My pool/spa is a bubble bath

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chadly

chadly

Member
Mar 2, 2019
11
New Orleans, LA
Just finished our new pool in the last month. It rained a lot on Thursday of last week and on Friday morning we woke up to a hundreds of bugs in the pool. After a little bit of research, we determined that they were probably water boatmen / backswimmers. We were having people over for the first time to our new pool on Saturday and started freaking out. We texted the pool guy that our pool builder had recommended. He recommended a product called "bug off" to us. I went to the pool store, picked it up, dumped it in, and within an hour, all the bugs were dead/dying and I could easily skim/vacuum them up. Crisis averted, I thought.

Later, I noticed that now the pool is a lot more "bubbly." Especially when we turn the spa on, it feels like you are in a bubble bath now - like a looot of bubbles. Since the pressure of the party is now off, I started to do some more research and I think the bugoff product worked by changing the surface tension of the water so the bugs would drown. I think we could have probably accomplished the same thing with dish soap. I also read that they probably appeared because our chlorine level was too low after the rain. We weren't using the SWG after the pool was first started up and I think we let the chlorine level drift too low. Besides the chlorine, I think all of our levels are mostly inline from what we have read at pool school:

pH: 7.5 (tested today)
TA: 90 (tested 8 days ago)
CH: 300 (tested 8 days ago)
CYA: 55 (tested today) - just added some on Sunday, trying to raise this one

Sunday night, I went ahead and started adding a lot more bleach to the pool to try and SLAM it. I was hoping that would kill any micro-bloom of algae. Looking back, we probably should have just SLAMed the pool from the beginning and not added the bugoff stuff. I think that would have made the boatmen leave since they wouldn't have had a food source.

But, given we did what we did, how do we make our pool not a bubble bath? I've been keeping up adding bleach to the pool each night since Sunday. I haven't done the precise chlorine measurement, but the non-precise one says it is over 10ppm (using the TF-100 test kit). Turning on the air jets/water features today still turns the pool/spa into a bubble bath. Any disturbance of the water (splashing, water features, air jets) causes bubbles/foam. The foam goes away after a few minutes of stopping the water disturbance. But, it keeps coming back.

I read online that maybe soda ash might neutralize the soap in the water (assuming that's what it is). Is this something I should try? Or will it dissipate on its own over time? Should I get an anti-foam product from the pool store? I'd rather not add more random chemicals to the concoction.
 
Welcome to the forum!
From your write up, you have a TF100 test kit, right? If so, please add that to your signature.
The bubbles will dissipate over time by keeping your FC in the Target range FC/CYA Levels.
How does the water look (excluding the bubbles!).
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.
 
Thanks, updated my signature.

I was hoping it would just dissipate over time. I guess I was a little worried today when it seems like it is still bubbly after a couple days of SLAMing. Do you think this is a few days type of time frame or like a months/year type of time frame?

The water looks perfect & clear. It has ever since we got it. Although, that might just be my untrained eye. I have noticed that in the last couple of days since I raised the chlorine level it looks "perfecter." It's just those Dang bubbles, now...
 
Try to eliminate the aeration and it should dissipate quicker.

You say you have an integrated spa. Do you automation system to control it? Please add that to your signature.

Do you have the mineral cartridge (smaller one) in the Nature2? If so, we highly recommend removing it. It is putting copper and silver into your water.
 
This post brings up a few good points that immediately come to my mind. 1 - Don't rely on the pool store or "pool guy". 2 - A pool is like a pet. You have to spend at least a little time with it every day or things can go wrong. It only takes a few minutes to test the water, but if you neglect it, once a problem is bad enough to notice you have a significant problem on your hands. Which brings up 3 - Even perfect and clear water can have unseen problems.
Welcome to TFP!
 
Do you have the mineral cartridge (smaller one) in the Nature2?
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That was a point of contention with the PB when he was installing the system. He assured us we can run it without the cartridge and didn't put it in (although not really sure how to verify that).

none of that bleach you're adding has any special additives, does it?
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It's just regular old plain bleach from Costco. Up until I added the bugoff, I was using that bleach with no bubbly problems.

Try to eliminate the aeration
Click to expand...

So, I shouldn't run the water features or air jets? I was thinking that would "stir it up" and maybe make it evaporate or something.
 
chadly said:
It's just regular old plain bleach from Costco. Up until I added the bugoff, I was using that bleach with no bubbly problems.
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To my knowledge, Costco sells Clorox bleach. Clorox has Cloromax in it. Those are polymers. Clorox bleach is not appropriate for pool use.
 
chadly said:
So, I shouldn't run the water features or air jets? I was thinking that would "stir it up" and maybe make it evaporate or something.
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It will not evaporate. It essentially will get broken down. The aeration does not help that.

With your automation, do you have it set up to only run your spillover a couple times a day for 30 minutes or so to chlorinate the spa? Running the spillover all the time drives your pH up.
 

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We have bubblers and two scuppers which are currently scheduled to run for an hour each day. I can turn that off.

The pool filter pump is "connected" via the spa (hope that makes sense). So, whenever the pool filter pump is on, it is always also filling the spa and spilling over into the pool. I don't think the spillover causes that much disturbance, though -- not like the scuppers/bubblers do.
 
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Most automation systems have three modes:
Spa mode, water is pulled from and returned to the spa.
Pool mode, water is pulled from and returned to the pool.
Spillover (or Spillway) mode, water is pulled from the pool and returned to the spa.

I suspect your pool builder put in a bypass so that the spa gets water to it when you are in Pool Mode. That is an old school method done by builders whom do not understand automation.

If you would like to reduce your spa spillover time, let us know and we have folks that can guide you through that with your automation.
 
chadly said:
Ya'll were right. Apparently I don't know how to buy bleach. I have been using Clorox with chloromax for a few weeks now. Should I do anything to correct that other than stop using it?
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Oh no! I think it dissipates once you stop using it.

Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, True Value, etc all should have their pool chlorine on shelves, check dates, as some are still finding some from late 2018
 
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