Can water bypass my filter???

[Chiroken]

I have been battling cream coloured flakes in my hot tub for a long time and cannot solve the problem. I don't understand why my filter won't catch them and remove from the water column. If I'm slack on chemistry or bang on it doesn't seem to matter. I've drained and refilled. I used pipe cleaning products, I've cleaned and replaced the filter. No major change. Is it possible the water isn't actually flowing through my filter and bypassing it somehow? Through my main access panel I see 4 gate valves, all open. 2 pump system.  I can put a piece of sheet floss over the overflow and it will collect the floaties, that is as good as I've figured. The purchase store is out of business and the replacement store can't figure it out. I am desperate! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The tub is a NorthWinds by Coast Spas, model Z ENZ 50.

[bud16415]

I don’t know the particulars of your tub, but in mine I think only part of the water flow goes thru the filter as there are other suction return paths on the bottom of the tub. The idea being eventually all water will go thru the filter.

I get some of these flakes you mention and the filter doesn’t get them all out. When I pull my filter to clean it I see them floating in the filter well. I bought a fish aquarium / fish dipper screen thing at Walmart that’s like a mini pool cleaner screen and I reach down in the well and catch any that are floating around. It takes less than a minute to do. I’m sure some are in the filter you just don’t see them. Filters do seem to take out finer and sticker things though as I will see hair in the well also the filter didn’t catch. The floating basket hardly ever has anything in it on mine. Maybe a leaf or something. I have thought about putting a fine screen in there to catch some stuff like this. You might try that just don’t restrict flow too much and check it every few days.   

[bachman]

These flakes float on the water ? 
Seems like anything too heavy to float or too big to get drawn through the screens in the bottom would be the situation you are in unless as you suspect, the filter isn't causing any/enough draw.

In my case, I have a tennis ball in the tub and it is always drawn to the filter area when I open the cover. You might be able to use that as a test to see if the filtration system is working as it should.

Are the flakes some type of deposit that breaks loose in the pump or heating system ?
Would be good to know what it is or the source. Lime deposits on the heater system or internal pumps might reveal a condition that way.

[Tman122]

Almost every tub out there has a bypass system, a flapper that opens and draws water past the filter when the pump is running. But on low speed, filtering there should be enough spring tension to keep the flapper mostly closed. You may have a problem with that part. But you may not and it may be functioning properly. The bypass suctions are in the bottom of the tub. The flapper is under the filter on the upstream side (towards the bypass screens in the footwell) of the filter canister.

[Sam]

It sounds like you have white mold which is extremely difficult to get rid of and requires a pretty intense decontamination procedure.  Just draining and or using a pipe cleaning product is not sufficient.  The water that remains in the plumbing when you drained is probably contaminating the fresh water.  The filter is also a possible culprit, even though you cleaned it.  There was a decon procedure posted here that works well.  A necessary component of it is to raise the chlorine level to an astronomical 100ppm and completely replacing the filter with a brand new upon refilling.