Foam might be considered a good thing under certain circumstances. When you’re washing your car, brushing your teeth or want a frothy head on your pint of beer, but excessive foam in your hot tub means that there’s something wrong. It won’t necessarily harm your hot tub or seriously damage your health, but excessive foaming is a good indicator that some investigative work needs to be done. If you’re asking the question, “Why is my hot tub foaming?” you should read this article.
What Is Causing My Hot Tub to Foam?
Although your hot tub is constantly generating bubbles, those bubbles shouldn’t stick around. If the bubbles accumulate to the point that your hot tub is looking more like a bubble bath, you should figure out if any of the following reasons are responsible.
Water Softness
In hot tub lingo, water softness is denoted as the calcium hardness level. If the water in your hot tub becomes too soft (ie: the calcium hardness levels are low) the water’s surface tension is decreased and foam can form much more easily. If your calcium hardness readings are low and you aren’t using a water softener, it may be your local water supply that’s at fault.
Water Acidity
If the pH level of your hot tub water is out of balance, too acidic or too alkaline, foam may form more easily. Water pH levels can fluctuate due to reactions with the bathers or airborne debris. Your water source may also be slightly acidic or alkaline.
Organic Compounds
Organic compounds can enter the water through airborne debris, but they’re most often inadvertently carried into the hot tub by the bathers themselves. Soaps, oils and beauty products from a hot tub users’ skin or bathing suit can become concentrated in the water and begin to cause foam to appear on the surface.
How Can I Stop My Hot Tub from Foaming?
As we’ll see, there are short term, temporary ways to get rid of hot tub foam. If you want to stop it completely, you’ll have to identify the reason why it continues to accumulate and fix that problem.
Defoamers
Defoamers are the aforementioned temporary way to get rid of excessive foam. They’re readily available and will work quickly if you’ve got a bunch of people coming over, but they’re not a long term solution.
Water Testing
Regular water testing is your first line of defence when it comes to keeping your water clean. The results of your tests will let you know if the water chemistry is unbalanced and what you should do to get it back into balance. This is where you’ll be able to ascertain if your calcium hardness or pH levels are responsible for the build up of foam.
Chemical Shocks
Shocking your hot tub refers to adding an oxidizing agent to the water to get rid of bacteria and other organic compounds. It’s a good practice to shock your hot tub once a week or so depending on how much use it’s getting. It will also make the water appear much clearer. Shocking the water with a non-chlorine shock after use will also help cut down on organic matter.
Showers
Showering before getting into the hot tub is one of the most effective ways to prevent organic compounds from getting into the water in the first place. A quick shower will remove a good amount of the sweat, body oils and residues that promote foam growth in a hot tub.
Deep Cleaning
If all else fails, it’s probably time to perform a deep cleaning on your hot tub. By draining the old water, scrubbing down the shell and refilling it with fresh and clean water, you can start again and work to prevent the foam from coming back.
Now that you’ve learned some foam prevention tips, download a free buyer’s guide for more information.