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White Flakes in Hot Tub Water: Fixing the Issue
Is your hot tub looking more like a snow globe than a spa? In this blog post we’re going to break down the potential causes for this flurry of white particles in your Hydropool spa, figure out what the cause is, and look at the best ways to treat each problem.
This is a very distinctive problem with a spa, and you’ll know when you have it. This isn’t about the occasional white piece of debris, of powdery build up on the waterline. These white particles are large, and fill the entirety of the hot tub - often only making themselves apparent when the jets are switched on.
What Are White Flakes in my Hot Tub?
The white flakes are anything up to 1-2 cm in size, and crumble into a powdery substance when touched. They are usually filtered out of your spa quite easily, and not immediately apparent until the jets are switched on, only then will they be blasted out of the pipe work and into the bathing area - and depending on the density they can often clog your filter.
This snow globe effect can be caused by two issues:
1. Calcium Build Up (Scale)
2. White Algae
How do I know which one I have?
The test to deduce what is causing white flakes in a hot tub starts with a clean glass. Fill it with a sample of your hot tub water, making sure it contains some of the white particles.
Setting the glass on a level surface, carefully add around 20 drops of normal household bleach to the water sample.
Allow the glass to rest for half an hour.
After 30 minutes are up, take a look at the water and take note of the results:
No Flakes Remaining - Algae
Flakes Remaining - Calcium Scale
Now I Know What the Hot Tub White Flakes Are, How Do I Treat Them?
How to Treat White Algae in a Hot Tub
White algae is caused by a build up of bacteria and biofilm that clings to the inside of the pipes. Once you have hot tub biofilm build-up, it is very difficult to treat with normal sanitising means, as this biofilm provides a protective barrier for the algae and bacteria.
The best treatment for this algae is a full hot tub flush, drain, and refill.
Shock your spa, using a product such as Rapid Shock, to a high level. Then, using a hot tub flush or pipe cleaner, run your spa for the recommended time, as stated on the back of the bottle. This will rid your pipes of any biofilm, and allow the shock treatment to kill any algae and bacteria remaining.
Then drain your spa, trying to remove as much of the dirty water as possible.
You can vacuum out your pipe work using a wet/dry shop vac, and clean the interior surface using a spa-specific surface cleaner.
Give your filter a good clean off, using a filter cleaner to ensure there are no traces of algae left.
Refill and chemically dose/balance your spa as normal.
If you’re based in the North West of England and Wales, you might want to make use of our Hydropool Services to save time. Have us do the above work for you for a competitive price!
How to Treat Calcium Scaling in a Hot Tub
Depending on your local area or water source, you may have soft or hard water. If you have the latter, you are more likely to find these white flakes appearing in your water.
This is due to the calcium present in the water, which slowly deposits on the inside of your pipe work and the shell of your spa. This is known as scale, and you may see it on other household fixtures, such as your kettle, the spouts of your tap, shower head, and even toilet bowl.
It’s a harmless substance, but over time calcium deposits such as this can become so thick and dense that they cause issues inside your pumps and with the efficiency of your heater - maybe even causing permanent damage.
So, it is best to treat it regularly to avoid long term issues.
Luckily, you can easily do so with one simple product for your spa. Often called Stain and Scale Inhibitor, or ScaleAway.
Firstly, ensure your hot tub is treated and balanced as normal - ensuring your pH and TA and correct, and your hot tub is running. Then add the scale inhibitor as recommended on the back of the bottle.
Give your filter a rinse to make sure it doesn’t get clogged up with any remaining particles, and you’re good to go!
Final Thoughts
We hope this helped solve your issue with white flecks in your hot tub! If the issue persists, feel free to reach out to one of our team for more help.
