White residue on vinyl liner from rubber steps pads

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A

AaronL1

Member
Aug 2, 2023
6
Columbus, OH
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I have a used AGP with vinyl liner just installed a couple months ago. I installed the steps and for about a month, had a rubber pad underneath to protect the vinyl liner. However, that pad kept bunching up and was a source of algae and dirt, so I removed it. The steps have 4 rubber feet. I used it that way for about a month. Well yesterday, I removed the steps to clean them and the vinyl underneath and found that the white rubber from the feet was flaky. If I rubbed my hand on them, they would flake off and felt grainy in my hands, like sand. No big deal, except that material seems to have bonded to the vinyl liner on the bottom of the pool where they sat. No amount of brushing or vacuuming removed this stuff. It feels smooth under my feet, like no texture difference between the normal and stained vinyl. Any ideas? Did this ruin the liner here?

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My step feet do this too! Though not quite as bad. Its a gummy mess. You can try wiping/grabbing it up with a microfiber cloth or rag that you don’t mind throwing away. Think like you are removing sticker residue. I usually use some kind of oil for stickers but that may not work well in the pool.
They sell replacement feet but I imagine they will do the same thing in short order.
 
Okay, thank you. As long as it isn’t damaging it, it’s just a cosmetic thing I guess. Do you remove your steps to clean under there and if so, how often? These steps were provided with the used pool, but they have some problems, such as providing a shady area for algae and dirt and it’s difficult to get cleaning tools or a vacuum behind and underneath. I might just replace with a simple ladder next season.
 
The solution for the problems you mentioned is more holes! & adequate fc of course
FC/CYA Levels
More holes = more circulation - I used a 2” hole saw
I move mine at the beginning & end of each season & scrub them & in between I put the vac through the hole for the ballast (weight cylinder). For a manual vac you stick the head through the hole then connect it to the vac. My little cordless vac head fits right in.
Speaking of the ballast- don’t fill it with sand directly or it will become algae city. 🤢🤢🤢🤢
In the past I’ve used sand in double foodsaver bags & currently my longest lasting solution has been concrete in country time lemonade mix containers that are sealed with duct tape .
I believe koolaid mix also uses these
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Multiple fit perfectly inside the ballast & they are easy to remove check & rinse with chlorinated water.
Here’s my steps with xtra holes especially around the bottom so i can push a bottle brush or toilet brush in there occasionally and usually I just stick the hose nozzle in them to flush them out when adding water to the pool. Especially where the feet are. During the swim season the handrail is attached to the deck but i can move them/lift them a little bit.
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All good tips! Thanks for the detailed reply! Putting holes in seems like a great idea. For me, it sounds like it’ll be easier to just unscrew and lift it out of the water to clean every few weeks or so. I only have 5 screws holding it in, so once it’s out, I can give the whole thing a thorough scrubbing as well as the vinyl around the area.
 
If you can clean it up I would suggest getting a bath mat or pool mat to put under the step, I have use one for years with no problems. I was given this information 20+ years ago by the installers to protect the liner under the steps and it worked great with our old pool. Our new pool's package came with a huge pool mat and it too seems to working great.

As far as algae and dirt, our last pool steps didn't get anything behind the steps but I did get algae inside the steps. A lot came out when I lifted the step out of the pool in the fall but since I was closing the pool and always bring my chlorine up quite a bit I never worried about it... and never had an issue. Our new steps do collect debris behind it and on the opposite side of the flow (I guess from the eddy effect of flow) so I will lift it up slightly so there is more flow and also stick my brush/leaf skimmer behind it to mix the water around, I do this a few times. I think the debris issue between the 2 steps was our last steps were further away from the pool wall where our new steps are pretty close to the pool wall. So far I haven't seen any algae behind the steps but I agree with @Mdragger88 that it all has to do with FC amount based on your CYA; I tend to be a few PPM above minimum but below SLAM level and have never gone below minimum FC for my CYA level.
 
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Just a note that a mat underneath can also be a hidden spot for algae and should be removed and cleaned periodically. Many of us don’t use one.
 
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AaronL1 said:
No big deal, except that material seems to have bonded to the vinyl liner on the bottom of the pool where they sat.
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Or 👇

AaronL1 said:
It feels smooth under my feet, like no texture difference between the normal and stained vinyl
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Which one is it ? If it now feels completely smooth after removing the stuck debris, you may have worn off the ink. If I didn't know better, I'd say those spots were bleached white.
 
Newdude said:
Or 👇




Which one is it ? If it now feels completely smooth after removing the stuck debris, you may have worn off the ink. If I didn't know better, I'd say those spots were bleached white.
Click to expand...
Both. The 4 white rubber feet under the steps felt gritty and the white rubber would flake off in my hands if I rubbed them. The actual vinyl on the floor felt smooth, as in no difference in texture when I rubbed my toes across them. I suspect small bits of the rubber bonded to the liner material, but I'm not sure how to tell. It could also be ink worn off, because the ladder moves a bit and the kids love to hang out there, jump off them, etc.

As for the ladder pat/mat, I used this Swimline Hydrotools Protective Ladder Mat / Pool Step Pad (45" x 50")

It created its own problems, like constantly bunching up underneath the steps, moving from side to side, collecting dirt/debris/algae underneath, etc. This despite me brushing it every day. My steps sit across from my return jet longways, so about 32 feet, so the corner would constantly fold up, even if I tamped it down well with my feet. I suppose maybe the best of both worlds would be to cut small squares or circles out of the pad and affix them to the bottom of the rubber feet on the steps?
 
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I think I have the same pool mat and no problems this year. Bath mats are a little thicker and I never had an issue with them. I like the idea of the step bottom not rubbing against to pool floor to cause damage. I guess I've been lucky and never had it curling up and no algae issues.
 
I wanted to update- I went by my local pool place for liquid chlorine & they had the replacement feet for the steps.
They were $10 each.
They looked different than the original ones, not white. More like the color of latex rubber. Maybe they know they disintegrate so they changed them?
I elected to just leave mine alone for now. When I pulled my steps out the other day I scrubbed the loose stuff off of them & they were much more smooth. I was able to rub the stuff off the liner with my foot.
 
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