red gunk on walls .... yuck!

[lat61]

We are closing in our first year of tub ownership (J-335) -- and we love it.   We have only one issue, and I am hoping that you experts can help.  Periodically, red gunk shows up floating on top of the water and sticks to the sides of tub, making a nasty tub ring.  Except for the gross red gunk, the water is clean and clear.  The chemistry tests OK.

It is a very sticky red gunk, feels real greasy and oily.  If you touch it with your fingers, it is quite hard to wipe off your skin.  It is also hard to get it completely off the side of the tub without the tub cleaner.

The red gunk first appeared after the first time after we cleaned our filters.  We use Softguard system chemicals (the non-chorine, non-bromine kind whose name escapes me), and the filter cleaner is red/pink in color.  So I was thinking that I did not rinse the filters enough.  (The cleaner for the tub shell is also red.)  My method is now, after soaking filters (about once a month), to spray rinse, and then to soak in clean water before putting back in tub to reduce the amount of cleaner that goes back into the tub.  I am still seeing the red gunk though.   So maybe it is something else.

It does seem to appear most often when we turn on the 2nd pump (for the seat we call the "pummeler" -- now that's some power!), which happens to be right next to where the filters are in the tub.  I'm not sure this means anything, but throwing out any observations I've made.

I was wondering if there is always this type of sticky grease in tubs as a matter of general use, and the red from the filter cleaner is just coloring it so we can see the grossness.  Or could this be something more serious (like I am mistaking some bacteria for greasy sweatballs)? 

Any guidance on what this might be (or how I might figure it out) -- and especially suggestions how I might get rid of it -- would be most welcome.  Thanks so much!

[stuart]

It's probably something your introducing into the spa.... I’ve seen that on older spas the have blisters in the shell wear the chemicals are seeping in under the acrylic and creating a reactionary substance called "Cobalt" that is red and sticky.

I've also seen it when people mix Biguanide with DiChlor....

[lat61]

Yes, biguanide is the chemical system we have.  Its called the "Soft Soak" line -- lots of purple bottles.   But I haven't put in any DiChlor ... that I know of.  I've only used the same chemicals that the dealer originally gave us.  If I check out the various bottles, will dichlor be listed as "dichlor"?  How else might the dichlor be called? 

[stuart]

I'm wondering if you have excess chlorine in your home water, so heres a thought...you can either let any chlorine gas off when you drain and fill or you can use a nuetralizer to get it out

[lat61]

To let the chlorine gas off, do I just leave the cover off for a while -- how long?  And does it have to be sunny?  I don't live in a particularly sunny spot.     Would I neutralize before doing any other chemicals?  And with what?  Sorry if these are elementary questions, but I don't know much about chemicals other than the particular set that the dealer started me out on.  Is there a way to test my tap water to see how much chlorine is in it?  I might be able to find out from the municipality since it publishes a water quality test report every year.

I did talk with the dealer today, and he said it didn't sound like I was doing anything wrong with the chemicals.  But he was also a little stumped by the red color.  He said its pretty common to get some white or brown ringline from grease and lotions.  I don't get anything any ring line/build-up except this red stuff.

One other thought on the red color, is that our tap water does have something it related to that color.  You can always tell when its time to clean the shower because the build up on the shower pan/grout will have a pink/red hue to it.  I am wondering if that is related.

[hottubdan]

A few things come to mind:

I have heard of the red gunk being related to the Soft Soak filter cleaner, which is red.  Extra rinsing?

How often do you drain?

What is your chemical routine?  Do you only add sanitizer when low?  Do you balance before adding oxidizer and sanitizer?  Are you using enough conditioner?

[lat61]

hottubdan, I was wondering the same thing re filter cleaner because the red gunk first appeared after I first cleaned the filters.  I have tried extra cleansing of the filter cleaner (after 24 soak in cleaner, spray rinse, then rinse/soak for a couple hours in clean water in bucket), and I will try extra rinse/soak cycle(s) in clean water to see if that makes a difference.

We drain and refill the tub every 3-4 months.

Our chemicals have become a lot more stable since adding one of Doc's themal spa blankets this winter.  Current routine is weekly testing:  we have to add calcium hardness increaser from time to time right after a fresh refill (when it is usually at zero), then that stablizes pretty well after the first two weeks.  We use pH decreaser regularly.  Otherwise weekly we add stain & scale remover and shock weekly.  Yes, I have only been adding sanitizer when low, but it rarely seems to dip lately, so I have added some extra sanitizer on a couple weeks because it seems weird we wouldn't need to.

[lat61]

I forgot to answer the questions about balancing and conditioner: 

I do the balancing (usually calcium hardness increaser and pH decreaser if anything is needed) firsk and run the jets without air for 1/2 hour.  Then stain & scale and shock (done every week), and run the jets without air for 1/2 hour.  Then sanitizer (if low), same drill with the jets. 

I have only been adding conditioner at the fresh refill -- per the instructions I was given, usually a lot of conditioner at the refill.  Should I do that weekly or monthly?

[hottubdan]

The only thing I would do differently is only add sanitizer when low.  It is so stable you don't need extra.  That could be be contributing to the problem.