Cloudy water again

[Mike82]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can point me in the direction of where i'm going wrong.

Around 3 weeks ago due to cloudy and foaming in our hot tub I decided to start new and drain the tub. During this time after researching on here and looking at various posts I ended up purchasing a Taylor test kit to replace the frog test strips I had been using. After filling the hot tub I got the levels exactly where they needed to be. The water looked perfect! Fast forward this past Saturday. My wife had purchased two extra filters from amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E8NGBHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

so I decided to try one of them out. I ran water over the new one before replacing the existing one that came with the hot tub. I go to check the hot tub last night and the water has turned from being crystal clear to very cloudy. The only thing different between Saturday and last night I can think of is replacing the filter. Could the new filter have somehow introduced something into the water?

There's been nobody using it since I replaced the filter. My general maintenance is that I've been shocking the water (SpaGuard enhanced Shock) after each use and testing the rest of the levels every week or two.

I put shock in last night hoping that it would clear it but looked this morning and it's made no difference. I also checked Calcium hardness - 160ppm, P.H 7.6. If I end up draining it again it would of been something like the 10th time in around 3 months of having the hot tub. I'm obviously going wrong somewhere but I've no clue as to what.

Thanks!

[kporter]

Saying your levels are perfect really does not help us. What are your levels? If the water goes cloudy it can still take several days with a consistently high sanitizer level to return to the water to its sparkling state.

[Mike82]

I don't have the exact levels off hand as i'm currently at work, however for TA, Calcium hardness & PH I remember initially setting the levels per recommendations from the directions on the bottles which I believe were 90ppm for TA, around 160-170ppm for Calcium Hardness & PH was 7.6.

[kporter]

The available dichlor in Spa Guard Enhanced Shock from what I see is less then 60%.  The cloudy water is likely due to a lack of sanitizer. How much are you adding per after use?  You probably need to add more if you do not have a sanitizer maintaining the water between 3-5 ppm of chlorine in between uses. All you have is the shock that will be consumed and dissipate very quickly based on design.

Make sure you are checking your hot tub at least once a week for water balance.

[Mike82]

Gotcha. We're adding in around 2.5 tablespoons after each use per the directions on the bottle which brings it into around 2-3 ppm although that lasts maybe a day or two before dropping back to 0. The dealer told me that we would only have to shock it once a week if we were not using it.

[kporter]

I would up that to 3.5 tbps per use. I would tend to agree if the hot tub is not in use and not 100 deg or higher once a week shock would be ok to maintain.

Keeping a PH 7.2 - 7.4 is ideal for bather and sanitizer conditions.

[Mike82]

Thanks. Would you suggest something like a floater with bromine tablets to help maintain the level rather than trying to upkeep it with shock?

[Sam]

Thanks. Would you suggest something like a floater with bromine tablets to help maintain the level rather than trying to upkeep it with shock?

This is definitely a lot easier than needing to constantly add shock.  With a floater, you should still shock every 1 to 2 weeks, depending upon usage.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Thanks. Would you suggest something like a floater with bromine tablets to help maintain the level rather than trying to upkeep it with shock?

Personally I dislike the floater idea but you'll find people who like it. The good part is you keep the sanitizer up constantly, the bad part is every time you go in it the sanitizer level is up and it smells like Bromine IMO. A simple chlorine add after each use is ideal IMO because it does the job then dissipates.

[Mike82]

Thanks guys. We went and purchased a floater & tablets last evening. Hopefully with that & staying on top of shock will bring the water back.

[Mike82]

Just to update incase anyone else comes across the thread.

So I ended up having the bromine floater in for around 3-4 days which cleared it up slightly. However, it wasn't until I replaced the new filter I had just recently purchased and put the old one back in which I had just cleaned up that it actually cleared the water up. I'm not sure if I just had a 'bad' filter (if there is such a thing?) or whether it was just me being impatient waiting for the bromine to do it's job but it's almost back to normal now. I don't think it will ever get totally crystal clear water again until I drain and start again but i'm glad to know it appears that i'm now on the right track. Thanks for all the advice

[richierich]

I have had the same thing happen after installing a new filter. I didn't rinse the filter before use though. There was a white cloudiness to the water. I have now made it a habit to thoroughly rinse a new filter before use. 

[Tman122]

This simply could be a shortage of sanitizer as stated. Getting it to 2-3 PPM after your soak is not enough unless you showering first and soaking naked. Try 3-5 PPM after your soak and don't go more than a couple days without adding. If you didn't soak and are adding, 2-3 PPM is sufficient. Whatever sanitizer you choose. I liked chlorine also. A bit more work but less smell. Not to mention higher level when soaking.