HELP Gritty shell

[drewstar]

Didn't you win this tub...or was that someone else?

That's me.

[Chas]

Chas, should I be running the filters any more/less while I wait for the decalification? does it make a difference?

It is a good idea to be sure that all the plumbing gets some water moving through it once or twice a day, so in your case run both jet pumps and move the diverters back and forth  a couple times a day. Your spa does move small amounts of water through all the plumbing already, but it's good to blow them out with the jet pumps to move loose material back to the tub.

Remember not to use the acid on the filters until after you use a filter cleaner/degrease product.


 From http://www.unicelfilters.com/pool_owners/maintenance_faq.asp:
       
ANSWER:

For years, service technicians and homeowners have acid washed D.E. grids. However, cartridge elements do not have the protective D.E. powder coating that grids have and can be permanently damaged by the acid. As a rule of thumb, acid wash only when required, if at all, and never without thoroughly cleaning the element with a cartridge degreaser first.


After thoroughly cleaning the cartridge with a degreasing agent, flush the cartridge with a garden hose to remove all traces of soap, etc. Now apply several drops of acid directly to a small area of the filter media. If bubbling occurs, this indicates a build-up of calcium or minerals, and you should proceed with a mild acid soak (see Unicel Cleaning Instructions for more details). If no bubbling is observed, your cartridge most likely does not require acid washing.

 8-)

[drewstar]

Thanks Again chas.

I vacuumed up so more calicum yesterday and the ph held to 6.8 over night.  The side walls are about 65% clearer, and the bottom/flat duerfaces are about 45% cleaner.   I am out of town again next week so I am hoping I can have this tub back in shape by Saturday, or at least in a maintianble mode for my wife to babysit.

I'm runnning the pumps a few times a day to ciruclate the water and get as much agitation and mixture as possible.

My pool guy wasn't sure with what I wanted when I asked for "pool acid".  He didn't want to give me muraciatic acid.

I've soaked the filter in a degreaser, then rinsed, and now soaking in a tub of water with very low PH (below 6. I was going to soak the filter in the degreaser again tonight, and then rinse and see  what I had.


What should I expect for damage to my pumps and heater? anything?

[BauerN]

For years, service technicians and homeowners have acid washed D.E. grids. However, cartridge elements do not have the protective D.E. powder coating that grids have and can be permanently damaged by the acid. As a rule of thumb, acid wash only when required, if at all, and never without thoroughly cleaning the element with a cartridge degreaser first.

Chas,

You just won the longest running argument in this store for me! [smiley=dankk2.gif]

I ARE WIN!!!  
 [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]