Hot Tub Water Foaming Up?

Here's Why and How to Remove It  

If you’ve been a hot tub owner for some time, you will more than likely have experienced the irritating issue of the water foaming up, looking less than inviting (if you’ve escaped it, you’re one of the lucky ones!).

What causes the water to become foamy in a hot tub?

Everything that goes into your spa water has some effect on the water balance; from laundry detergent residue on bathing costumes to cosmetic products, sunscreen, sweat, deodorants or even leaves and debris finding their way into the water, which results in a build-up of unwanted residue (known as Total Dissolved Solids or TDS for short).

If the water in your hot tub is due to be changed (the recommended approximate guidelines for this are to drain your spa every 3 months) you will more than likely notice an increase in spa water foaming also. 

How do you clear the foam in spa water?

As a fast-acting solution, you can use an anti-foam product such as Lo-Chlor No More Foam  which will help to clear the foam – ideal if you’ve planned to use the spa and want a quick solution.

Top Tip: Less is more, No More Foam has a handy trigger spray and just one or two squirts should do the job (over-using anti foam products can contribute to more foam through product build up!).

Aquasparkle Spa Fusion  is our favourite ‘get out of jail card’. Spa Fusion is a rapid water-recovery saviour, perfect for when you’ve invited people over for a spa party then discover the water looks ‘flat’ or cloudy.  Sprinkle a Spa Fusion into the water, turn the jets on and voila - watch the water clear within 30 minutes!

How to deep-clean your hot tub

For a longer-lasting remedy, Aquasparkle Hot Tub Flush is a powerful cleaning solution designed to work its way through the internal pipework of Hot Tubs and Spas, removing bacteria and biofilm build-up.

Hot Tub Flush is simply dosed by removing the filter cartridge, pouring the solution into the water with the jets on for at least 30 minutes (ensuring no chlorine or bromine tablets are in the tub when dosing this).

After 30 minutes, turn the pumps off then ideally leave overnight before draining the spa, when all the collected deposits from the pipework will be swept away with the water.

Top Tip: The water will foam up a lot during the flush process - don’t worry, it’s just doing its job!

It’s a good idea to clean the spa surface before refilling, using Lo-Chlor Spa Polish with a soft microfibre cloth (ensuring you buff any residue off well prior to filling it back up with water).

We love this one so much we use it ourselves in the showroom - it smells divine, cleans  and protects the spa surface (plus it does a fine job on stainless steel and on your car too!).

Refill and Shock

Now your hot tub has been cleaned inside and out you’ll need to give the fresh water a ‘shock dose’ with shock chlorine to sanitise the water. This will ensure the water is safe and bacteria doesn’t have time to start multiplying while it is heating back up to temperature.

A shock dose for spa water is a level of 5 mg/l (ppm) and the standard ongoing chlorine level of 3 – 5mg/l. Good practice would be a weekly shock dose going forward. If you use Bromine as your sanitiser, maintain a level of between 3 – 5mg/l for clear and safe water.

Continue to regularly test the water and when necessary adjust the pH and Total Alkalinity levels to bring them within the recommended ranges (7.2 – 7.8 pH and 80 – 120 TA). This helps protect both bather comfort and the spa equipment.

Following the above steps will help to minimise the water foaming up and keep your hot tub ready to jump in whenever the mood takes you!

All Swim are always on hand to help advise on Hot Tub and Pool Water Management, with a large selection of chemicals and accessories in store.

All Swim Hot Tub Chemicals are in stock to keep your pool or spa sparkling and ready to enjoy.

Contact us for further advice or assistance on:

02920 705059

sales@allswimltd.com