Good afternoon,
Coming back in an attempt to get a bit of advice, since you have all been more than helpful thus far!
Owned a 2010 Sundance Cameo for about 14 months now, and after a few initial stumbles, got the hold of the chemical cycle and have been able to maintain the tub pretty good with regular, but not particularly frequent water changes.
Given the unseasonably pleasant weather for NY Eve, I decided to try a partial water change to help keep things in check until Spring arrives (first time, hopefully it does help!). All was going very well as I wiped down the water line, checked the filter, etc, until I decided to turn on the waterfall component. A bunch of black gunk (presumably mold?) came pouring out - clumped together - actually thought I lost a seal for a moment. However, it did separate a bit into small clusters in the water, and had a black, slimy appearance. Wasn't too difficult to catch the pieces in a measuring cup and toss them out of the tub...
Is this a common occurrence with a waterfall on a hot tub? I honestly don't run it much...was fun the first few times, but now that we're 'old timers' with the hot tub, its not something we turn on more than once in a blue moon. I'm guessing that this might be a common place for buildup and that I should make a habit of running it weekly for a bit to get some chlorinated water through there, but figured I'd run it by you all to see what thoughts/experiences you may have. Noted a bunch of black spots on the inside of the cover near that location as well (simply wiped it down with a magic eraser today and it came off very easily. I think I'll get in there with a toothbrush and bleach next time I'm doing a full water change, but obviously would like to flat out avoid the problem if possible.
Appreciate any help you may be able to share - Happy New Year!
~ hailypup20