Help! The bubbles are taking over! The foam has landed! What the bubble is going on?

Let us understand what is creating the foam, why it is appearing, where it’s coming from and what we can do about it.

For foaming to occur, three components need to be present: Water, air, and surfactants. I think we all know what water and air are, but what are surfactants?

In short, surfactants lower the surface tension between two liquids or a liquid and a solid, which makes foaming easier and more likely to happen. (The actual chemistry of surfactants is complex, so so complex.  Check out Wikipedia if you really want to know! !)

We know how the water gets into the hot tub and we know that air is introduced when the jets are on, but what about the surfactants? How do they get in there? There are three main ways:-

1.    Personal care products. This can be virtually anything you use on or apply to your body or bathing wear. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, hairspray, tanning, creams and moisturisers, lotions, makeup and washing detergent. The more of these that you use, the more you take into the hot tub with you.

2.     Drinks and beverages.  While it may be pleasant to sip your favourite tipple whilst enjoying your soak in the hot tub, (Hey, nothing wrong with that!  )  spilt beverages, alcoholic or soft drinks, can upset the water and can lead to foaming.

3.     Bodies People.  Oh boy. Do we carry water contaminants into the tub with us?!  Body fats, oils, dead skin cells, hair and the list goes on as you can imagine.

Obviously, more bodies and more regular hot tub use results in greater contamination that can overwhelm the chemicals in the water. The result? Increased risk of foaming!

We now know what causes foaming, so what can we do about it?

How to get rid of foam from a hot tub

We have a choice now. Do you need a quick temporary fix in time for the party tonight, delaying the inevitable remedy or are you ready to spend a little more time and do the job properly now?

Short-term quick temporary fix

If you need the short-term quick fix, adding a foam remover chemical can reduce/eliminate foam almost in the blink of an eye. It is worth remembering though that this is a temporary fix and does NOT address the underlying problem with the water quality, it is merely applying a temporary plaster to the problem. If this solution doesn’t seem to work, probably because of poor water quality and lack of regular water care, the only option now is to do the job properly……

Proper job

Well, this is the one. Drain the tub and start again to remove the cause of the foaming.

1.     Test the water to find out the pH, alkalinity and sanitiser levels are. Also check the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids – the surfactants) to give you an idea of what the water chemistry is when foaming occurs. This can help you to understand the problem and how to help avoid the problem occurring again.

2.     Drain the hot tub. Flush through the pumps and pipework with clean water and system flush cleaner and thoroughly clean the inside of the tub. It is vitally important to ensure that all traces of cleaner are removed! Don’t forget to replace the filters with new ones or with your second set that have been thoroughly cleaned properly and left to dry previously before fitting.

3.     Refill the hot tub. Test the water, add your chemicals and allow to circulate. Test the water again to check that all is satisfactory. Enjoy! 

 How to reduce the possibility of foaming or avoid it altogether

Before bathing, have a seriously good shower to remove as much contamination and surfactants as possible. It is much easier than draining, cleaning and refilling the hot tub!

Bathing clothes should always be washed and then rinsed in clean water to remove all traces of detergent and conditioners etc. prior to enjoying the hot tub.

Hair should be washed and rinsed prior to hot tub use, otherwise avoid hair contact with the hot tub water. 

Don’t spill drinks (or food!) into the water. Use cups with lids, or better still don’t drink in there!

Maintain the water quality. Regular water maintenance is essential.

Always use quality chemicals and water treatments. Cheap products may prove to be more expensive in the long run as you may need to use more of them which can itself be detrimental to water quality leading to more regular water changes.

Now you know what causes foaming, how to clear it and how to reduce or eliminate the risk of it occurring again.

All that is left for you to do now is enjoy your hot tub! Have fun!

Happy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team