Water Care Quick Fix Guide

Want to get your water back in order? Don’t want to swim through pages of chemistry?

My Quick Fix Guide has you covered. 

We’ll solve green, yellow and brown water. Eliminate smells, scale, and other build ups. Destroy foam and even deal with a spa that’s been peed in!

Green Water

Green water can be caused by a few things. Algae or minerals present in the water. Before you begin, try to decide what the cause could be. Most of the time you’ll be dealing with algae. If your home uses copper pipes, your city has high copper or manganese levels generally, or you’re filling from a well containing those elements then minerals could be the culprit.

Algae

Algae begins to grow when sanitizer levels dip too low for too long. Most users will report that they’ve kept adding the same amount of sanitizer as always. This may be true but if the bather load has been higher than usual or if the spa is getting older then what once was an effective dose can be a little on the low side.

To fix your algae problem, start by scrubbing down the spa and the underside of the cover to loosen as much algae as possible. Next add a large dose of sanitizer to kill what is in the tub. Start with 4 times your usual dose. Leave the cover off the spa for 15-20 mins while the jets run to mix the sanitizer into the water. The spa may begin to foam so have Foam Away on hand when starting up the jets.

After the jets are finished running close the spa for the night. In the morning you’ll be left with a cloudy but clean spa. There should no longer be any green present. If the algae has persisted then repeat step 1 with another dose of sanitizer. 

Now add a large dose of non-chlorinated shock to burn out the waste materials collected by the sanitizer. Again allow the jets to cycle for 15-20 mins with the cover open. We want to burn out waste, not trap it under the cover. Your spa should now be mostly clear. To finish up remove the filters and clean in a filter wash solution. This will both remove any gunk collected by the filters as well as kill anything lingering within the pleats.

Balance water and add fresh sanitizer to return the spa to usual levels.

The above procedure is the basis for most hot tub rescue missions so become familiar with it.

Minerals

A secondary cause of green water minerals are handled slightly differently. You can prevent colour change caused by minerals in the future by investing in a pre-filter for the end of your fill hose. Filters come in a variety of options but you’ll want to primarily look to stop copper and manganese to reduce the green.

But what about the fix?

In order to fix the green oxidised minerals they must be sequestered. Add a sequestering agent to the spa. This won’t remove the minerals but will make them inert. Sequestering agents can also be added upon filling to help prevent the green colour in the future.

Yellow Water 

Yellow like green water can have a variety of causes. In fact; algae, pollen, iron, bromine level/chlorine level, and oils could all lead to a yellow tub.

Algae

Algae will be the least common cause of yellow water. If none of the other explanations seem to fit your situation then fall back on the treatment recommended for algae in the Green Water section.

Pollen

During spring while the plants are all dancing pollen can be a common culprit. Pollen will resemble a light sticky dust. It will cover the shell of the spa, float on the water's surface, and get stuck on the outside of the cover. To deal with pollen simply wipe it away with a wet microfiber cloth and rinse your filters more frequently while the pollen is present.

Iron

Similar to copper and manganese, iron will oxidise when shocked. Instead of green iron will turn yellow. If you're filling from a source with known high levels of iron such as a well then please see the instructions on sequestering located in the Green Water section.

Bromine / Chlorine Level 

Both bromine and chlorine will turn spa water yellow when in too high of concentrations. To confirm the level simply test the spa using your preferred testing method. If the level of sanitizer is especially high simply leave the cover off the spa for a few hours. Start the pumps initially but don’t run the pumps for the entire time. One cycle is perfect.

Oils

If the yellow is glistening on top of the spa like gasoline and is concentrated in the filters then you’re likely dealing with body oils. We all sweat while in the spa and sanitizers don’t break down oils. You can deal with the oil by cleaning your filters thoroughly and increasing the duration of your filter cycles. Excess oils can come from an unexpected hot tub party or an especially hot day.

