Where's this thin layer of white scale coming from?

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S

splishsplash

0
Jun 30, 2008
4
Texas
I have a very thin layer of some sort of deposit or scale that is coming through all the return lines in the pool & my spa. This has been going on for about a month now. My PB says "he's heard of that before, but does not know what it is." I haved cleaned my 4 cart filter, shocked, added salt, added acid...blah blah blah & no change! It's consistantly coming out, & not just a little bit. I can hardly keep up with the cleaning...

I really looks just like cracked up egg shells. Ideas?
 
Hey, welcome to the forum. Posting a full set of test results is almost always the first step in analyzing water issues. Do you have current test results for pH, FC, CC, TA, and CYA?
 
Well since I added shock & acid my test results probably won't help? However, this has been going on for over a month now. I have not added any salt for at least 6 weeks. I have to confess...I tasted the stuff (didnt eat it) just to see if it was salty...NOPE! :roll:

Taken from test strips:

TC = 1
FC = 3
PH = +8.4
TA = 180-240
CYA = LESS THAN 30
SALT = 4200-300 @ 40%

I have a pic if I can figure out how to post it...hmm?
 

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Your TA level is quite high, and your PH is way way too high. You didn't post a CH number, but unless your CH level is way way too low, you have a calcium scaling problem.

You need to lower your PH right away. You should try to make sure PH never goes above 7.8. You should also start working on lowering your TA level. You also need to get a CH test result.

The white flakes are most likely CH that is building up on the plates of the SWG and gets dislodged and gets out into the pool. If you have a lot of that coming out, you probably have more getting stuck inside the SWG and causing problems.
 
Yes the TA is high I suppose because I shocked the pool tonight & added 2 gallons of acid (to reduce my PH).

Don't have a CH test, but the TH = 500 range. To raise TA, I need to add some baking soda right? But first get the PH stabilized?

Can I take the SWG apart & clean this stuff out?

Thanks so much! After 1 month & no help from PB, this gives me some hope!

Oh & Waterbear, thanks for the link, however that was WAY TMI for me, LOL! Made my head hurt...I'm a seamstress...not a Chemist :hammer:
 

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The first priority is to get the PH down. I would aim for a PH of around 7.2. Since it is a very large PH change, don't do it all at once.

You want to lower the TA, not raise it. To lower TA, see this article in Pool School.

With TH around 500, you need to be sure you keep the PH at 7.8 or lower.

The SWG cell should be checked, and if you see white scale, it should be cleaned. There should be instructions on how to do this in your SWG manual.
 
I had this exact same thing for 3 years and my "pool guy" always said it was no big deal - I've taken back over my pool this month and discovered my chemistry was all out of wack and that my Ph and TA numbers looked like yours - as soon as I get my Ph under 7.8 I stop getting that discharge (which I'm now calling calcium dandruff) - if my Ph creeps up it appears again within hours. Should be an easy fix over a few days to get your Ph back in range and clear that up!
 
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