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Foaming.


robquick

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Hi,

I've been using the Dichlor/bleach method for the last 12 months with real success. I changed the water back in early December and everything has been fine since. However, I used the tub over Christmas with 6 people for about an hour. Ever since I've had real problems with foaming.

Is foaming caused purely by in balanced calcium levels or does soap powder etc from people's bathing costumes impact too ?

Is the process of resolving this issue different for different causes?

I'm religious with ensuring I don't get behind with Chlorine levels.

Thanks.

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Foaming is from soap-like substances in the water. A CH level of 120-150 ppm helps to reduce foaming because calcium (and magnesium) tend to precipitate the fatty acids in soap (for example, calcium reacts with stearic acid to precipitate calcium stearate). Yes, soap left over in bathing costumes can increase the amount of soap in the water and cause foaming.

If there is a lot of foaming when you turn on jets you can scoop out the foam to help remove it. If your CH is already in the proper range, then you could add magnesium salts to try and precipitate more soap without the risk of calcium carbonate scaling. Or you can use an anti-foam product that basically does something similar using different chemicals.

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Thanks Chem geek, so to be clear, foaming is caused initially by one thing only which is soap like substances in the water. Raising the CH merely helps prevent the soap turning into foam as opposed to low CH some how generating foam ?

If I were to do nothing with the CH and didn't add any additional soap would the foaming eventually naturally vanish?

Does a higher FC help 'kill off' soap in the water in any way ?

Thanks.

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It's not that low CH generates foam. It's that when there is low CH, then the soap-like substances can foam up. When the CH is higher, the calcium binds to the soap-like substances to precipitate them, thereby preventing them from creating foam (the precipitate can create a scum-line instead, or get caught in the filter).

Yes, if you did nothing with the CH and didn't add any additional soap, the foaming would eventually dissipate but it could take a while. You can remove the foaming faster by scooping out the bubbles to remove the soap-like substances.

I don't believe higher FC does anything to prevent the foaming.

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