If you find that your filter duration is maxed out and you’re regularly dealing with oils you can also look at other solutions. Enzymes eat up the oils in the spa. They come in both liquid and stick form and work continually for 4-9 months depending on the particular product.

The famous absorbent options are also classic among ho tub owners. These are sponge like devices that sit in the spa and absorb the excess oil. Both absorbent solutions and enzymes will deal with excess oils long term and promote more efficient sanitizer use in all spas.

Brown Water

Brown water is caused by minerals or pollutants. 

Minerals

Iron dioxide is usually the problem and creates a brown scum resulting in a tub that looks like tea. To deal with brown water caused by iron see the instructions on minerals under the Green Water section.

Pollutants

High levels of pollutants in either the source water or the air can get into your spa water. If filling your spa after a heavy rain the sediment disturbed by the rain can get into your spa. Extreme smog can also turn hot tub water a dirty brown. When this happens it’s time to drain and refill.

If the source is polluted, wait a day or two or use a pre filter on your hose to prevent the same problems from happening again. 

Smells

When the spas fragrance turns funky you’ll need to up the sanitizer. There are two causes of funk in a tub but thankfully both can be dealt with in the same manner. 

Chlorine smell is caused by not enough sanitizer being present in the water. Chlorine itself is odourless and what you’re smelling is actually bacteria that is rotting too slowly. This usually causes a vicious cycle for new spa owners. They smell chlorine, reduce the dose they’re adding, and then the problem gets worse!

Treat with a sanitizer and shock like in dealing with Algae in the Green Water section. If the smell becomes common then up your regular dose of sanitizer going forward. 

The other smells are a general wet dog must. These are associated with algae and bacteria living in the spa. You will deal with this exactly the same way. Follow the sanitize and shock protocol from dealing with Algae in the Green Water section. If the smell becomes common, up your usual sanitizer dose going forward.

Scale

When calcium precipitates on the surfaces in your spa, scale is formed. Calcium cannot be removed or neutralised in your spa. Hard water isn’t bad for the tub though. In fact, when water has no calcium present the plastics can leach calcium into the water making the components brittle. When initially filling your spa you might even add Calcium Booster to ensure there is a bank of calcium present.

When you notice excessive scale developing on the spa surfaces begin by wiping it back into the water with a microfiber cloth. Then test your pH with your preferred method and get the pH balanced. Calcium can only form when the waters pH is too high so correcting the pH will eventually solve the scale issue.

If the water is very old calcium can build up as water evaporates but the calcium remains behind. If the scale becomes unmanageable then it may be time to drain and refill your spa.

Cloudy Water

Funny enough high pH and low pH can both result in cloudy water. This makes the fix easy. Test your pH and get it back in balance. Other causes of cloud can be contaminants like soaps or silts but these are less common and usually accompanied by foam.

Foamy Water

When a spa starts looking like a bubble bath, blame the surfactants. Surfactants are anything that floats on top of the water and increases the surface tension of the water. New found surface tensions pulls the water together into bubbles creating the foam.

To fix the foam you must either remove or neutralise the surfactants and stop the cause. If you suspect that the surfactants are from some soaps then removing the suds and remembering to wash your tubbing trunks in water only will suffice. 

Remove the foam either with a skimmer or shop vac. If the foam is caused by algae or bacteria build up then proceed with the dealing with Algae treatment from the Green Water section.

Help They Peed in My Pool

Honestly most people are going to drain and refill their spa at this point. Science be damned there is urine in there now. And hey in a tub of a few hundred gallons dilution won’t be much of a solution.

Gross as it may sound, urine is really just some carbon, oxygen and, hydrogen molecules. Chlorine will denature and shock will get it gone. Follow the Algae instructions from the Green Water section 

Summary

Thanks for checking out the Quick Fix Guide. If you have any other questions or want more details on certain solutions please comment below and we will keep expanding the communities shared hot tub knowledge