WHY DO I GET FOAM..?

[bobhol]

My hydropool serenity 6000 elite plus(2 motors) always seems to foam as the aeration is added. Foam away works but only for that particular soak . next day ,same thing. My water test shows it is fine,the watwer is two weeksold(new tub). ithas ben getting used at least two hours a day since we got it. I do  add chlorine not dichlor after every use. Once a week(twice now) I have added a pkg. of spa-lite water treatment. Any ideas? thanks,Bobhol

[Spatech_tuo]

Many things can cause foam but I'd concentrate on a few of the more manageable items:

-Do NOT wash your suits with the rest of the laundry, they'll transfer detergent into the spa. Rinse only or give them a good secondary rinse if they do go through the main wash.
-Do your best to keep items such as sun block, moisturizers, cosmetics, etc. out of the spa. If you have teenage girls good luck as they seem to lather all kinds of things on their skin.
-Many will say you should shower before going in but to me that is too inconvenient unless you really need to get items previously mentioned off your skin. Every once in a while I make the kids shower first if I feel they've been a bit active that day or have been lathered with sun block.

[doodoo]

How old is your water bobhol? the older the water the more TDS and soaps/detergents and oils will have accumulated in the water which in turn creates foam.  

If you have relatively new water, then chances are someone with a bathing suit or hair that was immersed in the water contained a fair amount of detergent that was not completely rinsed.

[Warkovision]

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[windsurfdog]

I do  add chlorine not dichlor after every use.

This question has nothing to do with foaming but has everything to do with sanitation:
What kind of chlorine are you using?

[Chas]

This question has nothing to do with foaming but has everything to do with sanitation:
What kind of chlorine are you using?

Actually, if you are using liquid chlorine - STOP!

Foaming in a new tub is not unusual. I would put up with it for another week and then do a water change. Be sure to turn off all power to the spa before you drain and leave it off until the tub is completely refilled.

There are many many threads on this and other boards about reasons for foaming.  

[HotTubMan]

Low Calcium Hardness (150-200PPM s good)

Other body products not listed: Deodorant/ antiperspirant, hair care products.

Lets not forget what our bodies leave behind naturally: Oils, skin etc.

HTM

[salesdvl]

If you aren't using Di-chlor, Windsurf can drop ship you some.  

[bulmer4nc]

A lot of clarifiers like Leisure Time Bright and Clear will cause foam too.  We're using Sea Klear 4 in 1 Clarifier and it works great with no foam.

[bobhol]

Idon,t think it is detergent on the swim suits but i do have teenage daughters who have friends ..... they have had a few gatherings since we got the tub  two weeks ago. How do i get rid of it or is a water change the only way? I am using granular 35% chlorine to sanitize . thanks ,bobhol

[HotTubMan]

1. Balance the water
2. Shock the heck out ot it.

What kind of chlorine? Dichlor? Trichlor? Sodium Hypo? Cal Hypo? LithChlor?

I bet its Lith-Chlor. If so switch to dichlor. Lith Chlor has a high pH, so do your swimmers, the result will be too much pH down and too many water changes.


HTM

[stuart]

The most common thing that I see with teenage girls is that they have tons of conditioner, gel and hairspray in their hair and then dip their hair in the water. You will get a lot of foam from this. An example is that my wife and daughter were out of town, I had no foam the first night they got back we got in the spa. Next morning, foam!

[salesdvl]

This is isnt a direct answer to the question but it came to mind as I was reading.  I had a customer come in to my store one time yrs ago and told me a story.  He said he had run out of foam gone stuff so he looked around and found that his wife's fabric softener had the same look so he added that to his spa.  He said that it gummed up his filters really bad but he didnt have any more foam problems for a long time.       Maybe we could start a thread on "crazy things customers have told us they did."

[doodoo]

Idon,t think it is detergent on the swim suits but i do have teenage daughters who have friends ..... they have had a few gatherings since we got the tub  two weeks ago. How do i get rid of it or is a water change the only way? thanks ,bobhol

bobhol,
I have a policy at my place which seems to work quite well. My daughters friends are informed that they must pin their hair up prior to getting in the tub. In addition, my daughter, having a very mischievous side to her sometimes adds  "and my dad also says no more bathing suits because they foam the water right up with all of the detergent left in them" .

She knows how to yank a chain because she explains the process of changing the water due to excess foam resulting from detergent left in bathing suits or hair so convincingly that at times her friends are about to say: OK.  

[windsurfdog]

I am using granular 35% chlorine to sanitize

There are several kinds of granular chlorine--as both Chas cautioned and salesdvl mentioned, you should only be using dichlor as the sanitizer.  It doesn't sound like you are using dichlor as most dichlor products show either 56% or 62% available chlorine.  Forget the foam for now--make sure you are sanitizing your tub correctly first then tackle the foam.

BTW, teenage daughters and several friends will foam up a tub in a heartbeat....including detergent laiden swimsuits, makeup, perfumes, shampoo and conditioner.  

Also, I have had success with using a spritz bottle with 1/3 defoamer cut with 2/3 water and spritzing the foam as needed.  Remember, less is more.