The Hot Tub From Hell

I've been in a battle since August trying to get my hot tub water clear. I'm happy to report the battle may soon be over.

After coming back from Alaska, I did a fresh fill, where you drain the tub and fill it with fresh water. But this time, the water started getting cloudier and cloudier with the passing of each day. By September, I was taking water samples to my friendly neighborhood hot tub store for advice. Over and over, I tried balancing all the various chemicals. The funny thing was was the balance of chemicals was not that out of whack.

I did discover a loose hose on the ozonator. In late September, I went out of town, but arranged to have the ozonator repaired while I was gone, hoping that would remedy my problems. I returned home the first of October, only to find the tub in about the same condition... or worse. It was so cloudy that there was only about 2-3 inches of visibility. I decided to do another fresh fill since I had already dumped so many chemicals into it earlier. You should go about 3-4 months between fresh fills, depending upon how much the hot tub is used.

A couple of days after the last fresh fill, the cloudiness was reappearing. Here we go again.

I made a number of return visits to the hot tub store with water samples seeking advice. Finally last Tuesday night I washed my filters using the dishwasher. Upon removing them, I noticed one filter worn out and torn in a few places. I already had suspicions that my problem could be within filtration. I thought I'd pick up a new filter (these things aren't that cheap) and try things with a new filter.

This morning, things didn't look any worse; possibly a little better. I took the old beat up filter in the store, to which the store clerk claimed "it's shot." My suspicions are looking to be correct.

So with 5 new filters, I'm draining the tub right now to fill with fresh water. With a bit of luck, I'll have crisp, clear water for the Fall Bash this Saturday!