How To Remove Calcium Flakes From Hot Tub

Learn how to remove calcium flakes from your hot tub in four easy steps. Calcium flakes can cloud water, clog your filters and jets, and damage your equipment. Our guide will help you prevent and treat this common problem.

Calcium flakes are caused by hard water, which has high calcium and magnesium minerals. When the water is heated, these minerals can precipitate out of the water and form scale deposits. The scale can then flake off and end up in your hot tub water.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to remove calcium flakes from your hot tub and prevent them from returning. 

In this blog post, I will share some methods I have used to deal with this problem.

How To Test For Calcium Flakes

Before you remove calcium flakes from your hot tub, you need to ensure they are actually calcium flakes and not something else. Sometimes, white flakes can be caused by biofilm, a slimy layer of bacteria and mold that can grow in your hot tub.

You can use a simple bleach or chlorine test to test for calcium flakes. Here’s how:

• Take a cup of water from your hot tub and pour some bleach or chlorine into it.
• Stir the water and observe the flakes.
• If the flakes disappear, they are biofilm. You need to shock and drain your hot tub to get rid of them.
• If the flakes remain unchanged, they are calcium flakes. You can proceed to remove them using one of the methods below.

How To Remove Calcium Flakes From Hot Tub Surface

One of the easiest ways to remove calcium flakes from your hot tub surface is to scrub them off with a brush or sponge. You can use any non-abrasive cleaning tool that is safe for your hot tub material. Avoid using metal brushes or scouring pads that can scratch your hot tub surface.

Here’s how to scrub off calcium flakes from your hot tub surface:

• Turn off your hot tub and let it cool down.
• Drain water from your hot tub until the water level is below the calcium flakes.
• Use a brush or sponge to scrub the calcium flakes off the surface gently.
• Rinse the surface with clean water and wipe it dry with a cloth.
• Refill your hot tub with fresh water and balance the chemicals.

How To Remove Calcium Flakes From Hot Tub Water

Another way to remove calcium flakes from your hot tub water is to vacuum them out with a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment. You can use any type of vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment and a filter bag. Make sure the vacuum cleaner is unplugged and safe for wet use.

Here’s how to vacuum out calcium flakes from your hot tub water:

• Turn off your hot tub and let it cool down.
• Attach the hose to your vacuum cleaner and insert it into your hot tub water.
• Turn on the vacuum cleaner and move the hose around the bottom and sides of your hot tub to suck up the calcium flakes.
• Empty the filter bag frequently and dispose of the calcium flakes properly.
• Refill your hot tub with fresh water and balance the chemicals.

How To Prevent Calcium Flakes From Forming In Your Hot Tub

The best way to prevent calcium flakes from forming in your hot tub is to keep your water chemistry balanced. You must test your water regularly and adjust the pH, alkalinity, hardness, sanitizer, and shock levels. You can use test strips or kits to measure these parameters.

Here are some general guidelines for keeping your water chemistry balanced:

• Keep your pH between 7.2 and 7.8. If it is too high, add a pH down to the chemical. If it is too low, add a pH-up chemical.
• Keep your alkalinity between 80 and 120 ppm. If it is too high, add a pH down to the chemical. If it is too low, add an alkalinity increaser chemical.
• Keep your hardness between 175 and 250 ppm. If it is too high, add a scale-preventer chemical. If it is too low, add calcium chloride chemical.
• Keep your sanitizer level between 3 and 5 ppm for chlorine or bromine. If it is too high, add a chlorine neutralizer chemical. If it is too low, add chlorine or bromine tablets or granules.
• Shock your water weekly or after heavy use with non-chlorine or chlorine shock.

When filling your hot tub, you can also use a pre-filter on your garden hose. This will remove some minerals that make your water hard and reduce the risk of calcium flakes.

What Is Calcium And How Does It Affect Your Hot Tub Or Spa

Calcium is one of the most common minerals in nature. It is an essential element for many organisms, including humans, and a significant component of hard water. When calcium combines with other minerals, it can form a hard deposit on surfaces such as shower walls, plumbing fixtures, and hot tubs. These deposits are often called “scale” or “calcium flakes.”

