Can I have cloudy water in my hot tub when using an Ego3 filter?

Cloudy and dirty hot tub water?

Basically, absolutely not, because the Ego3 has been tested tens of thousands of times and always works and filters at 100%! Ego3 hot tub filters do not cause cloudy hot tub water during operation!

However, there are three reasons that, due to a lack of knowledge, are perceived as filter defects and can lead to cloudy hot tub water:

1. The pH value is too high or the alkalinity is too low. The water becomes milky. Unfortunately, this is discoloration of the water, not cloudiness caused by suspended particles. Therefore, neither the Ego3 filter nor the cartridge filter can filter it out. Solution: adjust the pH/TA level. The milky appearance will disappear by itself. It is discoloration of the water, which cannot be filtered.
2. Disinfection is insufficient and/or the biofilm load is too high. Pay closer attention to disinfection! In this case, the filter does filter continuously, but new dirt is also constantly being produced. The water is greenish / brownish.
3. The water was clear until now, but becomes cloudy when you first start using the Ego3 filter. This is due to a positive side effect of the Ego3 filter—the pipe-cleaning effect. The Ego3 filter has approximately 2–3 times the flow rate of the cartridge filter (when new; otherwise, much more). Because of the poor flow rate of the cartridge filter and because it cannot filter anything below 40 microns, these finest suspended particles accumulate in the pipes. The Ego3 hot tub filter now ensures that this dirt is “rubbed” out of the pipes. As a result, the hot tub water becomes cloudy until all the dirt has finally been removed from the pipes. This can take hours, days, or, in cases of severe contamination in the pipes, 3–4 weeks. New dirt is constantly coming out of the pipes and is immediately filtered again. Switching the pumps on and off, as well as operating the distribution valves and air valves, accelerates the cleaning process because this causes rapid changes in flow. Afterward, however, your pipes will finally be clean, as they should be.

We guarantee that the Ego3 filter always filters at 100%.

How do I test the pipe-cleaning effect?

Simply reinstall the old filter briefly. The water will become clear again temporarily because the dirt will immediately stop coming out of the pipes. But that is not how it should be. The dirt needs to be removed from the pipes! Once this has been accomplished, you will also notice that you need less chemicals for hot tub water care, because one source of bacteria has been reduced.

Summary: “Cloudy hot tub water” despite Ego3:

1. if there is milky discoloration, simply adjust the pH/TA level
2. if there is a greenish or brownish discoloration, disinfection is insufficient 
3. if cloudiness initially appears, simply let it run. Our filter cleans your pipes. And that is a good thing!

As always, if you have any further questions, you are welcome to contact us as an EGo3 customer by message or phone.

If the disinfection system is working properly, the pH and TA levels are correct, and the filters are functioning, a hot tub must have clear water! 

Hot tub water must never be cloudy!

Therefore, I will explain each point individually here, in order, that can be checked and improved to ensure that everything works.

FOR CLOUDY HOT TUB WATER

pH level Set correctly to eliminate milky cloudiness in hot tub water

The pH level in a hot tub should always be between 6.8 and 7.2, as otherwise every disinfectant is severely limited in its effectiveness. Hot tub water becomes cloudy at pH levels that deviate by 0.5 from 7.0. The hot tub water becomes milky and cloudy. With a deviation of 1.0, it becomes completely milky. Warning: Many pH meters measure incorrectly when the TA level is not right. This is the most common error in hot tub water care. How do you measure the pH level correctly, and which measuring instruments display it incorrectly? Click here: Measure the pH level correctly?

Disinfection for greenish, brownish cloudy hot tub water

Color indicating insufficient disinfection – green, brown, cloudy

Chemical disinfectants for hot tubs:

Chlorine, bromine, active oxygen
It is important not to continuously mix ozone and chlorine/bromine! Both chlorine/bromine and ozone form free atoms that seek a bond (preferably with carbon, such as bacteria, algae, and so on), but when both are used at the same time, chlorine may bond with oxygen instead of the atoms attacking the “bad, living” carbon-based substances in the water.

Automatic hot tub disinfection:

• UVC – UV system: Make sure that the glass tube through which the water is irradiated is not fogged or dirty. This would reduce the radiation and significantly diminish the disinfection effect.
• Ozone system: Probably the simplest, most efficient, and healthiest way to disinfect hot tub water, provided a few simple things are taken into account.
  • Check that the ozonator is installed in the correct direction (this is important for hot tubs with ozonators equipped with diaphragm pumps) and that it is functioning (this is usually indicated by a green indicator light).
  • Check that the ozonator’s intake side is suitable. The intake holes are often designed far too small or covered with fibers to reduce air humidity, which quickly become clogged. Drill out the intake hole to at least 3 mm and remove the fabric piece from the intake side.
  • Prevent alternative return-flow paths so that as much water as possible from the circulation pump has to pass through the injector. Waterfalls or hot-water return lines are often connected to this circuit as well. Turn off the waterfall when not in use! If possible, turn the hot-water return nozzle down as far as possible (this can often be done using a hemisphere located in the tip, positioned against the flow)!
  • Ensure flow through the ozone line: Some hot tubs have mixing chambers that become dirty or coated with biofilm over time. Remove these mixing chambers. Ozone is effective for 20 seconds. This means that, with or without a mixing chamber, the return flow should take at least 20 seconds. This can be tested easily by blocking the ozone intake and measuring how long it takes for ozone bubbles to reappear in the pool after unblocking the intake.
  • Check that the check valve inside the Mazzei injector is not clogged or stuck with dirt, preventing it from opening sufficiently.
  • Ozonator–injector connection line: These two components are connected with a hose fitted with a check valve.
  • Check that the hose is completely unobstructed (not kinked or routed with dirt or nitric acid compounds, which form as a sticky film in the hose during ozone generation).
  • Check whether the check valve in the line is fully permeable. Remove it, rinse it through, and blow through it.
  • To prevent accidentally drawing in air instead of ozone at connection points along the line, you can also seal all connection points with insulating tape.
• Disinfection times: At the beginning, always set the circulation and ozone operating time to 24 hours. When the water is perfect or the hot tub is used infrequently, the times can also be reduced.
• Ozonator: Different ozonators produce different amounts of ozone. Choose the right ozonator.
• Ozone injection: This is carried out using Mazzei injectors, which operate with the Venturi vacuum system and are connected to the ozonator via a hose line with a check valve.
• Mazzei injector: Choosing the right injector and the correct water flow rate through the injector is important here. This can be influenced as follows:

And the most important point for preventing cloudy hot tub water:

the right hot tub filter against cloudy hot tub water caused by unfiltered suspended solids

EGO3 Filter (+++): They can hardly become clogged because, unlike the filter mesh of paper filters (cartridge filters), they work according to the turbulence principle along free flow channels. They filter out particles down to 1 micrometer, and in enormous quantities, because the complete three-dimensional space of the filter balls is available as the filtration area. In addition, these filter balls are much easier to clean, and you can see whether they are clean.

Paper filters (-): When these filters become clogged, their flow rate naturally decreases, and the suction at the injector also drops, thereby reducing ozone injection. Filters are difficult to clean because sticky substances cannot be removed mechanically, only chemically. It is better to replace filters completely more often than too rarely. Filtration performance is limited by the fiber mesh size. Their capacity is limited by the relatively small filter surface. It is almost impossible to determine visually whether the filter has really become clean. Just because the filter is lighter again does not mean that the pores in the filter fabric are clear again.