Cloudy Hot Tub Water Causes and Solutions
- Jason Dinscore
- Dec 27, 2014
- 3 min read
Understanding the Cause is the Key to Prevention.
Is cloudy, merky, smelly water keeping everyone out of your hot tub? Having hazy or murky water is a common hot tub issue. Luckily, treating it is easy. I will provide you with some great tips on how to treat cloudy water in your hot tub, and ways you can prevent it from coming back!
There are several different reasons that may be the cause of your hot tub water getting cloudy. Some of these reasons include:
Sanitation and Water Chemistry. Finding out if your hot tub water is out of balance or has a low sanitizer level is as easy as pulling out your test strips.
Allow your hot tub to circulate for a couple of minutes.
Follow the directions on your test strip bottle for dipping and comparing your results to the color chart.
Add the chemicals that are necessary to restore your water balance or sanitizer to its proper level.
If you have an O-Zone system check to make sure that it is still working and coming on when the hot tub is in a filter cycle.
Excessive Contaminants. Hair products, skin products, and detergents can all contribute to cloudy water. If your water has already been contaminated with any of the above, you can shock your water or use a natural clarifier to effectively clear-up the cloudiness. If your hot tub has a higher bather load and you have not drained and refilled it in the last three months, you may have to drain it. After a while the chemicals that you have been adding along with all the other forien contaminants start to build up to a point that the chemicals are no longer effective.
Preventative Tips:
Rinse off any lotions, hair sprays, make-ups etc. before entering the hot tub.
If you have long hair, you can put your hair up to keep it out of the water.
Rinse out your swimwear if you have washed in with detergent.
An O-Zone will reduce the amount of chemicals needed to maintain a healthy hot tub.
You can use a foam out to remove foam caused by soaps.
Clogged or Worn Out Filters. A clogged or worn out filter can cause several issues. It can fail to trap contaminants, put strain on your pump, keep your heater from heating the hot tub along with several other issues. To avoid these problems, potentally saving you hundreds, you should:
Clean your filter regularly. Most spa manufactorers recommend every two weeks. You should be cleaning your filter cartride atleast once a month.
Every 3-4 months, or with every water change, you should pre-rinse your filter and soak it overnight in a non-foaming filter cleaning compound. Rinse the filter again and allow it to dry before returning it to the hot tub.
Hot tub filters should be changed once the bands start breaking and/or the pleats start to deteriorate. You'll start to notice a fuzz look.
My Water is Still Cloudy…
Hot tub water older than 3-4 months accumulate high total dissolved solids (TDS) levels that cause persistent cloudiness. If none of the steps above are able to get your water back to crystal clear, it’s time to flush, drain and refill your tub.
Keep in mind:
If you drain and refill your tub, but do not use a system flush, or use a dirty or worn out filter cartridge to filter your new water, it will get cloudy again. Don’t waste your time - follow these simple steps:
Flush your system and remove oily residues and deposits from the inside of your plumbing system. You can use a shop vac to suck out the lines. You will not get 100% of the water. The goal here is to get as much as you can.
Check that your filter is not clogged or full of debris that will release contaminants into your fresh water.
Using a fill filter helps to eliminate impurities that could be clouding your water, and fills your spa with higher quality water. I don't normally recommend the use of these, however they do an expectional job for spas that are filled by wells and other sources that are high in contaminates.
Still have questions about hot tub maintenance or cloudy water? Post a comment below and I will help! If you are new to hot tubs and would like an oreintation you can call or text me. You can also use the contact form on the website.
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