"Ring around the tub"

[Campsalot]

Help!!!!  I have great tub, Sundance Maxxus.  Yes, I'm a new newby I am so new at this stuff.  Unfortunatley, my dealer is less than happy to help with newby things like chemicals.  

We have had the tub 5 weeks now, works great.  We have  the water temp at a cool 96 because of the heat and humidty we have had here.  I have had a large pool int he past so I'm familiar with water chemistry at pool temps 72 to 84 degrees.  

I have been adding bromine powder to my tub after each use and tablets in between  I also shock it once a week.  Now I have a ring around my tub.  Yes, I have other chemicals; anti scale, anti foam, water clarifier, ph dcereaser and increaser.  
Tonight I wiped the ring off, started one of the pumps and the ring came back .  

What is the seceret to great water care so these rings and things don't happen?  My PH is 7.2, Bromine is fine, and total alkalinity is right where it should be.  What is the secret.  What chemicals should I add and when?

Please wise dealers who care about their customers, show me the way of the ringless.

Thanks folks!  I really need some help!

[Cola]

What level do you keep your bromine at?
What do you shock with?
Do you have an ozone generator?

[nicker]

well first off congrats on the new tub.   I am not all that familiar with Bromine as I use dichlor.  I too get a faint ring around my tub (water line area).  Which I think is fairly normal.  I use my water water clarifier / scale preventer on a cloth and wipe it off.  I usually have to do this once a month or so.    

I am sorry to hear your dealer will not take the time or is less then happy to help you out.  I would honestly be very upset with my dealer.  This was my first tub and my dealer was MORE then happy to coach me along and is still there 100%.    Sorry that just upsets me to hear that.   I am sure they were more then happy to help you buy the tub.

[wmccall]

ITs possible the foam out and clarifier caused the junk in your water to coagulate and form a ring. Wipe it off, rinse the filters and see if it comes back.  Almost everyone goes through this initially.

[johnvb]

I use a CD ozonator in my Optima, along with a weekly dose of Bromine tabs, shock and stain control.

I found I was having scum/ring buildup around the tub, like you.

So last go around, I have tried adding a natural enzyme cleaner, and the problem has appeared to have been solved.

Check it out  

BTW are you one of those RVers, or a "real camper"?  (we have a Terry 30 foot trailer)

[Bill_Stevenson]

Congratulations on your new tub.  Sounds like you need to find a chemical supplier other than the dealer who sold you the tub.  Your pH is somewhat low.  7.4 to 7.8 would be better.  The ring can be removed by using a bit of baking soda as a scouring powder.  It is not abrasive and it will also raise your pH.  I find that the ring needs attention about once every 3 to 4 weeks, but your usage and water chemistry could vary.

Bill

[Soakin]

Your pH is somewhat low.  7.4 to 7.8 would be better.  

Bill, it seems that you and I are usually on the same page on chemistry issues, but I prefer pH in the 7.1-7.5 range.  This is primarily because my water source is naturally high pH, and my main challenge is to get pH down and keep it there, but I have also always assumed that closer to neutral is better.   I also shoot for a 7.2 since Chlorine is more effective at lower pH.  I can understand keeping levels a little higher to make sure you don't overdo it and end up with an "acid tub", but is there another reason to be a little higher in the pH range?

[Campsalot]

Regarding my dealer, yes, I am really disappointed.  He seems to get annoyed when I ask newby questions.  If I had to do it over, I would have found another Sundance dealer and bought from them.  This has been one of those "jeez, I wish I had known that" experiences.  I could tell you so many things about how this guy has caused problems from getting a damaged cover (still have it), to not acknowledging that other contoured steps are available and forcing me to these plastic things we currently have (hiring a carpenter to build custom redwood steps).  Nope, I won’t go into details about customer services because I work customer service every day and get real passionate about it.

Back to the ring thing, I also think showering before entering the tub would be a BIG help.  After I posted this I read a few other posts and it is obvious that showering prior to use is mentioned very frequently.

Thanks again everyone!

BTW:  30' Terry fifth wheel.  Yep, that makes me a RV'r.  Although I am passionate about camping in primitive areas without water or eletricity.  They are always more scenic and less congested.  I do though have a generator and a external 60 gallon water tank.  So, yes that makes me even more of a "Pamper Camper"

[Campsalot]

Regarding the PH.  When we had our pool I was always fighting descending PH levels.  Now, I'm faced with this again.  The way I was taught about water chemistry was that consistent use of any sanitizer  will lower PH.  When I did ask the dealer for PH increaser he said; "Why would you need that?  No one ever adds that."  That was my first indication that this guy had not sold that many tubs in my city.  Am I doing something wrong?

[mjb]

I will agree with the earlier post from Bill.
You should try to keep your pH around 7.6 - 7.8.
Baking Soda is a decent cleaner also.
We use an Enzyme Cleaner ( Scum Digester )
to clean the occasional water-line build-up
in our showroom.  Simple squirt a little on a tub
scrubber of clean cloth an wipe up and out.

[Soakin]

I will agree with the earlier post from Bill.
You should try to keep your pH around 7.6 - 7.8.

I realize we are only talking tenths here, but I'm curious, why do you prefer the pH higher than 7.5?

[mjb]

It seems, based on our observations, that sanitizers especially chlorine, work better
Also our customer's pay a little closer attention to those numbers.  Since there is a color tab on the test strips that is at 7.6.

[Soakin]

It seems, based on our observations, that sanitizers especially chlorine, work better  

It has been awhile since I researched this, but my understanding is that below a pH of 7.5, chlorine is primarily present as Hypochlorous Acid which is a more effective sanitizer.  Above pH 7.5 it is primarily Hypochlorite Ion, which is still a sanitizer, but not nearly as effective as the acid form.

[SerjicalStrike]

Soakin is right on.  When using chlorine, you should shoot for 7.2.  This will promote the best ratio of hypochlorous acid to hypochlorite ions.  

[Backpains]

ring around the tub is something I'm dealing with also. My dealer is sending down some enzyme tabs..so hopefully that will be the end of ring around the tub...I mean don't get me wrong I like rings: gold..........silver....maybe a nice gem in it...but ring around the tub is as bad as ring around the collor eeeewwwwwwwww LOLOLOL Ok...now I've babbled enough.

BP