Biofilms in Spas & Hot tubs... page 2 (here's page 1)

In spas & hot tubs, biofilms are more readily noticed due to the warm water (over 90 degrees F) conditions that typically exist.  Bacteria is much more active at this temperature.  Even a spa that is brand new from the factory is most likely loaded with biofilm due to the "wet testing" that most major spa manufacturers due during the manufacturing of your spa.  Moisture simply needs to be in contact with spa surfaces for a short time before biofilms develop and take hold.  As the spa sits in a warehouse or in a truck during transport, the biofilm grows & spreads.  By the time your "brand new" spa reaches you, there's significant growth if not total infestation.  We'll talk about what to do in a few minutes.

First, what is a biofilm? A biofilm is a film or large quantity of bacteria that is living in and as a vast colony in the microscopic world. In the "big" world, you could call a coral reef a "biofilm." A biofilm is self-perpetuating and difficult to remove. Worst of all, biofilm love virtually any surface, especially wet or damp. But beware, even after drying out, the biofilm will not necessarily be dead but simply dormant. Beyond that, biofilms are relatively resistant to chlorine, bromine & other sanitizers.

Second, how do biofilms form? As just mentioned, biofilms form on any surface. In your spa or hot tub that means the seats, walls, bottom, skimmer baskets, filter cartridge and filter well, tank bodies, pump bodies and impellers, jets, handles, lights, air holes, heater plumbing, and especially the piping. There is a 5 steps process as to the formation of biofilms: Attachment, Colonization, Protection, Growth, and finally what we call Distribution.

Attachment is just that; the bacteria attaches to the surface. It wants a place to call home and grow. Bacteria wants to be in relationships, so they find a nice surface to settle down and join up with a few of their closest friends.

After attaching to the hot tub surfaces with their friends, Colonization takes place as bacteria multiply and divide, growing in number. According to studies, it is at this crucial point that this attachment is "irreversible."  In other words, the biofilm is going to grow no matter what.  The bacteria colony is there to stay unless purposefully removed. This stage is typically accomplished in a matter of minutes or hours at most.

In the Protection stage, the bacteria colony or biofilm begins protecting itself against invasion. Invasion from environmental factors, "lethal" chemicals (such as chlorine or bromine), predators, anything that wants to destroy it. In technical terms, the bacteria begins to excrete a protective coating called an "exopolysaccharide" film. The film is sticky or slimy and very hearty. Now the biofilm is ready to experience explosive growth.

Growth of biofilms is, as mentioned before, like a coral reef, the biofilm gets bigger and tougher. "Super colonies" of biofilm are actually absorbing certain chemicals that were meant to destroy them. The chlorine or bromine may kill the outer layers of the colony that are more susceptible to chlorine or bromine, but as the chlorine or bromine is exhausted, the lower, stronger, better protected layers are still living and multiplying. The good news is that as the biofilm colony increases in size, it gets more "unwieldy" and begins to break apart. That's also the bad news.

Now we come full circle to Distribution where these broken parts begin to attach to other surfaces or different parts of the same surface. And the cycle begins anew.

This article continues HERE.

Learn how to remove biofilm here.

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Telephone (during store hours): Stratford  203-377-0100
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