Suds and body oil on pool surface

Interesting... take a look at these threads:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/27905-Zero-CYA-in-an-indoor-pool-chicago-winter
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/61251-CYA-0-Recommended-Shocklevel-for-INDOOR-pools

The basic message seems to be that a pool with zero CYA has much higher active chlorine levels, because none of the chlorine is bound by CYA. This is true even at low FC numbers. The consequence is that a swimmer's exposure to active chlorine molecules is likely to be much higher -- i.e. the water is much harder on skin, hair, and swimsuits.
 
ok went for a morning swim . Head under water crystal clear . Swim under water dont break surface crystal clear . Swim a few laps ( kicking up a storm ) water clouds up . Give it a few minutes look under water cystal clear again . Soap scum on surface covers most of surface lets say 75 % . Yesterday is was pretty close to 100% so maybe and I hate to get my hopes up Im getting somewhere !
Im starting to think my sand filter maybe coated with the soap and oil , but I think the DE would still catch it ? Guess Ill add another cup and see what happens . Im also gonna close off my main drain and just run the skimmer for awhile and see if that helps ( since my issue is surface water )
 
ok another update
bumped level
fc 15 ( and Holding )
cc.5
I know its a big jump but im almost thinking its working . In my mind i think i see the soap / oil breaking down . There is now film on the suface that was never there before without swimers . Still no filter pressure rise ! But maybe now that its breaking down ( I hope ! ) I will see that .
 
oil and scum breakdown

Merge by moderator. Please keep related posts together. Thanks, jblizzle

are enzymes useless at high fc levels 15 to be exact ? also would you see the soap and oils breaking down like you would if you were washing dishes ?
FC 15
CC.5
ALK 80
CALC 90
PH 7.4 ( AT START OF SLAM )
CYA 0
this is an indoor vinyl pool
i think im moving in the correct direction ?
 
am update did a full set except ph knowing it would be off
FC 13.5
CC 0
ALK 70 ( down 10ppm did this 2 times to be sure )
CALC 80
PH N/A
CYA 0
Pool does not look any better still soap scum 50-75% of surface covered
no rise in filter pressure ( still have great return )
lots of soap suds in skimmer
so this leads to 2 questions
1. do I bump the alk ( can i do it now or stop slam adjust and start over ? ) note I did add some water yesterday
2. would I see pressure rise or is this just gassing off ( other than soap scum water is crystal clear )
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Joke dirt, this is completely a wild-arsed-guess, but since your pool is indoors, I'm going to hazzard a guess that you have a water softener?

If so, one thing that might be exacerbating your foaming issue is your low calcium level. Now, my pool is vinyl, out doors, and I don't worry about calcium, nor do i get foam...but ive got all that sunlight and air oxidizing it ;) But my hot tub, that also gets filled with softened water, needs a good dose of calcium (eg 150) to prevent foaming (its older, and does not have ozone, which also reduces foam.)

So while you do need to get your ccs oxidized and under .5 (technically, if you don't lose chlorine overnight you might be there now) you MAY also wish to bring the calcium up to harden the water a little as a future anti-foam proposition.

I'm also a little concerned that your water is completely unstabilized. I know that you're indoors, but have a hunch you still need a bit of cya to mitigate/reserve some of the chlorine.

You might also want to try some of those scum-collecting floating balls the use for sunscreen, etc.
 
Swamp ,
I have brought the hardness up ( I'm almost at 200 ) have sum balls and they are collecting . The problem I think has improved ( comes and goes ) takes a lot of agitation to get it going now. Pool is crystal clear in the morning before I swim and as soon as the scum forms it's gone in 20 mins .
Kim
Filters are tomorrows project !
 
I am glad she will get her party! It will be hard to keep them out of the pool with it looking so clear and inviting!

We will be able to use your story to show why NOT use anything other than regular bleach!

Kim
 
^yes, that splashless bleach likely exacerbated or even initiated the problem - I think ve read elsewhere here about the splashless.

In general, for the benefit of other surfers, there are (beyond water balance) two things known to cause/contribute to water foaming

#1 is soft water/low calcium -- some techs will recommend bypassing a softener to add water or fill but I just add calcium instead because I don't want the other things that make my raw water hard (eg iron ;)

#2 is some of the cheaper algaecides...but NOT polyquat 60, which is likely why Polyquat 60 is the recommended formulation here (no copper and doesn't foam like some of the others.)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.