Help!!!! The Green Water Monster

[AmySue]

Hello All!!!!

Being a new tub owner I have found this forum quite helpful and informative, and have learned quite a bit here. So now I'm lost and need your help.

I have had my tub for about 7 weeks now.  After 5 weeks, I had to drain it because it looked like green toxic waste, was foamy and I was getting that "chemical feel" after you got out. When it first started turning green (2 weeks after it was filled) the dealer told me to shock it. Well I shocked the hell out of it - still green, but all test strips read OK. Read a post on here about length of filtering cycles, upped mine to 4x a day for 1 hour each.(factory preset was 30 minutes each) Finally, I attributed it to the "Newbie Mad Chemist Syndrome" and after a few more weeks of trying to convince myself MAYBE it was the reflection of the green canopy thats over it, I drained it, soaked the filters in filter cleaner overnite, scrubbed the tub with tub cleaner, rinsed everything out completely and refilled. Got chemicals in check.

Voila - nice sparkling clear water. That was 2 weeks ago. The tub has not been used much lately, maybe 2x a week due to extreme heat and humidity and storms, etc. I have been following my chemical instructions to the T, test strips OK (alkalinity was low this morning - put in some increaser now its OK)and guess what. I'm green again, so I shocked it and I'm still green. I'm at a loss here - I can't figure out why it keeps turning green after a couple of weeks - especially since it hasn't really been used much. Any help would be appreciated.

Oh and for the kicker -  I'm using BAQUA SPA.  Seems like not too many people have anything good to say about that, but it came with the tub and I have no clue as far as spa chemicals go as this is my 1st spa.

THANKS
;D

 

[Nhbeacon]

Well water or city water? Would make a difference if you have water high in minerals.
I hope you get help here...I am finding it hard myself playing water chemist...but I did make it through the first round of cloudy water.

Jan

 

[stingfan]

AmySue

I have the same problem!  
Jacuzzi J355.  Used the Baqua Spa startup kit, turned pale green within 48 hours.  Drained and refilled, used Baqua again and it turned green in 48 hour.  We decided to switch to Nature2 system with MPS and dichlor....that was 2 days ago....my water is green again!!  AAAAGGGHHHH!!!!  I feel like crying.  

We have well water, very high alk and pH, needs to be adjusted with alot of Sodium Bisulfate to get it within range.  I also used MetalGo when filling the tub, thinking maybe this is some kind of chemical reaction going on with my well water.  But it's still lime green.

This is definitely not a bacteria problem, it always occurs on the second day.  I am following directions to a "t" as you are.  All readings are within acceptable ranges.


What is going on?  Can anyone help us?  I am about ready to tell the company to come and take their hot tub back.  Is it a jacuzzi problem? :-[

 

[bulmer4nc]

Have either of you taken a sample of your water into your dealer to get looked at?  Maybe they can find something and make other suggestions.  Maybe there's still a lot of metal in your water.  I've heard lots of iron can cause green water.

Good Luck.

 

[Shut_Down_Stranger]

Try lowering your pH to 7.0, (neutral), but slighly below the recommended level of 7.4 to 7.6. It may be a function of the high mineral content in the water.

I find that when my pH is high, the water turns green, whereas at lower pH it is generally clear.

 

[stingfan]

thanks, I'll try the lower pH suggestion and let you know if that works.  

I tend to think this is an irreversible chemical reaction though because after my first fill (on third fill now) I had overshot on my spa decreaser (when using BaquaSpa products) and my pH dropped to 6.8, alk to 40... Water was still very green upon emptying that bad batch. AT that first fillup/green water the dealer suggested soem clarifier and all that did was make it so cloudy I couldn't see the bottom.

 

[Tubber]

Amysue, in your case it could be the ozonator causing the green water.  Disconnect the ozonator and see if that helps.

