Spa Water Mold, White Water Mold or Bio Film

Spa Water Mold is a growing problem, especially in spas that are not maintained properly and/or are used infrequently.  Many of you have been asking about this problem, so here is some information about Spa Water Mold, as well as how to treat it and how to prevent it.

What it is & what it looks like:

-       A naturally occurring fungus (this is NOT a form of Algae; it is animal not vegetable)

-       white mucous or tissue paper-like looking substance

-       forms a heavy, protective coating providing the organism with an unusually high level of protection that is very resilient against halogen-based (chlorine, bromine) & non-halogen sanitizers or germicides

-       can remain a contaminant even after treatment

-       exists on the surface of PVC plastics, inside piping, filter cartridge housings, jet nozzles, etc.  If you see it on the inside surface of your spa, it is well established in all of the plumbing lines & air blower lines of your spa or hot tub.

-       can re-contaminate long after it appears that it has been destroyed (includes pool toys, floats, ladders, steps, fountains, automatic pool cleaner parts, skimmer baskets, weirs, directional fittings, garden hoses, etc.)

-       small quantities can lead to a re-establishment of the problem

-       caused by improper water & pool maintenance, environment, poor circulation

-       prefers areas that are "dark" (not exposed to direct sunlight) & with "slow moving" water (behind jet nozzles, the back of the motor impeller, etc., areas that you would think have a lot of water motion)

Prevention:

Prevention of "white water mold" is preferred over treatment. Follow these steps to help prevent white water mold:

1. Physically brush & clean ALL Spa surfaces weekly, including steps, jet recesses, & behind pillows

2. Expose ALL pool surfaces to as much sunlight as possible (sunlight & UV are natural

oxidizers)

3. Remove the lid from the skimmer to allow sunlight into the basket for several hours each day ** INGROUND POOLS MUST USE EXTREME CAUTION in doing this in order to avoid a person falling into or otherwise injuring themselves due to an open skimmer.

4. Regularly add oxidizing chemicals into the skimmer to purge & clean the filtration lines of any bio-film*

5. When adding make-up water from the garden hose, allow the water to run for 2 to 3 minutes before putting the hose into the pool.

6. Regularly clean spa & hot tub toys & floats with light bleach solution or other cleaning agent

7. Regularly clean pool solar blanket with appropriate cover cleaner

8. Chemically clean pool filter every 4 to 6 weeks

9. Add regular Maintenance dosages of "Shock" (every week as prescribed or after heavy usage)

10. Run the filter a minimum of 6 hours daily to prevent "dead spots" in the pool

11. Remember to clean & rinse the brushes, hoses & vacuums that you use to clean the spa

12. Leave as much of your spa equipment exposed to the sun

13. Keep the water balanced at all times. Recheck after heavy usage or rain or large "top-offs" of new water. Water balance refers to Free Available Sanitizer level, pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness.

Treatment:

Treatment of "white water mold" MUST BE QUICK AND TOTAL! DON'T SKIMP!

1. Clean all spa or hot tub surfaces as prescribed above.

2. Physically clean & remove all visible "white water mold"

3. Clean the interior of the filter cartridge area & as much of the spa pak as necessary

4. "Shock" the pool/spa with a triple or quadruple dose of the proper shock treatment for your spa or hot tub and circulate for 24 hours.

5. Use a pipe cleaning agent to help remove the built-up bio-film in the lines and them drain and refill the spa. Note that steps 4 and 5 may need to be repeated multiple times in many instances.

6. Chemically clean the filter; if the cartridge is more that 1 year old, throw it away & start fresh with a new cartridge.

7. Once there are no more signs of the bio-film or white water mold, test the water & properly balance it.

8. Maintain good water balance of pH, Total Alkalinity & Calcium Hardness