Hi everyone! I have been searching the net and this forum for the last week and half trying to determine what is going on with my pool. I have a 27' round above ground pool with a cartridge filter. There is a very fine gray sediment that settles on the bottom of the pool. It usually settles around the same area, which is the far side of the pool from the filter outlet (obviously because the water must be more still there). The sediment is very very fine. It’s not gritty. It’s not slimy. In fact you can’t really feel it at all and when you touch it or disturb the water near it, it disperses.
I vaguely remember this same problem happening at the end of last season. I didn’t pay as much attention to it, but it was happening then also. This year when we opened the pool I started really taking notice of it, and I have declared war on it!
My first thought to get rid of it was to vac to waste. The next day the sediment was back. I did a vac to waste again thinking this was the residual that was disturbed during vacuuming. I cleaned the filter afterwards, and it still came back. Over the next few days I did more vac to waste procedures that I can remember. I cleaned, cleaned again, and super cleaned the filter. It always comes back. I shocked the 17000 gallon pool with 5lbs of shock pool thinking that if it was organic that would certainly kill it. After the shock, I noticed more sediment, but it was white. Over the next two days, the sediment turned gray like the other stuff. After the shock, I noticed there was a fine white film on the portion of the pool ladder that was under water. I removed the ladder and ordered a new one thinking maybe after 10 years the ladder was disintegrating into the pool and causing the sediment. I also ordered a new filter cartridge. Finally I did a vac to waste again, installed the new ladder, installed the new filter cartridge and waited…. The sediment is back again.
Wanting a closer look I was able to carefully suction up a sample of the sediment with my turkey baster (yes I know this sounds crazy…but I’m getting desperate). It looks like very very fine sand, but you can’t feel it. The pool water tests fine, except for high chlorine, which I would expect from the super shock treatment I did a week ago.
Below are the test results from the pool store (they are as stumped as I am about what this might be)
FC 11.16
TC 11.16
Alk 105
pH 7.4
Calc Hard 252
Cy A 40
Copper 0
Iron 0
Dissolved Solids 1000
Saturated Index -0,2
Here is a pic of the pool bottom...please ignore my shaddow
[attachment=0:2dc42g25]pool bottom 2.jpg[/attachment:2dc42g25]
I’m stumped and ready to wave the white flag….If anyone can give me any guidance I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
Sharon
I vaguely remember this same problem happening at the end of last season. I didn’t pay as much attention to it, but it was happening then also. This year when we opened the pool I started really taking notice of it, and I have declared war on it!
My first thought to get rid of it was to vac to waste. The next day the sediment was back. I did a vac to waste again thinking this was the residual that was disturbed during vacuuming. I cleaned the filter afterwards, and it still came back. Over the next few days I did more vac to waste procedures that I can remember. I cleaned, cleaned again, and super cleaned the filter. It always comes back. I shocked the 17000 gallon pool with 5lbs of shock pool thinking that if it was organic that would certainly kill it. After the shock, I noticed more sediment, but it was white. Over the next two days, the sediment turned gray like the other stuff. After the shock, I noticed there was a fine white film on the portion of the pool ladder that was under water. I removed the ladder and ordered a new one thinking maybe after 10 years the ladder was disintegrating into the pool and causing the sediment. I also ordered a new filter cartridge. Finally I did a vac to waste again, installed the new ladder, installed the new filter cartridge and waited…. The sediment is back again.
Wanting a closer look I was able to carefully suction up a sample of the sediment with my turkey baster (yes I know this sounds crazy…but I’m getting desperate). It looks like very very fine sand, but you can’t feel it. The pool water tests fine, except for high chlorine, which I would expect from the super shock treatment I did a week ago.
Below are the test results from the pool store (they are as stumped as I am about what this might be)
FC 11.16
TC 11.16
Alk 105
pH 7.4
Calc Hard 252
Cy A 40
Copper 0
Iron 0
Dissolved Solids 1000
Saturated Index -0,2
Here is a pic of the pool bottom...please ignore my shaddow
[attachment=0:2dc42g25]pool bottom 2.jpg[/attachment:2dc42g25]
I’m stumped and ready to wave the white flag….If anyone can give me any guidance I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
Sharon
