In your hot tub, there should be bubbles. In a bright light you should see bubbles effervescing like you’d see from fine champagne. But, foam! Ugly, nasty foam that won’t go away when the jets are turned off: NO. NO. NO. There’s a big difference between bubbles and foam. You do not want foam in your hot tub!

Bubbles are made as water is mixed with air and sent through the jets with force by a jet pump. Bubbles help you relax and give a spirit of playfulness to your hot tub experience.

Foam is the result of jet bubbles holding their shape after the jets are turned off. Foam forms because the water has contaminates such as body lotion, suntan oil or soap residue that hasn’t been oxidized  (i.e. burned up by sanitizers) or picked up by the filters. Bubbles form, are coated with “junk” and don’t pop! (Ever been to a public hot tub/spa and seen lots of foam? Hope you didn’t get in. Warning: never get in a foamy tub. It’s a clear indicator that the sanitation is not right!)

Soap residue is a strange thing. With our Western Washington soft water it’s very hard to rinse soap out of clothing. I always ignore the soap manufacturer’s recommendation to use 1- 1/2 cups per load and sprinkle in less than 1/4 cup for even the largest loads. Soap residue left by the large amounts that manufacturers recommend will not rinse out in our soft water unless you run the whole load again with no soap. Soap residue is responsible for early deterioration of clothing (think expensive swimsuits)…and the ruin of many a good batch of hot tub water.

Backyard Scenario: neighbors come over for a dip wearing their swim suits. They get in.  Foam develops quickly. Reason: your neighbors have probably washed their suits with soap in the washer.

Solution: request no suits (!) or ask that suits that have been washed with soap not be worn in the tub. There’s no need to “wash” a swimsuit-ever.  Just a quick rinse to get rid of swimming pool chlorine is all that’s needed.

What to do with a bad case of the foams in your hot tub?  Be Prepared for this by having SeaKlear Self-Floccing Defoamer on hand. OK! You ask, what is floccing? It a chemical agent which causes suspended solids in the water to congeal into filterable masses. SeaKlear Spa Self-Floccing Defoamer uses a patented ingredient to remove organic materials that cause foam to form. The result: less foaming, clear water and a cleaner filter.

Add a small amount to make the foam disappear. All of the “stuff” is still in the water, though. The defoamer only stops foam from forming. Test the water to make sure sanitation levels are where they should be, clean the filters and run the jets.

Here’s THE long range cure: SeaKlear Spa Natural Clarifier. It’s actually made of crab shells that would ordinarily be dumped back in the ocean. Through a patented process, crab shells are turned into an agent that removes oils from the water.

As a good practice,use SeaKlear Spa Natural Clarifier regularly. Unlike synthetic, petroleum-based clarifiers, SeaKlear Spa Natural Clarifier actually removes oils from the water. The unique, patented technology keeps water clear and clean. Use it regularly to remove oils and keep filters cleaner longer. Order some today!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.