Foamy, Milky, and Cloudy Hot Tub Water

When it comes to owning a hot tub, all owners will experience foamy, milky, or cloudy water at some point. There is no need to worry, there is a solution for every spa problem and Coast Spas is here to help. In the following article, we will first describe the water problem, what could have possibly caused the problem, and finally, we will tell you how you can fix it. When you open your cover, your water should always be fresh and sparkling clean.

Cloudy Spa Water

The Cause

What can only be described as the point in which your spa water appears to have small particles floating around in it? The particles are not large enough to touch and can be mistaken for small air bubbles after you have turned the jets off. There is not really a single particular cause to this issue, and you will see it happening quite often. The possible causes can be from a variety of issues, heavy spa use, poor filtration, poor water chemistry, organic debris (aka dead skin), algae, and other insoluble particles. While it may be difficult to diagnose the exact cause of the problem, it is not as difficult to fix the issue.

Fixing the Problem

  • Filters – When it comes to water maintenance this should always be your first place to look. Generally speaking, when you have water problems the filter is not picking up the small particles any more, which may suggest it is time to change them. In fact, think of your filters much the same way you do on your house or car. With hot tubs, the recommended amount of time to change them is every six months. The rule of thumb is, if you are running it all year, change it when the clocks change. This will make sure you are changing your filter frequently enough.
  • Check the Balance Levels – After you are sure that your filter is within standards, make sure to check the water’s PH and sanitizer levels. More often than not, when there is a case of cloudy water, you have too much sanitizer in your water. Equally important is to not have too little sanitizer as this will cause water problems as well.
  • Shock Treatment – Simply use a non-chlorine shock to clear up your water really fast. If you combine this with a fresh filter, the shock treatment will certainly solve the cloudy water issue.
  • Clarifier – Clarifiers clump all the flocculent into a bigger, more manageable size for the filter and can thus make it easier to clear up your water.
  • Empty the Spa – Use this only as a last resort, as there are some municipalities that have ordinances forbidding completely draining a pool or spa. However, if you feel that you have lost the fight in restoring your water to its former glory, you may have no other choice. This may be the only way to fix the issue after a heavy use such as a spa party.
Milky Spa Water

The Cause

When describing this spa water condition, one would say that when all the jets have been turned off for over an hour, the water looks as if belongs in a glass and being served with cookies. As with the cloudy spa water, there is no one single cause for this happening. The same reasons for cloudy water are the same for milky water. Those are heavy spa use, poor filtration, poor water chemistry, organic debris (aka dead skin), algae, and other insoluble particles. Again, the exact reason is hard to pin down, but luckily for you, we have the solutions.

Fixing the Problem

  • Filter(s) – As with most all water issues it is imperative that you always start with checking the filter first. It is your first line of defense of having a well-maintained spa. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you to make sure that you frequently change your filters and as a general rule, it should be performed every six months. As we said before, pick two dates that are easy to remember (like daylight savings time) so you will never have a bad filter causing your water to look bad.
  • Check the Water Balance – Just as much as you need to make sure that your filter is always clean and clear, you need to make sure that your PH and sanitizer balance is correct. Make sure that you have proper amounts of both to keep your spa smelling and looking fresh for each and every use.
  • Shock Treatment – You can think of milky spa water as the step beyond cloudy spa water. You will take many of the same steps. So, once again, you will need to make sure you have some non-chlorine shock on standby.
  • Empty the Spa – There are some fights that you can win and some you cannot. Do not hesitate to empty the spa, making certain that your municipality allows for it and at what times of the year. As a reminder, this should be used as a last-ditch effort only. Spas take a lot of water and you shouldn’t drain it every time you have a little problem with the water.
Foamy Spa Water

The Cause

If you think of these sections as a progression chart, this is the next step after cloudy and milky water. At this point, the particles have bounced off each other and started to create a foam on the surface of your water. When the bubbles and jets are on, it is natural to see bubbles forming at the surface, but they should pop quickly and never linger. At this stage, it looks more like a can of beer or soda. This is never a good thing. Fortunately for you Coast Spas service team has supplied us with was to fix the issue.

Fixing the Problem

  • Thwarting Disaster – In other words, nip the problem in the bud. It may sound crass to ask people to shower before entering your spa, but it is the number one way to keep the spa feeling, smelling, and looking fresh at all times. Oils on the skin are the number one cause of dirty spas. Another problem is laundry detergent. As we all know, when you get one drop of that stuff in the water it begins to foam almost immediately. If you have people that regularly visit your house to have a dip in the spa, consider asking them to leave their bathing suits and make sure you wash them in hot water only. There is enough chlorine in your spa to keep them sanitized anyhow.
  • Enzymes – There are many products that can eliminate the foaming action from even occurring. If you need to pick some up, just visit any one of our authorized dealers and ask them for a bottle today.
  • Defoamer – If you are looking for the quick fix, stop by one of our stores and pick up a bottle of our specially formulated bottle of Defoamer today. Using just a small amount should be enough to clear up the foam.
  • Drain and Flush – If all else fails, it may be time to drain the spa and flush the system. Empty all of the water and make sure to flush the pumps and jets to get rid of any residual foam that may linger.
Conclusion

We hope that this has been helpful to you and that you can restore your spa to its sparkling glory days. Remember, spas need to be maintained at all times and if you happen to put it off for too long, you may find yourself doing more work than you had planned on. Regular maintenance is always better than trying to do it all at once. Additionally, it will keep your Coast Spas hot tub feeling fresh and clean for years to come.