Volcanoes forming on pool bottom. How do I remove them?

[peterl1365]

Okay, they are not literally volcanoes obviously, but I didn't know how else to describe them.

It appears that mineral deposits of some sort have accumulated in 5 or 6 spots on my pool floor. The results are little mounds of hard material about 1 inch in diameter and approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch tall. I've tried knocking them loose with my pool brush and leaf skimmer, but they won't budge.

My guess is that some dirt or rocks somehow got into the pool over the winter and acted as a "seed" for other minerals to attach. My calcium hardness is on the high side due to high evaporation rates here in SoCal, probably over 750 ppm, but I don't have any scaling on the waterline tiles.

What can I do to remove them. They aren't causing any trouble, but I don't want them to grow and/or spread.

Thanks,

 

[Davegvg]

Okay, they are not literally volcanoes obviously, but I didn't know how else to describe them.

It appears that mineral deposits of some sort have accumulated in 5 or 6 spots on my pool floor. The results are little mounds of hard material about 1 inch in diameter and approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch tall. I've tried knocking them loose with my pool brush and leaf skimmer, but they won't budge.

My guess is that some dirt or rocks somehow got into the pool over the winter and acted as a "seed" for other minerals to attach. My calcium hardness is on the high side due to high evaporation rates here in SoCal, probably over 750 ppm, but I don't have any scaling on the waterline tiles.

What can I do to remove them. They aren't causing any trouble, but I don't want them to grow and/or spread.

Thanks,

Im in West La myself and am familiar with what you describe.

No easy fix for tough deposits Ive found. walk around every square inch of the pool and " go after them"
A metal brush or even a small metal spatula usually dislodges them.

Once you dislodge them In my experience you've got a couple of ways to keep them from coming back.

Easy - fairly frequent use of a suction side "mat type" cleaner is the easiest way it brushes and smoothes the pool while it cleans keeping a huge percent of the deposits at bay. You still need some brushing though, but its minimal.

Hard - Metal brush head on your pole scrubbing for several month with a wall whale on your pole adding force. This is a bit hard on good plaster but effective on mineral build up.

A reverse osmosis service can provide a significant reduction in TDS at a reasonable price and is a good strategy when combined with the techniques above .


Do you have a "pool guy"? poor water chemistry makes this bad situation worse. How many time a week do you brush your pool ?

Uncle Dave

 

[duraleigh]

I would remove them mechanically and would check my pH, CH and TA on a regular basis.

Keep those three within the guidelines suggested in Pool School and I imagine the volcanoes will not reoccur.

 

[JamesW]

http://www.poolhelp.com/onBalanceCalciu ... lletin.pdf

http://poolhelp.com/handouts/oB_Calcium ... andout.pdf