 

[saz]

Tubber,
help out a thicky Englishwomen. I dont have the green water to the same degree as Amysue, but why would an ozonater cause green water
saz

 

[Tubber]

Tubber,
help out a thicky Englishwomen. I dont have the grrem water to the same degree as Amysue, but why would an ozonater cause green water
saz

 

[Tubber]

Tubber,
help out a thicky Englishwomen. I dont have the grrem water to the same degree as Amysue, but why would an ozonater cause green water
saz

I'm not sure the exact technical details of it. However we have been running into tinted green water when combined with a JED Ozonator. At least thats what Baqua Spas saying is causing it.

 

[TCMarvin]

I know how you feel. I had the brown scum and breathing problems that many Baqua users complain about. It was the chemical that came with my spa when we bought it. It's not the easiest chemical to balance

I was recommended the Eco One product on another board and it has made my spa maintenance very easy. You might want to give it a shot if you cannot figure out the Baqua system. Eco One is non-toxic too and there is a lot of info on the internet about it. I was skeptical at first and worried that i was buying snake oil, but it has performed better than i was expecting.

 

[stingfan]

I work with a chemist and he says ozone plus whatever would not cause a green color.  He says it is most likely a reaction between chlorine and metals as in iron or copper.  I have used the MetalGone product, but read somewhere else that it will only sequester (tie up) the metals and keep them in solution so they do not deposit on the tub's shell.  What's needed is a product that will actually remove the metals.  I am going to try Spaclear Minquest  or SeaKlear 4 in 1 clarifier, because both advertise to REMOVE metals from water, not just SEQUESTER them.

Anyone else have any input?

My tub seems very clean and clear.  I am using dichlor and Nature2.  the green water is really getting to me though.......

 

[CalicoskiesNC]

Just a comment about the ozone maybe turning water green.  We've got an Optima and sometimes our ozone wont run for 8-10hrs becuz the temp is too high.  We've never had green water either when the ozone runs for long periods or when the ozone hasnt run. We have never experienced green water at all and our tub gets heavy use from 5ppl daily.  We use dichlor solely (daily and weekly as a shock) with 2oz Spa Defender every other week.  Water is clear and clean.  I dont know enuf to diagnose the green water, I just wanted to say I highly doubt its ozone, but more likely a chem or sanitatizing issue.  

When we filled initially, we ran Swirl Away for 3hrs, then drained tub, rinsed out filters and refilled again.  I think this may have helped to remove contaminants left in the lines from the manufacturing process.  

 

[AmySue]

Hi all!!

Thanks for the advice. I think the 1st thing I am doing is getting rid of the BaquaSpa.  I have a leak in my tub, (losing about an inch of water a day)and someone from from the dealer and a Jacuzzi rep came out. They can't find the leak - the have to get 4 people to come back and put the tub on blocks and drain it so the Jacuzzi rep can see underneath, and he needs to probe in the foam to find the leak and fix it. But thats another issue.

I asked the Jacuzzi rep about the green water and he said it could be the TA, sanitizer levels, ph etc. I explained that all my tests show everything is in line. When I told him I was using Baqua Spa, he told me to get rid of it. Jacuzzi does not recommend Baqua Spa for their spas, and he also stated that Jacuzzi will void parts of the warranty for using Baqua Spa.(Not sure what parts - I was shocked and didn't ask) When I told him the dealer recommended it, he said the dealer did a great disservice by recommending Baqua Spa, and he was going to say something to the dealer. Apparently, the Jacuzzi dealer knows about the warranty/Baqua Spa issue. He said Jacuzzi recommends the Nature 2 system.  I had read alot on this forum about Baqua Spa, but it came with the tub and didn't know any better. So now I guess I will have to ditch all my Baqua Spa and buy the Nature 2 system. I guess its back to Chemistry 101 again. Hopefully this will work.

 

[stingfan]

Yeah, I was given BaquaSpa with my Jacuzzi at time of purchase also.  The sticky brown gunk at the waterline was gross.  I am using the Nature2 system, but I am not convinced that Nature2 works, so I think I may just use a dichlor routine and not replace the Nature2 4 months from now. I had the green water with both Baqua Spa and now using the Nature2/dichlor routine.

