Ahh-some.... or not?

[amy2421]

Our local dealer sells Ahhsome (for the same price as online) so they are certainly familiar with the product. I recently suggested that I planned to run a cycle of Ahhsome before our first drain and refill at the end of this month, and he was adamant that I shouldn't use it yet because our tub is too new to need it. (We haven't had any major issues or water problems so I'm not overly concerned that there was germy water sitting in the tub from the factory.) I told him about running it to get out any stuff that might have been in the tub from being new, and he said that it was unnecessary.

Thoughts?

[Quickbeam]

I say use the Ahh-Some. What have you got to lose? It won't hurt your tub and if you don't get any "gunk" out of the pipes all you've lost is a few dollars you've paid for the Ahh-Some. If on the other hand you do get some gunk out then you are now soaking in a clean tub. And don't be surprised if you do get some gunk out. No matter what your dealer says, it's not unusual for new tubs to have dirt lodged in the pipes.

[av8r]

I used it and am glad I did.  After only a couple months there was quite a bit of film and crap left on the tub sides as I drained it.  Make sure you don't add more than they suggest and melt it in 8 ounces of water before you add it to the tub.

[jbequer]

I thought my tub was clean until i used Ahh-some. Oh my, what came out was seriously nasty stuff and just after three months of purchasing the tub. I would have never noticed by just draining and refilling. Now, when i use it before draining, i hardly see any biofilm. It definitely works like magic.
New tubs come with pretty nasty biofilm in the pipes from factory testing. It is nearly impossible for them to be able to drain all the water out. This water could sit in the pipes for months before its sold. Once the owner fills the tub and puts in the proper chemicals, it slowly starts to release that biofilm, so basically you are bathing in contaminated water..

Once you get bubbles that are difficult to get rid of and cloudy water after soaks even though you shock and constantly having to clean the buildup on the walls,  you have serious biofilm.

Being new to all this , i began to try to fight everything by shocking, using clarifiers, foam reducers and just plain spending money on things i didn't need.
The best thing i ever did is to use Ahh-some, it took three applications  before i didn't see anymore biofilm. Then i refilled and used the appropriate chemicals. I have not had to use the clarifier, foam reducer, scale control ever since. Three months have gone by and the water is always clear, no bubbles and never cloudy and no residue on walls.

I am going to make it a habit to change water every three months, even if the water is clear. By doing this, i know i will have extremely clean water.

[av8r]

I should point out that my tub was built 3 weeks prior to arrival at my home.  It arrived only 6 days after it was wet tested so unlike others, mine had very little dwell time for things to grow.  I also started it with a chlorine level of nearly 20 PPM to kill off anything that may have been in there.

[jbequer]

Shocking doesn't really loosen up biofilm. Cause I shocked as well.

[Chief Kyle]

I've had my tub for about 10 months now; I was going to wait a year and run some sort of bio-film cleaner, probably Ahh-Some since I've read many good reviews on it..but maybe I should be doing that every water change??  I do go through a lot of clarifier and defoamer.

[jbequer]

When I was having my issues with my water, some people were telling me to use Ahh-some and replace the water. I struggled for a long time using all kinds of crap to deal with the issue, it really only helped for a day or two before it the problems were back.
After doing the cleaner and refill, not once have I had a problem with the water. It has been so easy to manage my water. Before I was getting very frustrated and thought that my investing in a tub was a bad idea.
So my advice is to use Ahh-some until clear, this may take several times. Clean inside well, refill and see how easy it will be to have perfect water, with less headache and much less money.
No more defamer, clarifier or scale reducing supplies..

[amy2421]

Thanks for the replies & opinions. I've never yet had to use clarifier or defoamer, maybe we have just been lucky. We did learn ahead of time about double-rinsing our bathing suits and not washing them too often, and it is just the two of us so we're not struggling with complications from parties or kids in our hot tub.

We're going to be on "stay-cation" at the end of the month, so I think we'll run a cycle of Ahh-some before draining. As Quickbeam said, it can't hurt. But I don't think we'll run 2-3 cycles... we aren't having any problems so I'm sure one cycle will nab whatever might be lurking.

Thanks again

[Quickbeam]

I think you're doing the smart thing Amy. As for running more than one cycle, no need to do this unless the foam is really dirty. If it is dirty, and you see a brown scum line around the side of the tub, then you will want to do another cycle. Basically, you want to see the foam from the Ahh-Some be pretty clean. If it isn't, then do another cycle.

[Vinny]

I think you're doing the smart thing Amy. As for running more than one cycle, no need to do this unless the foam is really dirty. If it is dirty, and you see a brown scum line around the side of the tub, then you will want to do another cycle. Basically, you want to see the foam from the Ahh-Some be pretty clean. If it isn't, then do another cycle.

^^^^^ This!

The only thing that Ahh-some hurts is the fact that if it wasn't needed you are doing a drain and refill rinse and drain before refilling.

[Tman122]

I should point out that my tub was built 3 weeks prior to arrival at my home.  It arrived only 6 days after it was wet tested so unlike others, mine had very little dwell time for things to grow.  I also started it with a chlorine level of nearly 20 PPM to kill off anything that may have been in there.

I don't think it will hurt Amy, but necessarily necessary?

Like AV said. Biofilm takes a while to build up, and a new tub.......may or may not have any in it.

[amy2421]

Just to follow up, we did end up using one treatment of Ahhsome with our first drain & refill, and we are VERY glad that we did! I have more details in the thread about our first drain & refill, but just wanted to post this here as well.

So for anyone on the fence like we were about whether or not it is necessary... do it, as Quickbeam said it can't hurt, and you'll probably be very glad that you did!!!

[someguy]

This is a wonderful forum for hot tub owners.  What everyone wants is to have their water maintenance simplified.  Over 70% of hot tub owners are concerned and feel that this issue is overwhelming for them.  Owning and using your hot tub on a regular basis promotes many positive benefits for the entire family.  Water maintenance can be simplified by adopting a regular "purge and drain" program every 4 to 6 months.  We need to educate users about biofilm issues that interfere with the normal sanitization and maintenance protocols they are using.  Biofilm is essentially the culprit that places onerous demands on various chemical protocols.  Get rid of the gunk and slime that is lurking deep within the plumbing infrastructure, balance your water to acceptable parameters, maintain adequate sanitizer, run the hot tub daily for proper filtration and you'll have great results.  You'll find that maintenance is quite simple.

[MarKee]

We just recently started carrying "Hot tub Serum" which is made by the same company as Ahh-Some (the rep for Ahh-Some said it's the identical product, just a different name).  It works really well!