Hard water is okay for your health but can be a nuisance. It can make it challenging to clean your hands and dishes and leave spots on glassware. Hard water can also cause buildup in your home’s plumbing system, leading to clogs and other problems.

If you have hard water, you may need to use special cleaners or take other steps to keep your home clean and scale-free.

Some methods that will help reduce calcium buildup include:

• Know how much calcium you consume, either through food or drinks.
•  Regularly drain your spa and refill it with fresh water.
•  A hot tub treatment for calcium is used to help keep the buildup down.

Ensure you do not use bleach to clean your spa’s surface, which will cause discoloration over time.

A hot tub is an enjoyable place where people can relax after a long day or use it to stay in shape. Following these steps, your hot tub can maintain its relaxing appeal for years.

How Calcium Flakes Form And Why They Are A Problem

As time passes, hot tubs get dirty from chemicals that break down. A white substance called calcium flakes forms in the water and makes it cloudy. You don’t want a cloudy hot tub because people can see what you are doing there! Decalcifying your hot tub will help to keep it looking healthy and clean!

how to use a calcium remover

There are different types of calcium removers, but they all work the same way. Remove your water from the tub and put it into another container. Fill up your hot tub halfway with new water, then pour in the calcium remover. Please turn on your filtration system and add more water to fill it up. Wait a few hours, check the calcium level, drain your hot tub, and refill.

Check out Speed Up Refilling your Hot Tub with 6 Simple DIY Hack

What is calcium buildup in the hot tub?

Calcium builds up in your hot tub’s water and eventually forms into large flakes. These flakes can result in a cloudy, scummy appearance that can put you off from wanting to use your hot tub again. This buildup commonly occurs due to harsh chemicals being used to treat the water, but it can also result from using softened water, which contains calcium.

Maintaining your hot tub is essential for keeping it clean and enjoyable. If you’ve noticed that the water in your hot tub has become cloudy or scummy, don’t worry! You may have a calcium buildup on your hands. Here’s how to remove calcium flakes from a hot tub.

How to decalcify a hot tub

You’ll need the following supplies:

• A garden hose with a spray nozzle is attached.
•  Water pressure pump (if you don’t have one, you can use a water pump or plunger. Be careful not to damage your filtration system with high water pressure!).
•  Rubber gloves.
•  A bucket large enough to hold all of your hot tub water.
•  Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) or non-chlorinated bleach (a small amount, such as a few tablespoons).
•  An algae pad or other floating cleaner.

Follow These Steps: How to Decalcify a Hot Tub

1. Turn off the hot tub’s main power supply.
2.  Remove the filter cartridge from your hot tub’s filtration system.*
3.  Carefully remove the filter cartridge by unscrewing it. If you cannot unscrew this, you may need to use a pair of pliers to pry it off instead! Be careful not to damage the hoses of your hot tub’s filtration system.
4.  Place the filter cartridge into your bucket, and use your garden hose to spray it off with water*. Be sure to use high pressure when doing this – if you don’t have a pressure pump, you can use a plunger or water pump instead. A simple way to remove the calcium is to scrub it off with an algae pad or other floating cleaner.
5.  Once your filter cartridge is clean, replace it with the hot tub’s filtration system, making sure to screw it tightly on.
6.  Turn the hot tub’s power supply back on and let everything cycle through its standard procedure for a few minutes.

Usage tips:

You should learn How to decalcify a hot tub regularly, typically every two weeks or so (more often if you frequently use acidic products in the water). You can reduce how much calcium builds up by using non-softened water and avoiding harsh chemicals when treating the water. You can also use vinegar to clean your hot tub, a natural and effective cleaner. Learn more about how to use vinegar to clean your hot tub here.

Why You Should Clean Your Hot Tub Regularly

Regularly cleaning your hot tub is essential to maintaining a safe, hygienic, enjoyable soaking experience. Cleaning helps remove debris, bacteria, and other contaminants that accumulate over time, ensuring the water remains clear and free from potential health hazards.

