Suds, suds, suds,help!

[diane]

Got my hot tub in late August and have had problems with suds ever since.  Every time people are in the tub with suits, I get suds the next day.  My husband said he spoke to someone (fellow hot tub owner) who said he frequently has people in his tub with suits on as well and never has a problem with foam.  What am I doing wrong?  Is it possible to have people with suits on in my tub and not have this problem?  I use 2 tsp. of di-chlor after each use (more when the several people had been in it) and I shock with MPS every week.  I also use a small amount of clarifier if the water isn't super clear and sparkling.  Do I need a new filter?  I'm not supposed to for another 3 months.  Oh, and the tub has an ozonator and a nickel? silver? cartridge too.  Just last week, I emptied and refilled and rinsed off the filter with the hose.  Help.

[AstaLaVista]

Your water can suds for many reasons.  As the water gets older and soap builds in the water.. ( the soap and lotions do not break down in the water )  Softer water also tends to foam more than hard water.  If the people going in the tub wash their bathing suits and do not rinse them well they are also introducing more detergents and soap to the water.  Defoamer in a spray bottle works great.  You can use less... and get rid of more of the foam!

[Gomboman]

I would bet the suds are from bathing suits washed with normal laundry detergent. We had the same problem when our spa was new. Try washing the suits without soap before entering the spa. It makes a huge difference. We have suits designated for the spa--this is hard to deal with if you have guests.

If you have lots of suds in your spa you might want to drain the spa again and start from scratch. You should also clean or replace your filter. It's probably full of soap residue. It only takes one person with soap from their bathing suit to ruin my water.

Adding clarifier and defoaming agents makes the water cloudy and difficult to manage in my opinion.

Good luck....  

[Vinny]

My recomendation is to scoop out as much of the foam with a pool skimmer and then shock it with non chlorine shock. Some people use enzymes as well and they work for me somewhat but not as much as the scoop and shock. I can see the remaining foam disappear in the 20 minute cycle that I run for shocking.

Anti foam & clarifier may work but it keeps the stuff in the water. Clarifiers need to have filters rinsed once it gets clear otherwise it can release the stuff back into the water. Anti foam kills the foam for the time being and the foam will come back.

My sons bring their friends into the tub and they go in with suits, shorts, underwear and what have you. What I have found is if the water has gone through a few of these foamings - the best thing to do is drain and refill.

[clover]

No doubt about it, phosphates.  There are residual soap suds remaining in anything you wear into the Hot Tub.  Best advice is to RINSE all suits and anything else worn into the Hot Tub to eleiminate the introduction of residual soap.  

[TubsAndCues]

No doubt about it, phosphates.  There are residual soap suds remaining in anything you wear into the Hot Tub.  Best advice is to RINSE all suits and anything else worn into the Hot Tub to eleiminate the introduction of residual soap.  

I agree that it's from the residual detergents left in the suits but I don't know if I would say phosphates are an issue.  

Most laundry soaps are phosphate free, and you would tend to have a problem keeping calcium in the water.  Phosphates tend to cause the calcium to continually fall out of solution and build up scale over time. (this is the main reason you don't want to use certain household cleaners on your tub)

Diane - as far as keeping the suds out with guests coming over, good luck.  Try asking them to rinse their suits before coming over.  Not much else you can do.

Also, I've seen foam started after people with certain types of lotions, hair products and make up have used my tub.