Foam woes..

[gtnos]

New 1 month old hot tub. Filled and purged with Awwsome. Filled with oklahoma city water. 10% pool bleach from Walmart added daily per pool math.

K2006 results:

FC - 8
CC - .5
pH - 7.8
TA - 60
CYA - 30
CH - 100
I also am running gentle spa in it. Although I haven't added any since the initial fill, so it's probably diluted as I i've had to add some water to it from time to time to keep a topped off and adjust cya accordingly. I haven't added more gentle spa as i'm not sure how much to add, i'm not sure it even makes a difference.

Why is this foam happening? With no air jets the water is crystal clear as depicted in last photo. Hit the air jets and you are in a bubble bath. I tried scooping it out with a net... theres no end to it. I rinse filter every 2 weeks, it's never really dirty. At the same time I wash the "sun" floating in the tub that gathers contaminates.

My daughters wear swimsuits. The wife usually wears her bottoms and a uv top shirt because it's cold out. When the kids aren't home, we usually don't wear anything in tub.

I've been making the kids shower before they get in. We don't use excessive body oils or lotion in this house.

It's not a scummy foam. It's almost like it's soap.

How can I get rid of it?

Thanks!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

More than likely to be residual laundry detergent from clothing. Laundry soaps are terrible with all the additives put into them. They leave behind residual chemicals that cling to the fabrics and will come off in hot tubs. I suggest you purchase some Charlie’s soap to clean your hot tub apparel with and then make sure it is not laundered with regular detergents. Same applies to the ladies of the house - their hair products, even the simplest ones like conditioners, leave behind a lot of residues. Long hair needs to be up and out of the water.

The Gentle Spa stuff is mostly borates with fragrances and moisturizers added. Please don’t add anymore. There’s probably a residual of that junk too so until the next water exchange it’s probably not going to go away. Topping off doesn’t matter, the chemicals remain in the water.

On the next fill, do a full Ahhsome purge and keep purging until there is no foaming. I believe the instructions have a process for doing a longer purge. You might also try bumping up your calcium hardness to 150ppm to see if that helps. Calcium interferes with foam formations but only to a certain degree. There are foam forming chemicals that are resistant to calcium hardness.

 

[dereksanders]

White vinegar as a clothing rinse really helps to reduce detergent residues.

 

[gtnos]

Thanks. Maybe we'll look at switching to a different detergent for swimwear.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks. Maybe we'll look at switching to a different detergent for swimwear.

You may need to purge your clothes washer as well ….

I use Ahhsome to clean my clothes washer (works on dishwashers too). The residues left by fabric softeners are ridiculous. After getting new washing machines two years ago, I have sworn off all standard laundry detergents except for the one load every week that my wife does which are her delicates. She prefers the results from using Tide Pods. Everything else in the house gets washed using Charlie’s Soap and the fabric softener tray dispenses white vinegar. The washer gets purged once a month or so with Ahhsome. Seems like a lot to do for a machine that is supposed to make things “clean” but the ugly truth is that laundry detergents are full of really damaging chemicals especially the fabric softeners. They are essentially liquified waxes and they cause enormous damage to the mechanical components in washing machines.

/soap-box (pun intended )

 

[gtnos]

More than likely to be residual laundry detergent from clothing. Laundry soaps are terrible with all the additives put into them. They leave behind residual chemicals that cling to the fabrics and will come off in hot tubs. I suggest you purchase some Charlie’s soap to clean your hot tub apparel with and then make sure it is not laundered with regular detergents. Same applies to the ladies of the house - their hair products, even the simplest ones like conditioners, leave behind a lot of residues. Long hair needs to be up and out of the water.

The Gentle Spa stuff is mostly borates with fragrances and moisturizers added. Please don’t add anymore. There’s probably a residual of that junk too so until the next water exchange it’s probably not going to go away. Topping off doesn’t matter, the chemicals remain in the water.

On the next fill, do a full Ahhsome pu keep purging until there is no foaming. I believe the instructions have a process for doing a longer purge. You might also try bumping up your calcium hardness to 150ppm to see if that helps. Calcium interferes with foam formations but only to a certain degree. There are foam forming chemicals that are resistant to calcium hardness.

Will chlorine eventually eat the detergent away or is it there until I drain?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Will chlorine eventually eat the detergent away or is it there until I drain?

Unlikely … chlorine is better at breaking down bather waste, not complex organic compounds. You’re already keeping the FC at a fairly elevated level if you’re following TFP, so it’ll be slow at best. A purge and water exchange is the best bet for clearing it out.

If you’re going to wait then there are anti-foaming agents you can add to the water that would help eliminate foams but that’s going to just be expensive and probably cause more issues.

Your call.

 

[phonedave]

We have dedicated hot tub swim suits. They get washed very infrequently (monthly if not longer). Hot tubs also tend to damage swim suits, so it is also a good idea from that standpoint.

I used to get foaming in my tub when the jets were on. Especially after I started using Aqua Clarity. The solution was to both lower my dose of Aqua Clarity and to raise my CH to around 300 ppm

I have no issues with foaming anymore.

 

[Mdragger88]

What are you washing the sun floater thing with?
Maybe he’s causing some of it with residual soap.
Also as mentioned- xtra rinse those suits in the wash and no fabric softener.
Most people use way too much detergent anyway. 1 pod or a couple tbsp is enough for a full load of clothes with average levels of soil.