my12by60 Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 I just came back from a long trip of about three months. Friends were watching the spa and changing out bromine and mineral cartridges in the spa frog. Water was in decent shape, but about six months old so I added Swirl Away then drained. I am about three days into the dichlor-bleach protocol and counting the CYA additions so I can switch over to bleach and off of the dichlor. The water has looked very good, other than a few bubbles that are larger than normal. Not enough to call it foam, but enough to indicate that something is not perfect. I usually use the spa for 15 minutes in the early am and 15 minutes in the pm before bed. Today, I missed the morning soak and used the spa before lunch instead. In the later day sunshine, I noticed a slight film on the water's surface, which is probably the source of the few rogue bubbles I am getting. Could this be left over Swirl Away that was left in the bowels of the system after my drain job? All of my water readings are within the recommended ranges. Is there a chemical or technique to clear out the slight film on the water's surface without disturbing the other water readings? Thanks for any feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 It might just be some soap foam. If your CH isn't at 120-150 ppm, then you can raise it and that should lower the amount of foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 drop a scum bug into the tub. or one of the many similar product such as this or this. They work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 The most common sources of the "oily" film are things like Body Lotions, Make-up, Sweat..etc.. These are very difficult for your sanitizer (Chlorine or Bromine) to oxidize. Scumbugs or similar products, while NOT perfect, are extremly helpful in absorbing the oils from the water surface. Well worth the money IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my12by60 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 Thanks for the tips. My local pool store sells the 2-pack of Scum Balls, so I picked those up today and dropped one in the spa this afternoon. Based on the reviews on Amazon, I think the Scum Ball should work. http://www.amazon.co..._pr_product_top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 It will work. I like the others better for spas because of the increased surface area because of the cutouts in the design. Scumballs tend to work better in pool skimmers because they spin around due to the turbulence but they are all made of the same oil adsorbing material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my12by60 Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 The scumball has removed the sheen from the water surface. I took a close look this afternoon when the sun was at the correct angle to the spa water. Now that I read your logic on the other product versions, I wish I would have gotten one of the other designs, but at least the scumball did the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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