Consistent cleaning also extends the lifespan of your hot tub and keeps it running efficiently, reducing the need for costly repairs. For more tips on keeping your water chemistry balanced, you may also be interested in reading our articles on lowering alkalinity in hot tubs and how much baking soda to add to hot tubs.

Tips For Cleaning Up Calcium Flakes

Calcium flakes are a common problem for hot tub owners. They make the water cloudy, clog the filters and jets, and damage the equipment. If you want to get rid of them and prevent them from coming back, follow these six simple steps:

1. If there is a lot of calcium build-up, drain the water completely. Use a garden hose to drain it into the yard or ground.
2. Remove and replace the filter cartridges. Wear plastic gloves and scrub off any calcium deposits with a filter brush.
3. Clean the hot tub’s base and sides with a pH-neutral cleaner. This will remove any remaining calcium flakes and dirt.
4. Refill the hot tub with fresh water. Add 2 ounces of Spa Frog Clearwater Calcium Control for every 10,000 gallons. This will help prevent future calcium build-up.
5. Clean the filter cartridges regularly, at least every few weeks. This will keep them from getting clogged with calcium again.
6. Decalcify the hot tub every two weeks with spa tablets like Spa Frog. Just drop one tablet for every 10,000 gallons and let it dissolve.

Following these steps, you can enjoy a clear and clean hot tub without calcium flakes. Happy soaking!

Closing Remarks:

Calcium flakes are a natural byproduct of hot tubs. But as time passes, the calcium build-up can make your water cloudy and less enjoyable. Luckily, you can remove this residue from your pool without too much trouble. Check out our blog post for more information on decalcifying a hot tub.

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Answers to Popular Questions:

What causes calcium deposits to form in a hot tub? 

Calcium deposits in a hot tub are usually caused by hard water. Hard water is full of minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals can be removed from the water using a filtration system or chemicals to soften the water. Hard water may also contain other minerals like iron.

If you have hard water, try to soften the water before you begin using your hot tub.

The chemicals in my hot tub are cloudy. What should I do? 

The chemicals in your hot tub need to be straightforward so you can easily see when to add more. If your water has not been treated, it may contain minerals from the water supply, which may cause the chemicals in your hot tub to look cloudy.

You can treat the water by adding a water treatment chemical to remove the minerals. Hard water may also have minerals that make it look cloudy.

What is biofilm? A. Biofilm is a thick layer of microorganisms that stick to each other and a surface, forming a slimy coating that protects them from environmental conditions.

To remove biofilm from a hot tub, you need to:

• Test and balance your water chemistry.
• Use a biofilm remover product like Ahh-Some Hot Tub Cleaner.
• Circulate the product through the pipes to dislodge the biofilm.
• Drain and rinse the hot tub.
• Replace or clean the filter.
• Refill the hot tub and balance the chemicals.

How frequently should one test the water in their hot tub? A. It is recommended that you check the quality of your hot tub water at least once a week. If you use it frequently or notice any changes in the water, you should check it more often.

Can I use Vinegar to remove calcium flakes from my hot tub? A. Vinegar can be used to remove calcium flakes from the surface of your hot tub, but not from the water. To get rid of the flakes on the surface, you can use a diluted vinegar solution.

However, it’s important to remember that you must drain and refill your hot tub water after scrubbing. Vinegar will lower the pH and alkalinity of your water, which can cause corrosion and damage to your hot tub equipment.

What are some signs that my hot tub needs to be decalcified? A. Some signs that your hot tub needs to be decalcified are:

• White flakes or scale deposits on the surfaces, filters, and jets.
• Cloudy, foamy, or odorous water.
• Skin and eye irritation.
• Corrosion of metal parts.

How do I know if my water chemistry is balanced? A. You can know if your water chemistry is balanced by using test strips or kits to measure the following parameters:

• pH: 7.2 to 7.8.
• Alkalinity: 80 to 120 ppm.
• Sanitizer: 1.5 to 3.0 ppm for chlorine or 3.0 to 5.0 ppm for bromine.
• Calcium hardness: 80 to 200 ppm.