Your swimming pool water is looking pretty great; its clear, odorless, and pretty much perfect to enjoy a swim in. For reasons you simply can not figure out, though, you begin getting scum and that icky white foam. Does anything kill the appearance of your lovely crystal clear water more rapidly than such a sight? How can you deal with this issue?
It’s true that you may skim the pool surface. The actual question, however, is what’s causing it to foam in the very first place. White froth in the water surface area is generally caused by one of three things (or a mixture of them):
1. There are high levels of polymer based chemicals.
2. The calcium is too low.
3. You have an air leak in your pool’s system (this is actually the most commonly seen issue).
Among these three potential causes, the foam formation in your pool is probably caused by either the kind of algaecides you have added to the pool water OR in the system by an air flow issue.
Dealing With the Issue
So how do you deal with this? There are actually two approaches to repair this issue: Alter the form of algaecide you’re employing AND/OR check and repair any flow problems.
How can you figure out which one (or both) of these is the thing that needs to be done? To figure this out you should first know the way in which they connect to the issue as well as how they both work.
Too Much Algaecide
Foaming can be caused by some algaecides when too much is used. The degree of foaming nevertheless, tends not to be excessive and is not conspicuous. So this isn’t generally the main cause of your trouble. However, if this is the issue, you’ll want to try changing your brand of algaecide to something that is better suited for your needs (and likely better quality). Your favored pool service provider (like us: https://www.supercleanpools.com/pool-service-in-scottsdale-az/) should be able to help you determine which to use. Shocking with chlorine will accelerate things.
Lack of Calcium
Foaming may also often appear in pools that do not have enough calcium in them, for those who own a vinyl pool. This is a simple fix involving increasing the calcium hardness.
Air Flow Problems
Should you have an air flow issue in the return lines causing some leakage, it can cause a high level of pool water foaming as well as the development of water states that are unacceptable. This is something you should address immediately.
With regard to assessing for a potential air flow issue, there are several things to do. First, assess the water level in the skimmer and be sure it is not taking in any air. Afterward, assess the plumbing fitting. Next you’ll want to test the pump strainer lid for cracks. After all of this assess the strainer o ring.
While making use of an anti-foam can certainly help a bit, your issue is more mechanical in nature if there’s air leaking, and you should repair it ASAP! Otherwise its just going to keep happening and things will get much worse.
Getting Help
Need some help? Aquaman Pools has you covered. Just give us a call at (480) 243-7665 or send us a message.
