Crappy water

[Tatooed_Lady]

Here's a pic of what our hard water looks like. This time I let it run for a bit before putting it in the tub, and could actually SEE the difference between hard and soft when I ran both at once. I only had the heart to fill the tub halfway with that garbage before using the OTHER spigot with softened water...looks like we'll be investing in a whole house filter soon.

This is after running both pumps for about an hour....I'm not going to run them constantly until the water's clear, but off and on I'll hit 'em for a while...then I take all 5 filters out and rinse the ORANGE off.

If I didn't know better, I'd say this is why I have had to keep up on the dichlor so much more often than Term and his pet Grandee.

[hottub.pool_boy]

Ms. Lady,
We have many clients on wells with water like yours.

Have you tried 1/4 cup of Stain and Scale or Metal Gone on initial fill adding nothing else for 24hrs. Then Balance and shock. Use weekly maintenance dose of stain and scale or metal gone-2-4 capfuls.

[Bonibelle]

T-Lady, are you refilling already?  It looks to me like your water is also full of iron. The softener is  removing the iron (and hardness, too I guess). Do you have a prefilter before your softener? I use a pleated prefilter before my neutralizing tank and that seems to grab some of the free iron. We need to figure this out since several folks on here are having similar problems. If we shouldn't use softened water and the alternative is this....what should be done? I was able to capture my iron mess with stain and scale but I waited to add chemicals until I was pretty sure the filters had cleared the iron....be careful adding your chlorine it will only get worse.

[Tatooed_Lady]

pool boy- actually, I'm told to use 3 oz. of minquest on fill, then hold off for awhile, let it work, let the filters filter, clean them off, then start playing mad scientist. Balancing is a PITA, too. TA's off the charts, and I'm trying to use the least chemicals I can to get in "the zone".

Boni - I'm draining and filling because a) it's the first drain, and it's been 30 days....I bet I've overdone it somewhere along the line, I've had some minor water issues...and
b) I'm changing over to bromine for the summer months when I won't have squat for time or energy to putz with the tub. I'll be lucky to be able to use it more than once a week....or get home before I fall asleep...if it goes badly, I'll switch back.....but for now I've got my fingers crossed.

[KarlXII]

Hey TL, does this look familiar?


That's iron you've got in the water. I doubt that calcium has anything to do with this...

I've realized that I cannot shock with dichlor. My water is very nice now, since two weeks. I did what hottub.pool_boy said, and I have since then just used very moderatly with dichlor. After bathing, I have added dichlor up to 1-3 ppm and softshocked twice a week with MPS. If I use dichlor to shock, the iron in the water oxidizes and the water turns yellow. Once a week, I add more stain control product.
Right now my water is sweet. Silky, smooth and crystal clear.

[anne]

Have you tried 1/4 cup of Stain and Scale or Metal Gone on initial fill adding nothing else for 24hrs. Then Balance and shock. Use weekly maintenance dose of stain and scale or metal gone-2-4 capfuls.

Mr. Pool boy,
you refer to those products as if they are interchangeable- is that the case? I thought that Metal Gone was for initial fill for metals (and a whole bottle is added) and that S&S was just for calcium issues, and it was added regularly. Am I using these incorrectly?

[Wisoki]

Well, sheesh, why do you even need to concern yourself with any of that. The way everybody here hollers about the superiority of Hot Spring no by pass filtration, ALL of that stuff will get filtered out in just a few short hours and you'll have sparkling spring water flowing through your jets, at least thats the impression that's given round here.

[Wisoki]

Come an' git me! LOL  

Well, sheesh, why do you even need to concern yourself with any of that. The way everybody here hollers about the superiority of Hot Spring no by pass filtration, ALL of that stuff will get filtered out in just a few short hours and you'll have sparkling spring water flowing through your jets, at least thats the impression that's given round here.

[East_TX_Spa]

Wisoki's exactly correct.  In a few hours, the water will be crystal clear.  He's absolutely right about the greatness of 100% No-Bypass Filtration.

See, in your HotSpring Spa, your filters will get EXTREMELY dirty and your water will get EXTREMELY clean.  In other, lesser systems, your filter will get SOMEWHAT dirty and your water will get SOMEWHAT clean.

I would rather have dirt in my FILTERS, rather than in the main body of water, pump, heater, plumbing, etc.

Wouldn't you?

Terminator

[Chas]

[Wisoki]

But Chas, why would such a thing ever be needed in a HotSpring Spa?

[East_TX_Spa]

But Chas, why would such a thing ever be needed in a HotSpring Spa?

That's the beauty of it...you don't NEED it, but it will keep you from filling up your spa with crud to start with, like in the first picture.  You can filter it BEFORE dumping that gunk into such a gorgeous machine and then not have to fool with cleaning your filters a few times.  I actually sell a few of them to people that have off brand spas that really DO need them.

Terminator

[drewstar]

Dump the water. Maybe it will kill some of the dandilions.  

(if it works, let me know. My yard is a field of yellow)

[Tatooed_Lady]

drew, I'm not gonna dump it *lol* that's "fresh" water. It only gets better from here on out, until I overdo the chemicals and have to dump to start over...

karl, the tub's almost clear now, slightly yellow tinted, but I've been taking all the filters out to hose them down, then rotating them. That's what I did last fill, and the water was that color....only difference is, I thought it was MY fault for not running the water first...I have no problem with using dichlor. Even superchlorinating the tub doesn't make the water turn colors once that's all filtered out.
Wisoki, actually, the HS filtering system IS amazing. Between the no-bypass and the Tri-X filters, that mess WILL be sparkling clean water in a day or so. I hate to bust your bubble, but I'm just stating what I've seen.

[RayF-1]

Aw Jeez T-L .. I'm sorry for you.  You worked so hard to get the tub and site just right .. only to learn you've got to bathe in lemon jello!

I hope your dealer tested your water to recommend a "chemical cocktail."

If chems don't do it, you're right .. you may wind up with major filter .. or have a pool-water guy stop by and fill you up every couple of months or so.

Best wishes ..