Your hot tub forming foam is one of the fastest ways to know that something is wrong with either the chemistry or equipment of your hot tub.
One of the major reasons why your hot tub will foam is when the water is soft. Soft water is usually acidic and contains little or no minerals. This means that the pH of the water is low and acidic.
So it is most likely that foam will form on the surface of your water when the pH is low.
If you test your water softness is natural from the water source, make sure you do not turn on the water softener of your hot tub.
What causes too much foam in the hot tub?
After a very stressful day, you can’t wait to just jump into your hot tub to relax your nerves and muscles. But on opening, you saw foam instead of water, and you started wondering who poured soap into your hot tub.
Well, you might just have to calm down, test the water for chlorine, bromine, and pH, treat the imbalanced chemicals, or drain if necessary.
When you have treated or refilled the water, below are the potential things that might have caused the foam and you should make sure to avoid doing them next time:
- Low sanitizer level: failing to monitor the chlorine level of the water weekly or after each use invites contaminants while pretending they are not present in the hot tub.
- Failure to treat it after heavy use: You cannot control the activities of everyone who enters the hot tub, particularly if you have a mini-party in it. Neglecting the hot tub would mean saying yes to damage, buildup, and foam.
- Entering the hot tub without showering first: you might wonder the essence of showering before entering your hot tub even when your body seems clean. Well, you should bathe if you have had makeup, body lotions, or cream on your body. Even if you did not thoroughly rinse your skin to remove all of the soap, even a small amount will be activated in the hot tub.
- Clogged and dirty filters.
- Eating and drinking in the hot tub.
In summary, foam in the hot tub is caused by foreign materials introduced into the hot tub, water imbalance, and the use of inferior and cheap products.
Do phosphates cause foam in hot tubs?
Foam in hot tubs can be frustrating, especially when you just want to soak after a long and stressful day. Cleaning up is one thing; knowing the cause is the major problem.
Phosphates buildup in the water over time. So if you are thinking you tested the water after refilling and made sure it was balanced, how did they enter? The lotions, soaps or detergent, deodorants, and mainly dirt from your skin are introduced into the water.
Come to think of it, is it not why we use sanitizers to fight off these microorganisms or contaminants that would try to bloom?
Well, sanitizers like chlorine breakdown after some time and get inefficient once phosphate gets high in the water. This is the reason your pool will get foamy or cloudy, because once the phosphate level is high, you will find it hard to balance your chlorine or bromine level.
Can low pH cause foam?
It is not bad to have a bubble bath in the hot tub, but once the foam has formed more than a layer and is now overflowing. You should watch out for the chemistry of the water, softness, and pH levels.
Low pH means your water is acidic. Once your water pH is below 7 ppm, you need to start acting fast because it indicates soft water. Soft water is very good for soap and foam lathering because it does not contain minerals.
Does high pH cause foam in hot tubs?
Because you may have added too many chemicals to the water, the pH level in your hot tub is high. Or it could be that your local water source might just be too imbalanced and you neglected the part where the general rule says balance after refilling your hot tub with fresh water.
Your water has a high pH, automatically making it hard. Therefore, the probability of high pH causing foam is very low because the lathering of foam is not usually related to hard water but soft water.
High pH normally means that the water is above the 7.8 ppm range, making it basic and reducing the circulation of water by forming scales and buildups on the walls, plugs, pipes, and other equipment.
What happens if the pH is too low in a hot tub?
Having a low pH in the hot tub is even scarier than when it is high, although this does not dispute the fact that they are both dangerous to your health and the water.
Our hot tub will foam if the pH is low. It would also affect the total alkalinity level of the water. When this happens, it would reduce the efficiency of the chlorine sanitizer in the water, leaving your family and guests with dry and itchy skin, red eyes, and other infections. The plumbing equipment of your hot tub will not be left out of this damage.
How do you balance pH in a hot tub?
Most hot tub owners find it difficult to balance the pH or total dissolved solids of their hot tub after use or when contaminants bloom. Many others struggle with this issue almost every day, even when it is not used.
This could be as a result of the different water quality they have. The bad news is that there is not much you can do to change the quality of water from your source. The good news is that there is so much you can do to change the chemistry of the water without struggling. All you need is just simple knowledge and a little patience.
Let us study some basic pH scenarios and how to settle the issue:
- Normal total alkalinity and low pH level: You will need a pH increaser that will not affect the total alkalinity level.
- High total alkalinity and low pH: First, reduce the total alkalinity with a pH decreaser. Then, once it is at the balanced level, add a pH increaser that will not affect the balanced TA.
- Low total alkalinity and pH: Use a pH increaser to raise both, and test the water to ensure that they are correct. And use a pH decreaser in cases where TA and pH are both high.
- High total alkalinity and normal pH: Use a pH reducer to lower the TA level. Test the water. If you notice a reduction in the pH level, add an increaser that will not make the TA imbalanced.
- Low total alkalinity and normal pH: An alkalinity increaser is required. This will not affect the pH level.
- Normal total alkalinity and a high pH: Use a pH decreaser to reduce the pH. If it affects the total alkalinity, then apply an alkalinity increaser to balance.
- Low total alkalinity and high pH: first use a pH decreaser, then an alkalinity increaser; this will not affect the balanced pH.
The main reason why total alkalinity was added is that a change in total alkalinity ( TA) would definitely affect the pH level of the water. The main range of alkalinity should be between 80 and 120 parts per million. pH should be 7.4 to 7.8 ppm, with 7.5 being the best point.
What reduces foam in a hot tub?
Foam in your hot tub can be one of the most confusing things to get rid of, especially when you do not know the cause. The first step to removing foam from a hot tub is knowing what started it.
That is why you test the water for any imbalance and know whether it is too much or too low. In most cases, just adding an extra pH increaser or decreasing bromine or chlorine would do the magic. While doing this, make sure your hot tub filter is cleaned thoroughly to remove potential contaminants.
Note that if the filter is dirty and you are trying to solve any issue in the hot tub, lurking contaminants from the filter will make the newly added chemicals ineffective.
If the foam remains persistent after checking and treating the water, make sure you start afresh by draining the water, washing, and rinsing the tub.
Use a clean hose to refill, test, and add chemicals to balance the water chemistry while making sure the hot tub jet is on for quick circulation of the chemicals.
Wait for at least 24 hours, retest, make sure all the water properties are balanced, especially if that was the cause, and then you can use the hot tub.
How do you get rid of foam in a hot tub naturally?
Using chemical-based products is one of the easiest ways to get rid of foam in the hot tub, but you can also do it naturally and manually.
Since every problem has a root cause, start by finding out the problem. First, test the water, then treat and confirm that the total dissolved solids and other properties are balanced.
Follow these steps below:
- Turn the air jet off.
- Scoop the foam on the surface carefully and dispose of it.
- Drain almost half of the water and replace it with fresh water.
- Clean your filter or replace it.
- Shock the hot tub and balance the water chemistry.
- Activate the air jets and observe.
If the foam still appears, make sure you drain the water completely or, better still, opt for chemical-based foam removers.
How much foam is normal in a hot tub?
Hot tub foam is one unavoidable issue every hot tub owner will have to deal with sooner or later. So if you notice it, you are not out of place.
Normal hot tub foam is expected to dissolve within 60 seconds of turning the air jets off. When the jet is on, bubbles that appear without forming, lathering or going above the surface are just normal foam. There is definitely no cause for alarm.
You should check the color of the water in addition to the quantity or level of bubbles and the duration of the bubbles. If foam or bubbles form and the water is no longer crystal clear, then you need to check the water.
