else it could be. Does anyone know what this might be?

If it's what I think, then I'm going to have to bathe the filters in a degreasing solution. Do any of you folks with Tri-X filters use a degreaser?

You really need to clean your Tri-X filters every few months or after a water change with a real filter cleaner/degreaser. The filter cleaner will remove soaps, oils, and residue that rinsing will not completely remove.

HS makes a great filter cleaner for Tri-x filters to soak over night. I've also tried just rinsing them in the dishwasher or with a hose but this method is far superior. I put the lid on and soak them for at least 12 hours. They come out pearly white. Just make sure you rinse the solution out with water very thoroughly. I wish I has the smaller filter flask that was available in the past. For now, I'm using a 5 Gallon bucket.

[kervis]

I have Tri-X filters in my Vanguard. I run them thru my DW using only hot water and they come out very clean.
 
I asked the HS dealer if I ever needed to use any kind of degreaser on them and his response was, "No, that would be defeating the purpose of having those filters."

However, now that 6 mos have passed (I wash them monthly), I noticed that there is a growing buildup of a nearly hard yellowish substance on the blue plastic end of the filter. I scraped some off with a knife and it almost seems to be like solidified body oils. I don't know what solidified body oil looks like, but I can't imagine anything else it could be. Does anyone know what this might be?

If it's what I think, then I'm going to have to bathe the filters in a degreasing solution. Do any of you folks with Tri-X filters use a degreaser?

I have that same substance on the top of my filters too--yikes!!    I am wondering if it is some type of mineral/calcium deposit.  I change my water every 3 months.  I start out with a high (8+) Ph for the first month and a half, then the Ph is in the normal range for just a bit, then I am adding Ph up for the last part of the time frame.  My thought was that scale was being deposited during the high Ph time, and then getting soft, where I could scrape it off, during the low Ph time.

Another thought was that it was some type of chemical residue, as I put the chems in the filter area , pretty much on top of those filters.

I really need to be better at using my Defender weekly as I do not want this build-up anywhere in the tubes or heater.

I do use Cascase in the dishwasher with my filters and yes, it is a degreaser and works wonders on mine.

[Cyn]

I have had hot tub for 3 months now...use about 1-2x per week if lucky. We used it heavily on New Years Eve and about 5 days later lifted cover to fine pale green smelly water. I shocked and corrected problem although water is not as clear as I think it should be, or perhaps one cannot expect it to be crystal clear after 3 months of usuage? I treat weekly with chlorine and ph+- or chlorinate prior to using tub. A friend of mine said bromine is a better choice because chlorine tends to dissipate quicker in hot water...Is this true? Is there a tried and recommended method to cleaning filters/How often is needed? Thanks for any help out there.

You don't use dichlor after you soak??  You didn't use it after the heavy use on New Year's Eve?  You really need to get your FC level up to between 2 and 3 ppm after each use.  You should use dichlor in between uses if you don't use the tub more than once or twice a week.  What about shocking the tub...do you shock with dichlor and or MPS?