• Troubleshoot your spa, and you may find you have an easy fix.pool spa 1 image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
  
  Owning a spa can be a wonderful thing. Relaxing in a hot bubbling tub with friends or family is among the ultimate ways to unwind at home and take advantage of your down time. But occasionally, your spa may have problems. Knowing what causes these problems and what to do about them will help you to quickly get your spa back in working order and ready for more relaxation and fun.
  
  

Find the Foam Source

• Your spa is not a bubble bath, and if it begins to look like one, you should take care of the problem immediately. Spa foaming is a common problem that is usually easy to take care o,f once you know what the cause is.
  
  According to the New England Spas website, a common cause of spa foaming is the jets forcing water into the spa where there are soaps or detergents. If bathers have washed their bathing suits in a washing machine with detergent, it's likely that some of the soap remained in the fabric and is causing the foaming. Showering your body and the suit prior to getting in the spa will help reduce this effect.
  
  The buildup of organic waste from previous bathers can also cause foaming. You'll need to shock, or super-chlorinate, the spa to rid it of these substances. Soft water could also cause foaming in some cases. Using a de-foaming solution sold at pool and spa stores will help alleviate the problem.
  
  

Treat for Scaling

• If you notice weird white scales settling to the bottom of the spa when you turn it off, you most likely have serious calcium deposits. The calcium builds up on the heating elements in the water and gets blown off by the force of the jets.
  
  When the jets are turned off and the tub becomes calm, these calcium chips settle to the bottom and become obvious. Adding a chemical formulated to resolve calcium buildup available from your pool and spa store will take care of this nuisance in a short time.
  
  

Get Your Spa Running

• If you get ready for a soak in the spa only to realize it won't even come on, you could have one of several problems. First, check the obvious potential problems, such as making sure the power source is plugged in and the breaker isn't off in the main box.
  
  If that isn't the problem, don't worry. It may be something equally as simple. Check to see if the panel door that leads to the reset button is open. The door of some models has a safety switch, and the motor will not run while it is open. If that isn't the problem, open the door and press the test button if applicable. You should hear it click, indicating there is power to the spa. Press the reset button and close the door. Hopefully your spa works now. If not, you may have a more serious electrical or mechanical problem, and may need to contact a spa repairman to take a look.