Another new user from Pittsburgh — foam problems

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brian113

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May 14, 2010
34
Pittsburgh, PA
Hi all,

I bought a house in February and am in the process of getting its inground, 12-x24 pool open in time for Memorial Day weekend. The previous owner didn't live in the house last summer and the pool apparently wasn't winterized well. After sucking up a bunch of leaves, oak helicoptor seeds, nasty-looking bugs (slightly smaller than an adult thumb, looked like a cross between a grasshopper and some sort of mutant bee), and even a frog (poor guy), the water's chemical balance is almost decent. However, for the past week I've had foam problems.

Since cloudy water was a bigger concern than foam, I focused on solutions to clear the water, and I kept coming back to it being time to replace the filter cartridges. This is only the third summer for the pool, and I'm assuming the cartridges — given their age and the fact they were the filter manufacturer's (Hayward) brand — were original. My local pool shop only had two of the four cartridges I needed (new shipment supposed to arrive on Tuesday), so I ran the filter with two new cartridges, and the water cleared up a bit. It's still a bit murky, and the foaming problem continues. From what I recall, the foaming coincided with me opening the filter for the first time this year, so I suppose it's possible it's because of air getting into the system, but I'm not sure. It seems a pretty solid seal.

Anyway, foaming occurs when the filter is running. It dissipates after several hours of the filter being turned off.

My latest test results (from the day before adding the 2 new cartridges):
[*]total chlorine: 2.2
[*]free chloring: 2.2
[*]pH: 7.1
[*]total alkalinity: 110
[*]calcium hardness: 275
[*]stabilizer: 10
[*]total diss. solids: 750
[*]borate: 80

My pool shop deals in BioGard products and most (perhaps all) of what I've already dumped into it has been Caribbean Blue chemicals. My filter has a Pool Frog, but although I've added a new chlorine Bac Pac to it, I haven't yet added a new Mineral Pack.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Re: another new user from Pittsburgh — foam problems

Bring the pH up. 7.1 is several tenths lower than you want. The higher pH will help retard foaming. Sounds like someone used too much algaecide. Lose the Frog. The mineral pack has been know to unleash copper and silver to excess and cause staining and the chlorine tab packs are expensive.

Scott
 
Foaming problem

My pool normally is used by only two people. Had three more stop by over the weekend and enjoy it. And everyone used sunscreen — high spf spray-on sunscreen. Afterward — esp. in moonlight — it was very easy to see a lot of oil floating on the water.

I bumped up the chlorine level and have had foam problems ever since. As usually is the case with foam, it only appears when the filter's running. Otherwise, the water is crystal clear.

I cleaned the filter cartridges. Started the filter up and the foam started to reappear. (when I opened the filter, to get them, I was greeted by a mound of foam sitting atop the cartridges.)

Is this something I just wait out as the filters do their thing or would you recommend a chemical solution?

FC: 4
CC: 1
TC: 5
PH: 7.6
T/A: 130
CH: 370
CYA: < 20
Temp: 84-86

I'll be adding CYA later today.
 
How are you testing?

Can you give us a list of everything you've added to the pool? There's probably something you've added that's causing the foaming.

With a CC of 1ppm you need to shock anyway, so if we can believe that your CYA is 20, you should bring your FC up to 11ppm using bleach. Then test and add as often as every hour until your FC drops less than 1ppm overnight, your CC is .5 or less and your water is clear. That'll probably take care of your foaming problem too.
 
I'm testing with the TF-100.

I have only been consistently using bleach (went with the Clorox splashless bottles this week since they were on sale). I buy stabilizer from the local pool shop. Since my PH has been pretty steady since getting things balanced early on, I haven't had to add much for that, but I use baking soda when I do. Have borax, but since I don't have a borates test yet, I'm not using it right now.

Also, the pool is in direct sunlight from dawn to dusk.
 
I may be completely off base here, but I don't think you're supposed to use the splashless bleach. Maybe that's where the foam is coming from? I don't know if the foaming happened before or after you started using it, though. If after, that may be the problem.
 
cheddar85 said:
I may be completely off base here, but I don't think you're supposed to use the splashless bleach. Maybe that's where the foam is coming from? I don't know if the foaming happened before or after you started using it, though. If after, that may be the problem.
Click to expand...

I think you're right. Clorox splashless contains Cetyl Betaine, a "thickener" and "foam stabilizer" often added to shampoos.

http://www.cloroxcsr.com/product-detail ... ductID=19#

Hopefully it will breakdown, but I have no idea.
 
I appears you're right about the Clorox splashless bleach being responsible. The foam started after I added the bleach. Prior to that the problem was with an oily surface (on the plus side, the oil was eliminated).

I had some granular shock left over from when I opened the pool (prior to discovering TFP). Even though it's daylight, I added it (overdosed slightly to account for the sun) before leaving for work this morning. Got home to find the pool foamless and crystal clear with FC at 11.5 and CC at 0.5.

I figure I'll hold off on the stabilizer until the chlorine levels drop to a safe range.
 

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