Clean new tub before use?

[av8r]

Is it recommended to clean a new tub prior to use?  By clean I mean fill, clean with something like Ah Some, drain and then fill for use?  This is a tub that was built a week ago and shipped from UT to NY.

Thanks

[Tman122]

I wouldn't but you can. There will be residual water around but a super chlorination will take care of it. Some do just because, but I never did. Of course I only bought one new tub in my life. I do it for most of the used ones I have acquired over the years but only because you don't know how well the previous owner cared for it.

[av8r]

I wouldn't but you can. There will be residual water around but a super chlorination will take care of it. Some do just because, but I never did. Of course I only bought one new tub in my life. I do it for most of the used ones I have acquired over the years but only because you don't know how well the previous owner cared for it.

Thanks.  The dealer recommends it, but I'm not sold it's necessary.  Add to that the anticipation of soaking in our new tub and that being delayed by 24 hours and I'm leaning towards hosing it out, draining out whatever water I used to hose it out and get it filled and heating.

[Tman122]

You will know when you turn it on but even if it does show a little, soak and add extra sanitizer after, see if it clears up. You will likely have to drain early anyway on your honeymoon.

[av8r]

You will know when you turn it on but even if it does show a little, soak and add extra sanitizer after, see if it clears up. You will likely have to drain early anyway on your honeymoon.

They're calling for snow here this weekend...I do plan to drain and refill before the really cold weather kicks in.

[amy2421]

When we got our tub 2 weeks ago, it had the typical water/debris/etc in it and it had been sitting for about 3 months since manufacture due to our backyard renos. I kind of wish we had rinsed and drained it, maybe not a complete fill but a bit more than what we did. (I wiped the shell and got rid of all the dust/debris/dead bugs and soaked up the water sitting in the bottom.)

[Quickbeam]

Some time ago I read somewhere on these forums that it was a good idea to drain and re-fill the tub after about one months use. Can’t remember the reasoning behind it, but the claim was that it would be beneficial to the longevity of the tub. Not sure if there is any truth to it or not, but I did it.

[amy2421]

I'm thinking of doing that too. I put in a canister of Spa Solution last week from my start-up kit ($50/canister, lasts 3 months) ,... now I'm wondering if I should have waited and saved that if I am changing the water after the first month.

I think I would like to get rid of the first cycle of water sooner than 3 months. Is it worth doing a cycle of Ahhsome before draining after 1 month of use?

Thanks!

[jbequer]

After having my new spa for a month, i began to have lots of film, cloudy water , foam and nasty looking stuff on the walls after bathing. Not really understanding much about biofilm, i thought that by simply shocking  it would go away. After many attempts of shocking, the foam got worse and so did the biofilm. Thats when i decided to take the advice of others and just purge, drain and refill . I did some reading and saw this product ( Ahh-Some). I ordered it and got it within a couple of days.
Using it was very simple, what i saw come out of the tub was absolutely nasty, it would have scared any new tub buyer from making a hot tub purchase. I used this product after reading that new hot tubs come with nasty sludge in the inner pipes from water left in them after testing. That water could have sat in the tub for months before it was sold. Using this product released this nasty stuff with ease. I did do two application  just to be safe.
I now feel much better seeing crystal clear water in my tub, it will also allow me to use much less chemicals than before. I can't even believe that i was bathing in this nasty stuff.. Advice to anyone who owns a hot tub, Use Ahh-Some, its absolutely a great simple product that works.. I did a lot of research on which purge product to use and found this one to be the best out there.

[amy2421]

Is it a gel? Did you have to buy 2 containers to do 2 applications? And when you saw the "nasty stuff" that came out, was it in the tub or do you mean when you draining it out afterwards?

Thanks!

[jbequer]

Yes, i got two not really expecting to have to use the second on this draining. I used about one and a half. Its amazing what i got out...The nasty stuff just floated on top of the foam and stuck to the walls.

[amy2421]

Yes, i got two not really expecting to have to use the second on this draining. I used about one and a half. Its amazing what i got out...The nasty stuff just floated on top of the foam and stuck to the walls.

So did it go out when you drained it or did you clean that stuff off the walls and the foam before draining?

(That's gross, but I'm not looking forward to what I'll be seeing on mine because it did sit from July 5th until we filled it October 2nd!!) 

[jbequer]

The way it works is you put the scoops in the tub, let it run with all jets on 30 min , putting the filters in the tub water letting them float around and drain. While running, it foams a lot , and the build up starts to settle on top of the foam and goes towards the sides. It kind of sticks to the wall. When you drain the water, the stuff just stayed on the wall , pretty nasty stuff. Then you just wipe it off. I recommend to wipe off with gloves as the water is draining using a sponge with the same water from the tub. Get as much out as you can, refill and do it again until you don't see this stuff anymore. Some people have actually used it more than two times to make sure its all out.
Believe me, my tub was only a month old. After having to add a lot of chemicals to make the water clear , it got to the point that it stayed clear for no more than a day. One day sitting in the tub i noticed a brown build up on one of the wall floating on top of foam, thats when i decided to get the hell out and do some reading, glad i did.
The stuff that comes in the inner pipes of the tubs is nasty, its impossible to drain 100% of all the water out after testing, so its the new owners responsibility to do this. This is for your own safety.