What's that gritty coating in our tub?

[jobie]

We were unpleasantly surprised last nite, when we hopped in our tub and found that some strange build-up had occurred in our HS Grandee!  It's as if someone spraypainted sand into the tub since we used it, 2 weeks ago!  We hadn't done anything different in the last two weeks, so not sure what it is or what caused it.  Is this considered scaling, due to problems with the calcium in the water?  If so, is our tub surface permanently damaged, or able to be scrubbed clean?  Does anyone know how to get this stuff without damaging the tub surface?  More importantly, how can we prevent its return?  Thx for any thoughts on this one!      

[Chris_H]

Jobie:
Yes the problem you are describing is probably scale in the water usually caused by a chemical imbalance.  You should be able to remove the scale chemically by drastically lowering the Ph in the water for a day or two.  Talk to you local dealer to find out exactly the process to perform.  Others may recommend another process, but my preference is lowering the Ph.  I would doubt that your surface is going to be permanently damaged.  The only way to prevent this occurance is to keep up with the chemicals.
Chris_H

[tony]

I concur with Chris H.  It sounds as if the pH has gotten out of wack.  Although it has never happened to me, I have seen posts regarding the issue.  Chas, who sometimes posts here and on other boards (a hotspring dealer, btw) has a detailed fix for the problem.  One thing I do remember...do not scrub the grit off.  As Chris H said, do it chemically by adjusting pH and it will dissolve back into the water.

[Chas]

This can happen to the best of us: the TA and pH go high, and calcium precipitates out of the water and onto the surfaces. What to do? Lower the pH and TA and the calcium will go right back into the water where it came from.

How low? Drop pH to about 6.8 - lower is harmful to seals and heaters, but you need it pretty low to get the calcium back into the water.

Change water? NO!! You want the calcium to go back where it came from. Start with new water, and you will be trying to get water to absorb calcium  at twice the level, and that is hard.

Scrub? NO!! You can easily scratch the surface, and you will never be able to scrub into the plumbing and heating systems. Let the water do the work for you: lower the pH and TA, and the water will absorb the calcium like magic.

How much work is this? A bit. You have to lower the pH and TA, but you also have to KEEP it low for several days at least. And, as some of the calcium falls free from the surfaces of the shell and from inside the plumbing, it can drop to the floor: vac that out. Using a simple hose to siphon it out. Rinse the filters after a few days too: they also can build up calcium as it begins to move around the system.

In the long run, it is far easier to prevent this than to fix it, but how tough is keeping the pH and TA low for several days?

I know this is a very old post - I find it interesting that this does happen from time to time, and has for a long time.

HTH

[SerjicalStrike]

We were unpleasantly surprised last nite, when we hopped in our tub and found that some strange build-up had occurred in our HS Grandee!  It's as if someone spraypainted sand into the tub since we used it, 2 weeks ago!  We hadn't done anything different in the last two weeks, so not sure what it is or what caused it.  Is this considered scaling, due to problems with the calcium in the water?  If so, is our tub surface permanently damaged, or able to be scrubbed clean?  Does anyone know how to get this stuff without damaging the tub surface?  More importantly, how can we prevent its return?  Thx for any thoughts on this one!     

What are you using for sanitizer?

[Chas]

I don't know if the OP is still around, but I have seen this happen with both Chlorine and Bromine. In fact, I have seen it happen on my showroom floor with tap water: We moved into a new store, and the last thing we did late one night was fill and fire up a tub. We came in the next morning and it was calcified. We tested the water immediately and found that the tap water in our new location was (from a private well a block away) off the scale on the high end of both TA and pH. Quickly grabbing a bottle of "Spa Down," I had to put some twelve ounces or so in, fed in at three ounces every couple of hours until it came into range, and then more over the following days to get rid of the scale on the walls of the tub.

I would have to feed in similar amounts of Spa Down anytime we filled a spa on the showroom floor - we would start with about four ounces as the cold water went in, and then another couple as soon as we could run the jets, and then we would test and balance from there as the heat came up.

In the years since that, the city has connected all the homes and businesses in the area to regular 'city water,' and has closed down that particular well. And I have replaced the water heater, come to think of it... I would love to know how the local residents lived with that water! My Daughter in Law was the manager of the water district, I'll have to ask her!

 

[SerjicalStrike]

Bah, I didn't check the original date.  Being that it was posted in 2004, I think you are right and he isn't around lol.   I was trying to see if he was using calcium hypochlorite rather than dichlor.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

I don't know if the OP is still around, but I have seen this happen with both Chlorine and Bromine. In fact, I have seen it happen on my showroom floor with tap water: We moved into a new store, and the last thing we did late one night was fill and fire up a tub. We came in the next morning and it was calcified. We tested the water immediately and found that the tap water in our new location was (from a private well a block away) off the scale on the high end of both TA and pH. Quickly grabbing a bottle of "Spa Down," I had to put some twelve ounces or so in, fed in at three ounces every couple of hours until it came into range, and then more over the following days to get rid of the scale on the walls of the tub.

I would have to feed in similar amounts of Spa Down anytime we filled a spa on the showroom floor - we would start with about four ounces as the cold water went in, and then another couple as soon as we could run the jets, and then we would test and balance from there as the heat came up.

In the years since that, the city has connected all the homes and businesses in the area to regular 'city water,' and has closed down that particular well. And I have replaced the water heater, come to think of it... I would love to know how the local residents lived with that water! My Daughter in Law was the manager of the water district, I'll have to ask her!

 

Chas,

just throw in a Vanishing Act Bag into your showroom tubs...where we are located the water is extremely high in calcium and alk. as well so I use a Vanishing Act bag to lower the calcium and tons of spa down....for example my showroom Vista takes approx 22oz's of spa down to drive that alk. down...and the vanishing act takes care of the calcium if I leave it it overnight

[Chas]

Can we "recharge" the Vanishing Act bags in brine?