Greetings,

I'm new to the hot tub experience, having just bought a house with a tub. I've drained the water and refilled a few times now over the past few months but I always end up with pale yellow flakes in the water. They tend to settle to the bottom so I can extract them, but they always come back.

My local spa dealer tells me it's something to do with the inside of the pipes within the plumbing and there isn't much I can do about it. I thought I'd ask you folks, so thanks for any help or advice you can provide.

Jack

I've never had this issue, but I have read about several folks who have. The answer given to them was it's water mold. Someone suggest a test. Scoop some up in a glass jar along with some of the water. Add bleach. Do another and add vinegar. The bad part to his was I don't remember which test meant it was water mold. If one of them dissolved it, then it would be water mold and you'd need to dump something in to fix it. The other bad parts was I don't remember what. I have to run a few errands, but I'll search again later to see if I can find.


Wait, I found it:

I own a 200 Model year vita spa everything works fine, but I am finding some type of white flaking in the water,i think its the gasketing material degenerating over time, do they do this? Replacement gaskets are generic or do they have to come from manufacturer? Is this alotta labor?
Can they be replaced from tub side of shell? Thanks

HIGHLY unlikely it's gasketing material. Given 2 choices, would you describe the flakes as chalky, or more like pasta consistency? How old is the spa, and do you have an ozonator on it?



I agree with the Doc. Does it look like wet tissue paper?---If so, that's white water mold.

Maybe water mold, the tub stunk and I just drained and refilled it, hope I'm not wasting all this good fresh water and your gonna tell me I should do something. Thanks
and yes I have a cd ozonator that is probabl 3-4 years old.
Tub is 8 years old

"Chalky" would be mineral deposits dislodging from inside the plumbing. Pasta or tissue paper like would be a mold, or possible a bio film breaking off from inside the plumbing.

If you can capture some of the flakes (an aquarium net?) put them in a very small glass of water, add a tiny amount of chlorine, if they disappear in about 20-30 minutes, it's probably mold or bio film. If not, drop a few drops of vinegar on some flakes, if there's any bubbling, it's mineral deposits.

Well I drained and refilled and a good dose of spa chlorine. Hopefully it will be good. Im thinking mold now because it sure did stink. And Thank you for your help and patience.


This is quoted from SpaParts dot net forums. We'll give them the glory, honor, and pat on the back if this helps.

"I agree with the Doc. Does it look like wet tissue paper?---If so, that's white water mold."

It's NOT how it looks, but how it 'feels'. Is it mushy like pasta (mold)? Or does it crumble like chalk (mineral deposits)?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPA WATER MAINTENANCE



White flakes in spa water.



From time to time, we hear of spas that experience “White Flakes” coming out of the pipes. These situations are usually difficult to resolve.



White flakes are bacteria growths in the spa water and air pipes. Bacteria are introduced in many ways but mostly by the spa user(s). They then multiple because of improper sanitizing of the water, building up on the pipe walls. When the pumps or blower are turned on, they are propelled into the main spa body of water. The speed at which they growth makes it difficult to destroy them 100% with normal sanitizing practices. Using normal sanitizing practices might get rid of them temporarily, but there is a high probability that the flakes will re-appear.



There is a successful way to destroy “white flakes” bacteria. Follow the following procedure:



1. Leave water in the spa and add 2.5 Oz of Dichlor (chlorine) per 100 gallons of water.

2. Replace the filter(s). The existing one could be sanitized but it’s more effective to simply discard the old filter(s) and start fresh with new one(s). Why take a chance that the current filter(s) are not sanitized properly and introduce bacteria back in the water?

3. Turn on the pump(s) on high speed for one hour. Not less.

4. If the spa has a blower, turn the blower on and off every 5 minutes for an hour. It is crucial to follow this exact procedure to allow highly chlorinated water to enter and exit the air lines.

5. Drain the spa of all its water. Remove any water left in the seats and foot well with a sponge. Then, turn the pump(s) and blower on for one minute to help remove any large amount of water left in the pipes. Repeat the sponging procedure, wiping down the inside side walls.

6. Refill the spa and re-install the filter(s). Before refilling the spa, allow the garden hose to run for one minutes outside the spa to allow evacuate any water that could have stayed still in the hose for an extended period of time.

7. Add enough Dichlor(Chlorine) to the spa water to get a chlorine reading to register between 3ppm and 5ppm on the testing equipment such as a chlorine test strip. A chlorine level of 5ppm is recommended.

8. Do not use the spa for 10 hours. The spa can be left idle or operating under normal filtration and heating settings.

9. Test the chlorine level after the 10 hour-period. The chlorine level must remain between 3ppm and 5ppm on the chlorine test strip. If the chlorine level has not dropped at all, the spa is free of bacteria. If the chlorine level has dropped, or if you do not get a reading at all, bacteria are still present and the procedure must be done over starting with step 1.

Note: It is possible that the procedure might to be done 2 or 3 times if the bacteria growth has gone uncontrolled for an extended period of time.