Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: jsimo7 on June 15, 2005, 09:51:55 am

Title: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: jsimo7 on June 15, 2005, 09:51:55 am
I am doing my 1st water change on a HS Envoy. I drained the tub last night and will clean the shell today and refill. The HS owners manual says you can put the Tri X filters in the dishwasher to clean them. Has any one cleaned there filters by this method. Is there any other step to clean them if I put them in the dishwasher, (Kwik-Strip soak ect.) or do I just put them in the dishwasher and right back in the tub. Thanks for the info!
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Chas on June 15, 2005, 10:14:13 am
For a first water change, I would give them a quick spritz with an "Instant Filter Cleaner" and a quick rinse first.

You have more oil on the filter right now than usual since you and your spa are new to soaking.

Usually you can simply run then through the dishwasher without soap and with the dry cycle off.

Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: J._McD on June 15, 2005, 10:20:50 am
Simple, easy, convenient, a “no brainer”, a good sales point on the ease of maintenance, but is it a good idea, some will say, why not? :-/

This is a controversial question and I am sure it will invoke some differing points of view.   IMO, I fail to recognize how the dishwasher can get into all of the pleats to clean matter from deep within the filter.  Secondly, the filter contains, I do not even want to think of it, let’s just call it dirt, and is used to filter everything out of the Hot Tub.  

The dishwasher is where I clean our dishes and eating utensils.  While I will admit, it is a “hot water” environment, how would you feel about finding a “curly” hair in the forks? ::) :-/

I simply choose to clean my filters in the traditional way.  Soak them in a filter cleaning solution and hose them off with the garden hose.  I must admit, the simplicity of using the dishwasher is certainly appealing, but no thank you.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: tonyp on June 15, 2005, 11:24:04 am
The dishwasher works great!  Run through a cycle without any soap and you're done.  Then run the dishwasher empty to clear the below concern.

Quote
The dishwasher is where I clean our dishes and eating utensils.  While I will admit, it is a “hot water” environment, how would you feel about finding a “curly” hair in the forks? ::) :-/


Is that any worse than the dried food matter that you sometimes find?
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Cgar on June 15, 2005, 11:30:56 am
At least the curly hair would be clean.  Right?   ;D
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Rayman on June 15, 2005, 11:47:17 am
Just create your own hotub rules,

1.  No Jewelry

2.  No suit

3.  No hair below the shoulders
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: jsimo7 on June 15, 2005, 12:09:09 pm
Quote
Just create your own hotub rules,

1.  No Jewelry

2.  No suit

3.  No hair below the shoulders

I like those rules!! I will tell my wife to comply because that what the experts on the website said woulld be best.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Spatech_tuo on June 15, 2005, 12:51:47 pm
Quote
Just create your own hotub rules,

1.  No Jewelry

2.  No suit

3.  No hair below the shoulders


Just to add to these points of wisdom. I got a call last year from a guy who had been removing his filter for cleaning. When he removed somehow his glass eye was displaced and fell into the filter compartment and went down the hole and into the plumbing. He needed someone to take it apart to get it as he said it was a $1500 eye. I hesitated waiting for the person on the other end of the phone line to start laughing and tell me it was a joke but apparently it wasn't so I referred him to a tech in his area.

SOOOO, when removing your filter, please remove your glass eye first and set it safely aside.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Bill_Stevenson on June 15, 2005, 01:13:44 pm
[quote author=J._McD

>This is a controversial question and I am sure it will invoke some differing points of view.   IMO, I fail to recognize how the dishwasher can get into all of the pleats to clean matter from deep within the filter.  Secondly, the filter contains, I do not even want to think of it, let’s just call it dirt, and is used to filter everything out of the Hot Tub.  

The dishwasher is where I clean our dishes and eating utensils.  While I will admit, it is a “hot water” environment, how would you feel about finding a “curly” hair in the forks? ::) :-/

I simply choose to clean my filters in the traditional way.  Soak them in a filter cleaning solution and hose them off with the garden hose.  I must admit, the simplicity of using the dishwasher is certainly appealing, but no thank you.
[/quote]<

This point of view makes zero sense to me.  First of all there is no more effective way to clean and sanitize complex shapes than in a dishwasher.  Consumer Reports has tested for this specific thing and anyone can access any of their test reports on dishwashers over the years to confirm it.  So there is no reason to question the potential effectiveness of a dishwasher to clean the filters.  Mine gets deep in the pleats just fine.

Second, the issue of bacteria is raised.  Our mouths have more bacteria in them than any other part of our body.  So if the dishwasher is the safest, most efficient means of removing bacteria from dishes and flatware, it is not credible to say that it can't do the same for filters.  Consider this simple test.  Eat your dinner and then look at the dishes and flatware and the amount of stuff on them before washing.  Then go pull your spa water filter and look at the amount of stuff on it or them.  Unless you lick your bowl so to speak, it is probably safe to say that there is a lot more stuff on the dishes and the dishwasher handles the task of cleaning, rinsing, and draining just fine.  Curlies indeed, this is nothing but a scare tactic.

I have cleaned my filters in the dishwasher at every water change on my Envoy (~ every 60 days) and am here to testify that this is a safe and effective process.

