We have changed our Intex whirlpool from chlorine to Lotus Clean. The pool had only been used 4-5 times because of the chlorine smell. I ordered Lotus Clean Basic, Lotus Clean Shock and Calcium Ex. Then carried out the individual steps as described in your instructions. So when the water was clear and odourless on the 2nd day, we took our first bath and added 40ml of Basic in the evening according to the instructions. The next morning the rim felt a bit slippery and I added 40ml of Shock, in the evening I added 20ml of Basic, in the morning again 40ml of Shock. When it was clear the next day, I changed the filters and we got into the pool and noticed a light film on the bottom, which spread and the water became cloudy and smelled musty, so we were bathing in biofilm. Since that day I have been adding 30 ml of Shock to the water in the morning (pool volume approx. 800l). Due to the cooling temperatures and the not quite clear water (but no chlorine smell any more), we didn't bathe very often. I changed the filter again beforehand ( which was full of BioFilm) and we got in, this time the water became only a little cloudy, but it still smelled ... not fresh, more musty. I put 40 ml of Shock in again and noticed a small carpet of goo (biofilm) on the bottom of the pool, even though the pump ran for 12 hours today. So far I have only added 20 ml Basic after bathing. I test the water quality with a 4-way test strip from Intex, the pH value is 7.2, free chlorine: of course at 0. My question is, should I increase the dose of Shock (bottle is 1/3 empty) or add more Basic, which encapsulates the biofilm?
Response:
There may be problems in the beginning. The inflatable whirlpools very often have a double bottom or a ring bead which has holes at the top. The air from the blower is pressed into the water through this bottom. When the fan is switched off, water runs into this false bottom. This water is not filtered and not exchanged frequently. A biofilm develops there very quickly. And that will be the reason why you have biofilm in the whirlpool.
Lotus Clean Shock can penetrate the biofilm and kill the bacteria in the biofilm. This causes parts of the biofilm to dissolve. Up to 99% of all bacteria in the whirlpool live in the biofilm. The detached biofilm is deposited as a layer in the filters and on the walls of the whirlpool tub. The amount of shock recommended in the water care instructions is sufficient to remove biofilm but not enough to destroy the entire biofilm. That is why I recommend a shock intensive treatment.
There is no point in increasing the Lotus Clean Basic dosage. The Basic would encapsulate the dirt, but I don't want that in this case. The dirt would remain in the double bottom and the filter system is usually not very good in inflatable whirlpools. Many inflatable whirlpools have filters with a cheap filter fleece which cannot absorb enough dirt and is immediately clogged. And you can't regulate the filter runtime on most inflatable whirlpools.
That's why it is better to get the dirt out via oxidation with Shock. Please use only the electronic pH tester to measure the pH value. The test strips are too inaccurate. Use our test strips for measuring the Shock content. These are very accurate when measuring Shock.