Right now we are dealing with what I believe is skin infection from the hot tub.  My daugher (6) has it all over her torso.  I have only a few places.  They are kind of like very small chicken pox.  I guess we were not keeping our sanitizer level high enough, but I figured the Nature2 was working and I could get by with small amts of dichlor and a weekly shock.  I am going to have to buy a testing kit so I can monitor the exact amounts of dichlor and keep my tub "healthy".  We are planning to drain and refill, I'm expecting my metal removing products tomorrow.  We are not using the tub now until it's scrubbed and thoroughly disinfected.

wow, sorry to hear about that leak.  How depressing.

Yes, I agree, chemistry 101 all over again.  I never liked it in college and I'm resenting doing it now  

I guess I just didn't realize this was going to be such a pain.  Buyers blues here.

 

[cparlf]

Aimesue, are you certain you are not losing water to evaporation?  I need to add an inch or so twice a week, more so if heavy use with four or more due to splashing.  My dog gets wet running around the outside so I do think there is some splash over.  An inch a day you would certainly see wet patio etc.?

   

 

[Warkovision]

This BaquaSpa thing is fascinating. My dealer was pushing really hard for it. My friend who recommended this dealer said, "stay away from Baqua." He had off gassing problems of some sort with coughing and not being able to breathe. I subsequently read many other people having problems of one sort or another with it. When I asked the dealer about all these "problems" he said that this was mainly due to end users not monitoring their water correctly, and maintaining good water chemistry. I asked if any of the tubs in the store had Baqua and he led me to two that both had an inch or so scum line around the water level! He was surprised and said that doesn't normally happen. There are people here using it with success, but so far, I feel lucky that I'm just using EverFresh with MPS and Dichlor. No problems yet (though it's oonly been a week.)

 

[AmySue]

Cparlf,

Yes I am definitely losing water - not from evaporation or usage. The foundation that the tub is on is constantly wet in one spot - it is coming out from underneath the tub, and when the Jacuzzi rep was out, he confirmed there was a leak somewhere as there is water lying inside in the bottom of the base. That is why they have to come out and put it up on blocks so he can see underneath to find where to start looking for the leak.I know when I first got it I was putting in maybe an inch every other week depending on usage. But it was a hot humid month of August here in Jersey, so it hasn't even been used that much to begin with and the temp is at 96. Thats when I really took notice that I was losing quite a bit of water.

 

[stingfan]

AmySue
Did you get your leak fixed?  
My water is no longer green.  The solution......I just don't know for sure!

We drained, disinfected, rinsed then refilled. I then added my SpaDown to bring the alkalinity down from 230 to 100ppm, and my pH down from 8.4 to 7.2. This did not take long, as I already knew from experience how much sodium bisulfate to add.  This time I used a different metal sequestering product:  SpaClear Minquest.  I allowed that to work overnight (about 12 hours) then added my first dichlor shock the next morning.  It has been 5 days now and the water looks nice.  Also, I removed my N2 cartridge and am using dichlor routine only.

When I filled with well water, I notice that my water does have a "color" to it anyways.  Our shell is white by the way.


One thing I am thinking about, in retrospect, is that we should've cleaned our tub when we first got it.  Who knows what was in it.  When it was delivered it had rainwater  in it.  The delivery people had filled it to make sure it did not leak, then drained it and forgot to put the cover back on.  It rained the night before it was delivered I think, adn who knows exactly how long it sat outside with the top open and wet.  Therefore it's possible that the bacteria (and maybe even algae) growth was so high that the initial setup of my tub did not have enough sanitizer in it to make that initial fill water perfectly clean.  Maybe we had an algae bloom and I was never able to get rid of that green color.  Would dead algae be removed by a filtration system?

I'm not sure yet if I will put the N2 cartridge back in. Just don't knwo if it really works anyways.  I'm sure my dichlor is killing everything.  I've been monitoring the levels to make sure the water is clean  

Spatopia at last!!!

 

[AmySue]

Hey Stingfan,

No I am still not fixed. Actually they are coming out tomorrow and hopefully it will be fixed by then, but at this point who knows. I did drain, and scrub and flush and replace the filters so I can start fresh once its fixed with N2 and Dichlor. Hopefully this nightmare will be over by tomorrow and I will be blissfully soaking the next day. ;D