Regards,

Bill
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: jsimo7 on June 15, 2005, 01:26:03 pm
I have a friend who is a doctor and he does confirm, the most bacteria ANYWHERE on our body is in our mouths and nose.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Chas on June 15, 2005, 09:28:45 pm
Quote
SOOOO, when removing your filter, please remove your glass eye first and set it safely aside.


Thanks - I'll keep an eye out for that.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Wisoki on June 16, 2005, 09:09:36 am
Be prepared to  comply yourself as well!

Quote
I like those rules!! I will tell my wife to comply because that what the experts on the website said woulld be best.

Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: drewstar on June 16, 2005, 04:04:40 pm
On  cartridge filters, there is a band wrapping the pleats.

The band snapped off and I've discovered the filter is much easier to clean. I can sepereate the pleats and really hose off the filter.  It's been a couple of months and I haven't noticed any diff in the water quality if I have the bandless filter in or the banded on.


I asked one dealer about this and was told "no problem. The band is just there for shipping. cut it off ".

Another dealer said "No. Leave it on. It keeps the pleats tight and at a uniform distance."



Any filter experts want to chime in and enlighten me?
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Spatech_tuo on June 16, 2005, 04:53:45 pm
The only issue I can see is on some spas the filter fits in tightly and if the band goes away the filter can expand and be more difficult to remove.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: J._McD on June 16, 2005, 05:01:48 pm
Quote
On  cartridge filters, there is a band wrapping the pleats.

The band snapped off and I've discovered the filter is much easier to clean. I can sepereate the pleats and really hose off the filter.  It's been a couple of months and I haven't noticed any diff in the water quality if I have the bandless filter in or the banded on.


I asked one dealer about this and was told "no problem. The band is just there for shipping. cut it off ".

Another dealer said "No. Leave it on. It keeps the pleats tight and at a uniform distance."



Any filter experts want to chime in and enlighten me?

Drew, the first guy lied to you, well maybe he thought he was telling the truth.  The band is applied in the manufacturing process to keep the pleats uniformly in place.  You will notice after a while, some pleats will be wider apart than others.  This will not diminish the filtering capacity of the filter, but water will take the path of least resistance and "load up" faster in those wider areas.  Simply, rotate the filter 45° allowing primary suction to enter the filter from a different position.

The second guy, you see, told the truth as he knew it to be and I agree. :)
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: stuart on June 16, 2005, 08:23:50 pm
I spent some time this week taking a very hard look at these and other types of filters.

I'm wondering, with the vortex shape of these filters is it difficult to get everything out of the bottom of the pleat area?
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: drewstar on June 17, 2005, 09:37:01 am
Quote
Drew, the first guy lied to you, well maybe he thought he was telling the truth.  The band is applied in the manufacturing process to keep the pleats uniformly in place.  You will notice after a while, some pleats will be wider apart than others.  This will not diminish the filtering capacity of the filter, but water will take the path of least resistance and "load up" faster in those wider areas.  Simply, rotate the filter 45° allowing primary suction to enter the filter from a different position.

The second guy, you see, told the truth as he knew it to be and I agree. :)



Thanks J-McD. I didn't think anyone was "lying" to me. (hopefully you and I can get away from these words)  It just was conflicting information. Someone didn't know what they were talking about.   ;)
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Chas on June 17, 2005, 11:53:53 am
Quote
Someone didn't know what they were talking about.   ;)


Good point. I have had two spas now with the Tri-X filters, and we have run them through the dishwasher with good results.

The one thing I found was that the one filter from the circ pump didn't come out white. I ended up having to soak that one and then run it again.

It's fine now, but I mention it because you may still have to soak and/or use some sort of filter cleaner if the filters get coated in oil. Once that was removed, the fitler came clean in the dishwasher and works fine. The dishwasher is the way to go with these filters because it gets back into the pleats in a way which would take a bit of time if done by hand.
Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: Bill_Stevenson on June 17, 2005, 04:25:30 pm
Quote


>The one thing I found was that the one filter from the circ pump didn't come out white. I ended up having to soak that one and then run it again. <

One way to minimize the potential for this problem is to remove and rinse the filters once a week and then rotate them so that the recirc filter is not the same one for perhaps a month.  This may seem like a lot of effort, but it really only takes about 5 minutes and it done on the weekend when I wash the exterior and shock and all that other stuff.  My time investment in maintenance is probably 20 minutes total, once a week for everything.  

Regards,

Bill

Title: Re: Tri X Filter cleaning question
Post by: spahappy on June 17, 2005, 05:05:13 pm
Quote

Just to add to these points of wisdom. I got a call last year from a guy who had been removing his filter for cleaning. When he removed somehow his glass eye was displaced and fell into the filter compartment and went down the hole and into the plumbing. He needed someone to take it apart to get it as he said it was a $1500 eye. I hesitated waiting for the person on the other end of the phone line to start laughing and tell me it was a joke but apparently it wasn't so I referred him to a tech in his area.

SOOOO, when removing your filter, please remove your glass eye first and set it safely aside.



ROTFL

Just shared it with my coworker and she's ROTFL