Spa & Hot tub Mold and Slime Basics

Have you ever wondered what that white floaty stuff is?

You know, it kind of looks like little bits of tissue or toilet paper floating around in your spa or hot tub. Sometimes there's not a lot, just a couple of pieces.

When you touch it or hold it in your fingers, it's kind of sticky or at least "viscous". It's just icky.

What you're seeing & feeling or touching is a simple, non-pathogenic, naturally occuring problem called White Water Mold. Sometimes, it can be pink in color; then it's called Pink Slime. The problems are similar, but slightly different. But keep in mind that both are usually found together and both are usually the "visual" form of a much deeper problem. Take a look at the brief video below that shows what this stuff looks like. Some details follow.

 

White Water Mold (WWM) is a growing problem. Technically, WWM is a kind of fungus; it is animal, not vegetable. In other words, it's not algae.

Then there's Pink Slime (PS). PS is technically a bacterial growth. And to get really technical it's part of the Methylobacterium genus. It is also is not algae.

Furthermore, WWM & PS in spas & hot tubs is, for all practical purposes, the covering for the real problem - biofilm.

If you think your hot tub water is clean and sanitary just because it looks clear, think again. Yes, you may have shocked the water and even maintained a good chlorine, bromine biguanide (Soft Soak or BaquaSpa) level, or installed a new Nature2 or Spa Frog cartridge but you've only controlled about 1% of the bacteria present! That's right, just 1%. The other 99% is on every pool surface that you can or can not see. And most of those places are virtually impossible to reach. What now?

If it couldn't get worse, it sort of does. Biofilms, WWM & PS are all very resistant to chlorine, bromine, shock treatments, algaecides, you name it. Even "straight" acid will have a minimal effect (biofilms themselves have a pH of about 1.0). The root biofilm has to be removed on a regular or better yet, a continual basis.

For further information on this family of problems, click here for a more detailed article or here for a featured video.

For more spa & hot tub care videos, click here.

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Comments

[Henry garcia]

lol seriously was wondering just few days back about wots this stuckyy stuff !!! ...great to hav a good xplanation from your post ! thanks ! xD

[Henry Garcia]

I have always wondered what that icky stuff is. Now i have got the answer, thanks for the help!

[Pool Tables Seattle]

Thank you a lot for providing individuals with a very terrific chance to read articles and blog posts from this website.

[julie]

Please send info to me regarding this.

[TTRIF]

HOW DO YOU CLEAN THIS STUFF OUT OF YOUR HOTTUB?