Do you know what these stains or white things could be?

[HardTrance9]

Hi all,

On the last pool on the signature (a smaller pool), I found this white marks, but can't tell what they could be...

Do the pictures help you identify what could it be? and how to remove them? These white things are located on the edge of the spa... also in the pool ground there are some white stuff... looks like bird poop... but the white ones on the edge are hard to get off..

Brushed them a couple of times already but there is very little improvement..

Many thanks!

 

[Guest]

Is the salt cell plumbed before the spa bypass?

 

[HardTrance9]

Is the salt cell plumbed before the spa bypass?

Ok, let me check and wil get back to you. Thanks!

 

[HardTrance9]

Ok, so here are some pictures on how the cell is installed. Does this help to answer the question?

If not let me know how I can help..

Thanks a lot

 

[Guest]

Not enough info there for me to tell. Take a look where the salt cell is and where the spa bypass is plumbed back to the pool. It may be on a couple of 90's or it may be on a Jandy valve so that you could control the flow to the spa. They are not all plumbed the same. If that 3 way Jandy I am seeing in the picture that is partially shut on the down pipe is the return, then they may be adjusting it that way. Really hard to tell without seeing all of the equipment though! If that JVA is being fed from the direction of the salt cell, and the 3 way is the spa return, then you have the cell plumbed ahead of the return.

The problem is (if it ahead of the spa bypass) that the cell will reverse polarity and kick off the calcium, and it will go in to the pool and the spa. The problem is that there is no pool cleaner in the spa, so the calcium attaches itself to the spa seating/benches. You can stop the calcium from getting to the spa if you plumb the salt cell after the spa bypass.

The good news is that you have a pebble interior which will stand up well to acid washing and should clean up just fine!

 

[JasonLion]

If it is calcium scaling, then it should clean up with muriatic acid. That is easier to apply when the surfaces are dry, but can be done in small areas underwater. To prevent further calcium scaling you need to adjust your levels to be more in balance. If you post a complete set of test results we can make recommendations about how you can adjust your levels.

 

[HardTrance9]

If it is calcium scaling, then it should clean up with muriatic acid. That is easier to apply when the surfaces are dry, but can be done in small areas underwater. To prevent further calcium scaling you need to adjust your levels to be more in balance. If you post a complete set of test results we can make recommendations about how you can adjust your levels.

These are the results from yesterday:

SWG, 3,896 gallons...

FC: 5.0
pH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 240
CYA: 30 (will raise this soon)
Salt: 4,010 (strip test). Chlorinator says 3,000 and set up at 50% has retained the FC over a week just dropping from 6 to 5, thought the pool calculators recommends FC: 3

I noticed that when the jets are turned on the spa, water overflows... so that water that remains on the top edges looks like is the cause of those white stains..

Could it be also the that FC is or was a little high before?

 

[JasonLion]

Hum, not what I was expecting. The PH tends to go up very rapidly in the spa while the jets are on, but with those levels. you aren't likely to have calcium scaling even with rather high PH levels.

If water tends to pool and evaporate in those spots, then that is almost certainly the issue. As the water evaporates the salt and calcium need to go somewhere so they deposit on the surfaces where the water is evaporating.

 

[Guest]

I'm still betting that the SWCG is plumbed before the bypass, and that is "flakes" of calcium settling from the reversing of polarity. Good chance that there is a return line nearby or pointing in that direction, and that is why it is depositing there. That or it is a "dead zone" and it is dropping out of suspension there.

I really wish I could see how that is plumbed, or hear if the SWCG is ahead of the bypass. Time will tell.......