What are these big chunks of pieces in pump basket

[kkaren]

Hello
I was cleaning the bottom of the pool floor connecting to the skimmer home with the pipe , next day found these big chunk of white pieces that has like blue stuff kinda looks like detached from the inner wall ? Can anyone please tell me what are these . Is this normal to come out ?
new pool build - 06/22/2018 . 2 years
Please advise . Attaching Picts

 

[kkaren]

We have salt water system .
also have a pool company who takes care of pool . They said PH is been maintained.

 

[zea3]

I have no idea, but lets see if we can figure it out. Find out which products the pool company used on the pool. How hard are the chunks? What does the interior of the pool look like? I'll also ask a couple of experts to offer an opinion. @jimmythegreek , @JamesW

 

[Jimrahbe]

Karen,

I can't tell from the pics.. How big are they?? Do you have a gunite/plaster pool?

I do not understand where you found them.. Just laying on the bottom of the pool?

Just based upon the color and shape, my guess is they are chlorinating sticks.. But since you have a saltwater pool, there would be no reason for your pool service to add them. Please don't assume your pool service has a clue what your pH is, or that they have any idea what they are doing..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

I second that they're chlorinating sticks. Looks like your oh-so-professional pool guy has been dumping your partially used sticks in the pump basket instead of leaving them where they belong. Or tossing them in the deep end.

I know, I used to do that with my old pool long before I found TFP!

 

[JamesW]

It really doesn't look like chlorine tabs, but I don't know what they are.

Are they easy to crush?

Do they have any smell?

If they don't smell like chlorine, put a drop of acid on a small piece to see if it bubbles.

 

[crokett]

The light blue stuff on the back of them looks like adhesive or mastic of some kind which implies they are pieces of plaster. However chunks of plaster that size would be too heavy to get sucked into the pump. How wide are they? Do they fit through the piping? If not then they were placed in the pump strainer basket for some reason.

 

[tstex]

There's no way being in the skimmer basket or the bottom of the pool that these are pieces of plaster being flushed out of the 2" PVC lines.

The answer lies either w the pool company or someone/some kid is playing a joke on the OP. Old pieces of plaster can eventually end up in the pump basket by being moved over time, but not in the skimmer basket or bottom of pool. They are certainly not pucks and I doubt any form of CL bc they do not take on the color of anything...the OP needs to ask the pool comp, then we'll take it from there...

 

[JamesW]

The blue looks like copper. The lumps look like DE. If the lumps are easy to crush and they don't fizz when acid is dropped on them, I think it might be DE. A picture of the pool and system would be helpful. What type of filter do you have? If it's a cartridge filter, can you remove the cartridge and show what it looks like before cleaning?

 

[rphpool]

Wild guess... HTH has new CYA sticks instead of the old crystals

 

[tstex]

James,

I am not familiar w a DE filtering system per se, but if she did have a DE filter, how would lumps that big get into the pool? Most fish-eye returns are not anywhere near that size...and how would they have been lodged into the skimmer basket? A picture of her pool and e-pad would help...

 

[JamesW]

DE is added through the skimmer. Maybe a lot was added and built up in the pipes.

 

[tstex]

DE is added through the skimmer. Maybe a lot was added and built up in the pipes.

Thanks. It seems the debris would end up staying in the pipes or pump basket...but back in the return lines seems odd.

Per my nbor from Sugarland, here's a link to CL sticks...these seems like 3-4 pucks combined...couldn;t find CYA sticks...if the CU level was real high, it could have precipitated out into anything porous....

https://onesourcepool.com/slow-dissolving-chlorine-sticks-10-pound-bucket/?cmp_id=841489150&adg_id=44572556322&kwd=&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbty2EFCHQdwx6NxkhZQZLDIB0lbbdLwh-IWbCidDxpjuqmTVbMilabhoCGYwQAvD_BwE

 

[JamesW]

but back in the return lines seems odd.

We don't know that anything was in the return lines or in the pool. The pictures just show stuff in the pump basket.

It's possible that it's chlorine, but that's easily determined by smell.

 

[MITBeta]

Could it be these?

 

[rphpool]

Amazon.com : HTH 67054 Stabilizer Sun Defense for Swimming Pools, 8 ct : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : HTH 67054 Stabilizer Sun Defense for Swimming Pools, 8 ct : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

 

[JamesW]

It might be stabilizer.

 

[tstex]

Amazon.com : HTH 67054 Stabilizer Sun Defense for Swimming Pools, 8 ct : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : HTH 67054 Stabilizer Sun Defense for Swimming Pools, 8 ct : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

this is my vote and of course the pool person prob applied these...it also states comes in 5 diff colors so there's your aqua green color....never seen these before but I have now...lol

 

[kkaren]

Thank you all of you . I have read the post . I am very new to the pool concept learning day by day .
pool seems to be gunite- during construction had rods underneath and then cemented and put very smallpebble like plaster in interior .
I don’t see any inside part been damaged.

after one year of new pool we did see very small chunk of pieces , not big ones like these. These are 2 years after . That too I personally decided to clean the floor of poolputting the pipe in one of the holes under neath. skimmer basket . Next morning I go to clean the filter and saw these chunks sitting in pump basket . No one can open that . It’s too tight (kid wise)
So when the pool guy comes he has no clue. When he takes samples of this to the store , they said it’s kids chalk . No way on earth I have chalk at home . This does not make sense .
Then I called today to pool company and lady says it happens ALL THE TIME . Those are pieces of PLASTER left behind and will come out in pipe . That’s so strange!!!!!
These pieces are easily breakable if you put slight pressure ( kinda like breaking biscuit / hard cookies ) . I have not got tested with acid . No acid at home. Will go to store and see .
Attaching pictures

 

[HeyEng]

I second that they're chlorinating sticks. Looks like your oh-so-professional pool guy has been dumping your partially used sticks in the pump basket instead of leaving them where they belong. Or tossing them in the deep end.

I know, I used to do that with my old pool long before I found TFP!

What?!? A pool company would NEVER do this!!! And I wonder why a Google search fails to show any local pool companies with an average review of more than 3 stars...