Help-want to get scale off vinyl liner

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S

sdunk

0
May 3, 2016
37
Southeast, NC
I am currently slamming the pool because I have been neglecting it since school started and developed algae in the bottom and sides of the pool. It is looking much better now. I joined TFP at the beginning of this season so following the methods here for 5 months now. (My husband always maintained the pool until last year) I have some old scale that developed on the liner probably 3 years ago before I realized the importance of monitoring the pH and chlorine levels while the CYA was way too high. I have not figured out the CSI stuff but I know that I need to especially in light of the scale issue

Good news- I have gotten comfortable adding Muratic acid liquid to the pool; I was super nervous about using the stuff and in general probably let the pH get too high because I didn't want to handle it.

FC-11
CC-0.5
TC-11.5
PH-7.3 (tested and adjusted from 8.2 prior to start of slam-that was not a long term thing as I have been testing and adjusting all summer)
TA-120
CH-100
CYA-20
Borates-less than 30 but more than 15-maybe 23?

I have done some reading on here of old threads about scale. It seems very likely to be calcium scale. Are my other numbers okay to lower the pH to 7.2 and keep it there while brushing frequently over time the thing to do?
 
Since you appear to be doing a SLAM at the moment, let's just focus on that for now. Your pH is fine at the moment for the SLAM. If you are sure about your CYA being 20, you might want to add a little stabilizer to ensure you have a good 30 minimum, as anything below 30 becomes tricky to confirm. So CYA to 30 and FC to SLAM level of "12". Once you pass all 3 SLAM criteria, we can help you focus on scale.

As for your CSI, it's not that bad right now really on the http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html. Your CH level is in a good place. TA could be a bit lower, but we can help you with that after the SLAM by adjusting to about 70 or so. But even if I listed your pH at 8.2, the CSI is not high enough to indicate a scale problem. But that's based on the numbers you show today. No telling how high any of those numbers were in the past. But so you know .... on the calculator, enter all of your parameters like normal, then look towards the bottom of the calculator and you'll see the "CSI" row. It will tell you if your CSI number is too high (over 0.6) which might indicate a problem for scale. At the moment though, you appear to be good. Hope that helps.
 
If I may ask,

Scaling on a vinyl liner is something that doesn't happen frequently for various reasons. It can happen......but it's something we seldom see here. Looking at your numbers also your CH level is very low, which is OK for a vinyl pool, and it appears your pH never really stayed high. Before jumping into ways to remove the scale from you liner I'd like to ask you to describe what you are calling scaling. Was your CH MUCH higher in the past?? If not, what was your pH levels once this CH developed?? Something just seems odd here??
 
PoolguyinCT - The scale is not visible to the eye unless it gets algae growth on it, which it did this week. The pool looks great now and I passed the occult test last night. It was a short slam-thank the Lord. The scale feels like sandpaper to the touch.

LeeBo - The liner was replaced 3 years ago but the pool company didn't balance the water before leaving and we were to uneducated about pool maintainance to realize what that meant. All we did was add chlorine tabs and granular chlorine-no pH monitoring, no stablizer. The pool was a beast and we didn't know why. You can imagine the amount of chlorine we were using. It clouded up the pool terrible. I will say this, it was a pool company (different one than who replaced the liner) who helped me to understand that there is more to pool maintainance than adding chlorine-lol. Then I found TFP and started learning myself. We are not using tabs or granular chlorine any more-strictly bleach. It has been a blessing and I am greatful to you all for helping me.

Texas Splash - Since the slam is done, I am planning to add stablizer to bring the CYA up to 50. We have had probably 13 inches of rain here in the past month so it had really come down. My plan is to let the FC drop down and maintain at 6-7.

I have a pool heater and had thought about using it some since the nights here are getting cooler but the days are still in the 80s. I know that makes a difference but I'm not quite there on understanding all the implications while trying to make the pool water resistant to scale. Does that make sense?
 
I have a pool heater and had thought about using it some since the nights here are getting cooler but the days are still in the 80s. I know that makes a difference but I'm not quite there on understanding all the implications while trying to make the pool water resistant to scale.
 
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