Foam will appear if the pH balance of your hot tub water is off. This is caused by using cheap chemicals or inaccurately mixing them. Water with low calcium or too much pH or alkaline can lead to cloudy water. If you use your hot tub frequently, you yourself could be causing foam to appear.
Yes, a high pH level is much more likely to directly cause foam than a low pH. Make sure to keep your pH levels around 7.2-7.8 to avoid foaming from your spa pool jets.
High pH. When your hot tub has a high pH level, it means the water is basic and over time high pH levels can cause the water to scale on your filters, plugs, pipes, jets and other equipment.
Cloudy and Foamy Water Caused by Bathers
Cloudy and foamy water is sometimes caused by soap, shampoo, and lotions that slough off people's skin or bathing suits as they soak in your spa. To rid your water of these unwelcome guests, shock your spa after every big party, and routinely at least once a week.
Straight Vinegar
Vinegar works as a powerful de-foaming agent. If you have only a thin layer of foam in the hot tub, you can pour vinegar straight into the water. This should be done at a ratio of 10 to 1. For example, if the hot tub holds 100 gallons of water, use 1 gallon of vinegar.
A little bit of foam is normal, especially if you run a bubble blower, but if there's more than a thin layer... You could drain the hot tub, and refill with fresh water, but that won't always fix the problem. Read on for some fresh thoughts about foamy hot tubs and spas - and how to fix the foam!
The foam and/or bubbles are caused by the water being thick or 'saturated' with particles. Then you come along, ready for your therapeutic water massage, turn all the jets on and up to full. The jets cause tiny bubbles to form which these particles then stick to, causing foam to appear.
Generally the foam is not harmful and just a build-up of products and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in the water. Hot Tub foam is caused by the water being "full" or "old" and turning the jets of your hot tub on when the water is like this will cause foam to appear on the waters surface.
In order to lower both the pH and alkalinity of your hot tub water, you will need to add acid. Common choices are liquid muriatic acid or dry sodium bisulfate. When the acid is introduced to the water, it increases the hydrogen concentration and lowers the pH.
To bring down pH, use a made-for-pools chemical additive called pH reducer (or pH minus). The main active ingredients in pH reducers are either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate (also called dry acid). Reducers are readily available at pool supply stores, home improvement centers and online.
After adding pH increaser or decreaser you'll want to wait about two to four hours, although some chemical manufacturers suggest a full turnover cycle, before retesting. The smaller the increments you need to adjust for pH, the less time you'll need to wait for the results to become stable.
Conclusion. The best way to deal with the foam is to minimise it, by just dipping and lifting, not swishing and stirring. And only use small amounts of bubble solution at a time. Then remove any foam from the surface when it becomes too much or if we have the time to let it re-settle down.
Imbalanced water can cause all sorts of issues, from green, to stinky, to even foamy hot tub water. Prevent foam due to high pH by using pH & Alkalinity Decreaser. Use Alkalinity Up pH & TA Increaser for raising low pH. Test your water once a week to maintain a healthy hot tub.
The bottom line is that over-shocking is possible, but being responsible with your chemicals and timing will help you to avoid it as often as possible!
Can you swim in a pool with high pH? Definitely, but know that chlorine in the water may not be as effective as it normally would and you may be exposing yourself to harmful microorganisms. Besides, the water can also turn cloudy and your pool sides may scale due to alkaline water.
When you've determined that your pool pH is too high, there are two ways you can balance it: dry acid or muriatic acid. If you're using a dry acid, use these steps: Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package. Use the recommended amount only.
The most common reason for a consistently high pH level in pools is the use of liquid chlorine or a saltwater system as the primary sanitizer. Sodium hydroxide is produced, which has a pH of around 13. New pool plaster or pebble finishes will also raise pH in pools for about a year after installation.
When you shock a pool, you test and adjust the pH level for a reason. With that said, if you shock a pool outside of the 7.2 to 7.4 pH range, not only will you waste a significant amount of the chlorine used, you will also end up with cloudy water.
There are a couple of ways you can lower pH in water. If you're drinking a glass of water, add a few drops of lemon juice. The acidity will lower the pH naturally. You could also install an acid injection system to your water supply to lower the pH of your drinking water.
Using liquid chlorine raises the pH of the water.
Liquid chlorine does not raise pH. When added to water, liquid chlorine (which has a pH of 13) makes HOCl (hypochlorous acid – the killing form of chlorine) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which raises pH.
Hot tubs are often at a pH level of 7.2 – 7.8. Adding chlorine will increase this number slightly, but because the chemical also reacts to form hypochlorous acid, which reduces acids and makes your hot water less acidic, there's no change unless large amounts of chlorine are added.
Shocking the water will also cause a pH spike, as it breaks up combined chlorine (chloramines) while increasing free chlorine. Most homeowners use their main water sources to fill the tub. Depending on where the water comes from, it could have a high pH level to begin with.