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Author Topic: Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!  (Read 2546 times)

Trifecta

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Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!
« on: August 07, 2014, 08:59:45 am »
New owner here, have gleaned a ton of great info and followed it with great precision, so thank you all for that. Have specific questions about the use of chems outside of the balancing and sanitizing. So as a setup, here's a rundown of chems and numbers.

I am using the Nature2 cartridge with daily shock after use in a Jacuzzi J365 (2014) with the ClearRay. In addition I give the dichlor shock once a week and as needed. I just completed my first drain and refill a couple weeks ago and things have been going well. Water out of the tap is extremely high ph and TA, with almost zero hardness. I've taken the advice of 50 ppm borates for additional buffering this time and its working well. First fill TA had to go all the way down to 30 to keep ph stable. Anyhow, here are the current numbers:

PH: 7.6
TA: 80
CH: 150
Temp: 100

Family is me, wife, 3 girls. 2-3 of us are in the tub most every evening for 30-60 minutes. We also have a pool, so there is some back and forth from one to the other on the weekends depending on temperature when we're poolside.

My question relates to control of foam and scum. Now I understand the best method is outright prevention, but let me repeat, wife and 3 girls (young girls at that). So I have to be willing to accept some oils from sunscreen and lotions and deal with the consequences.

So I'm using all Nature's Way products, and here's what happened yesterday. After 3 weeks of crystal clear and perfect water since the fill, I noticed the slight beginnings of a little bit of foam. In response upon exit I squirted in a tiny amount of Foam Away and it immediately disappeared. After that I added my typical dose of MPS. A while later I gave it what I thought would be a preventative treatment of the Scum Destroyer. The result of these actions was immediate cloudiness and the formation of a scum ring. Let sit over night and this morning find back to clear, but not crystal, scum ring still present. A quick cycle on/off of the jets to observe the water and it definitely took its time dissipating back to clear.

I'm at a loss for how I screwed this up so quickly!?! Should I continue with an every other day treatment with the Scum per label instructions? Should I scrap the Scum all together and load up dichlor and shock?

Appreciate any help and experience you can provide!

Mike

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Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!
« on: August 07, 2014, 08:59:45 am »

Vinny

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Re: Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2014, 09:27:51 am »
Run the tub with air jets on and scoop the foam out first. Then use VERY LITTLE of defoamer if needed. Let it work for a few hours with the filter going and rinse out the filters. I have also hit the tub with non chlorine shock after doing that routine to burn off the remaking stuff.

Just so you know, the more stuff that gets in the water the quicker you need to change the water so you may not get 3 months from your water.

Trifecta

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Re: Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2014, 09:25:02 am »
Understood. I'm prepared for the prospect of more frequent water changes. And certainly as some of the excitement wears off, the family will become more easy to manage to the end of preserving the water.....

I will continue with shock and filter rinse this weekend...

What about the scum destroyer chemical? Anyone with experience here? I suspect this was the culprit of the cloudiness. Is it just a matter of the filters needing time to catch everything suspended by the chemical or should I just avoid this one all together?

Hot Tub Forum

Re: Foam and Scum Chemicals - Need Educated!!!
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2014, 09:25:02 am »

 

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