Hi all,

I've been using the BBB system for almost a year with fantastic results. Thanks for all the help and support in the forums. I've been going through the scale forums as I have a scale issue. My pool surround is some type of canyon stone, which has a ring of scale around the top. I've scrubbed and used acid directly (with goggles and gloves, of course - still not a smart thing to do). It goes away slightly but never completely. A bigger problem is the waterfall. It is some type of brown rock - some of it some kind of moss-growing rock - I'm not sure. Anyway, there is some nice scale at the water interface and this rock is pretty porous. So far, acid wash doesn't seem to have done much. I've posted my latest chemistry below. It sounds like I need to get the CH down, CYA down, and try to get the pH lower. Looks like some drainage is ahead for me. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be done shorter term? Thanks.

FC - 4.0
CC - 0.5
pH - 7.5 (just put acid in - usually runs at 7.8)
TA - 90
CH - 330
CYA - 80

Steve

Is this a salt pool? If so, that could be part of the white line. If not, your CYA is a bit high. CH is within range, but would be nice to be lower.

Anytime you have water running over something-especially something porous like your waterfall-it leaves behind calcium. Obviously the harder the water, the faster the "build up" on your stone (and waterline!).

Aside from that, it is going to be hard to get the calcium off. I am going to experiment with these "soda blasters" that I am seeing on an old Jeepster that I have to strip it down to repaint. Since it uses baking soda, I am thinking I might try it on my waterfall, since it will just raise my TA a little and just might clean the calcium at the same time! Might want to look into that on your end also (the soda blasters seem to run about $100.00)!

Thanks, Bruce. No, it is not a salt water pool (excluding all that stuff above the water line!).

Not sure how much help I was, but you are welcome

Sounds like efflorescence to me. Take a look at this thread and see if that looks kinda like what you are describing. We see it from time to time on the mortar between our rocks. Cleans up with a dilute acid/water mix. Careful with that though because whenever you apply acid to remove it, you will remove some of the mortar, little by little, in the process.


scale-picture-attached-t841.html?hilit=efflorescense

No that's not it. This is spread evenly across the water line on the rocks themselves. For the waterfall, it is a six inch band or so, again right where the water flows.

Getting some calcium scaling around the waterline and on waterfall rocks is extremely common and almost impossible to completely prevent. You can slow down how quickly it builds up by lowering the calcium saturation a little bit. The scale can be removed with acid or with a bead blaster.