Help! Persistent Floating Debris Won’t Go Away

[Restless]

Hi everyone,


We are new pool owners. Our pool was completed just 2 months ago. I’m having trouble with floating debris in my pool that just won’t go away, no matter what we do. We are past the pollen phase here in Mississippi.

We’ve already:

• Skimmed the pool thoroughly, but we can never get it all,
• Placed slimmer socks on the baskets,
• Changed the pool filter cartridges (even purchased new ones),
• Used flocculant as directed,

…but the debris keeps returning or won’t clear up at all. It looks like fine particles or organic matter that just sits on the surface or circulates around. The water chemistry is balanced, and the pump seems to be working fine.

Please help, no one wants to swim due to this. Has anyone dealt with this before or have suggestions for what we might try next? Could this be a circulation issue, or something we're missing?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Donldson]

Looks like run of the mill cottonwood seed to me.

 

[Diane e]

Looks like run of the mill cottonwood seed to me.

That’s what it looks like to me too!

 

[Bperry]

View attachment 646099
Hi everyone,


We are new pool owners. Our pool was completed just 2 months ago. I’m having trouble with floating debris in my pool that just won’t go away, no matter what we do. We are past the pollen phase here in Mississippi.

We’ve already:

• Skimmed the pool thoroughly, but we can never get it all,
• Placed slimmer socks on the baskets,
• Changed the pool filter cartridges (even purchased new ones),
• Used flocculant as directed,

…but the debris keeps returning or won’t clear up at all. It looks like fine particles or organic matter that just sits on the surface or circulates around. The water chemistry is balanced, and the pump seems to be working fine.

Please help, no one wants to swim due to this. Has anyone dealt with this before or have suggestions for what we might try next? Could this be a circulation issue, or something we're missing?


Thanks in advance!

If your skimmers don’t have a weir door in them, that would help in skimming the floating stuff away.

 

[Uhhello]

That looks like my pool if I don't net skim every 45 minutes. Very windy in our area and its a never ending battle.

 

[Restless]

That looks like my pool if I don't net skim every 45 minutes. Very windy in our area and it’s a never ending battle.

That’s what it looks like to me too!

We have been pretty confident that it’s not anything to be concerned about. I’d just like it to come out.

 

[Uhhello]

We have been pretty confident that it’s not anything to be concerned about. I’d just like it to come out.

Just net it out?

 

[Buggs]

Have you considered one of the Skimmer Robots? We have trees over our pool and a half-acre of natural area just below. When the wind blows, we get plenty of junk blown in. Our Surfer M1 patrols the pool daily and does a good job keeping it clear.

If we're in a hurry to get the water cleared, we fire up the negative edge. It's essentially a 22'-wide skimmer running at 50 GPM!

Your pool info says you have a Dolphin Dynamic! Those were state-of-the-art when we built our pool in 1998! Does it still run? I see a few places that still have parts available.

 

[Restless]

Just net it out?

We’ve tried but we can never get it all, no matter how long I net skim. I swear I’ve spent more time skimming than swimming!! This photo is after I spent 45 minutes to an hour skimming.

 

[Uhhello]

We’ve tried but we can never get it all, no matter how long I net skim. I swear I’ve spent more time skimming than swimming!! This photo is after I spent 45 minutes to an hour skimming.

If the debris is that persistent, I would think the only option is an enclosure . Like the guy above said, a skimmer robot is another option.

 

[Donldson]

Things that blow in the wind are going to end up in the pool. Unlike the rest of the lawn once it hits the water and gets wet it's not blowing back out, and while grass hides things that falls within it the pool displays everything right on the surface.

Pollen and seeds are going to be a part of owning a pool in the spring. I have to empty my skimmer twice a day sometimes and when I do I see the maple seeds (in early May) or cottonwood seed (in late May) sitting on the surface waiting to clog up the skimmer next.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Betta SE Plus. This guy works 24/7 on solar power.

 

[Restless]

Have you considered one of the Skimmer Robots? We have trees over our pool and a half-acre of natural area just below. When the wind blows, we get plenty of junk blown in. Our Surfer M1 patrols the pool daily and does a good job keeping it clear.

If we're in a hurry to get the water cleared, we fire up the negative edge. It's essentially a 22'-wide skimmer running at 50 GPM!

Your pool info says you have a Dolphin Dynamic! Those were state-of-the-art when we built our pool in 1998! Does it still run? I see a few places that still have parts available.

Ok… that’s my bad. We have a Polaris 360.
We do have a forest at the back of our property. (I’ve attached a photo) I definitely think it is environmental debris. I have been hesitant to use a cover because the water gets too warm.

Yes, we have considered a skimmer robot. I have just been concerned that there was a bigger problem. We’ve put off buying one due to the cost but will consider it more seriously.