- Jul 14, 2011
- 11
New user, here...I've been battling a problem for a few weeks now, and the local pool store quite clearly values salesmen over service/knowledge. I'm hoping someone can offer a "next level" solution.
I seem to have tiny, but visible, white/gray floaters suspended in the water. They seem to be too light to really settle on the bottom and get vacuumed out, and too small to get caught by a hand skimmer/filter basket. The best way I can describe it is to say that the floaters look like motes of dust...you know like when you're sitting in the house and you glimpse few specks of dust floating through a the sunlight coming through the window? Same kind of appearance.
Some things I've tested/checked/doublechecked:
1. Pool is above ground, vinyl liner. No fixtures/ladders/etc show any sign of degradation or flaking.
2. Cartridge filter. Cartridge is less than 6 months old, clean, and has worked perfectly since it was installed. Other than these mysterious flecks, there is no other apparent evidence that the Cartridge is failing. Out of curiosity, I tried a different filter (brand new), no change.
3. The pump is working properly. No signs of air/water leakage. I've inspected the insides of all hoses/fittings and there is no sign of anything stuck, disintegrating, or otherwise contributing to the problem.
4. Pool chemistry is spot on. Expect for a brief dip in FC last week, there have been no major chem. swings this season.
5. I use liquid chlorine and have not added any granular/solid chemicals since opening the pool in late May, aside from some floc which I used to try to correct this problem (since it was after added the problem appeared, the issue can't be failed/defective floc).
6. I've tried both liquid clarifier (first) then granular floc and neither did a bit of good.
7. I've given the water plenty of time to settle (filter off, no swimming) and vacuumed to waste to see if maybe the pump was to strong and pushing the floaters through the cartridge...no dice. Lost a fair bit of water, but the darn specks remained!
8. I might just be imagining it, but the specks appear to be only in the top half of the water.
9. I've been a pool owner for about a decade and have dealt with my share of chemistry/dirt/plumbing issues. I like to think that I have a reasonable understanding of pool troubleshooting but this one is beyond me.
I took a few pictures, but you can't make the specks out in the photos so there's no real point in posting them. You can't see them from the pool deck and can't really make them out when lighting is dim (cloudy, twilight, etc). It isn't a HUGE problem, my wife and pool guests have told me you have to look for them to see them and they don't make the pool look/feel "dirty" at all. I'm a bit obsessed with pool cleanliness/appearance (i actually sort of enjoy vacuuming/cleaning)...it might be silly, but as relaxing as the pool SHOULD be and usually is, this non-problem is really irritating! Based on some of the threads I've browsed, I can tell I'm not alone!
Anybody have any advice?
I seem to have tiny, but visible, white/gray floaters suspended in the water. They seem to be too light to really settle on the bottom and get vacuumed out, and too small to get caught by a hand skimmer/filter basket. The best way I can describe it is to say that the floaters look like motes of dust...you know like when you're sitting in the house and you glimpse few specks of dust floating through a the sunlight coming through the window? Same kind of appearance.
Some things I've tested/checked/doublechecked:
1. Pool is above ground, vinyl liner. No fixtures/ladders/etc show any sign of degradation or flaking.
2. Cartridge filter. Cartridge is less than 6 months old, clean, and has worked perfectly since it was installed. Other than these mysterious flecks, there is no other apparent evidence that the Cartridge is failing. Out of curiosity, I tried a different filter (brand new), no change.
3. The pump is working properly. No signs of air/water leakage. I've inspected the insides of all hoses/fittings and there is no sign of anything stuck, disintegrating, or otherwise contributing to the problem.
4. Pool chemistry is spot on. Expect for a brief dip in FC last week, there have been no major chem. swings this season.
5. I use liquid chlorine and have not added any granular/solid chemicals since opening the pool in late May, aside from some floc which I used to try to correct this problem (since it was after added the problem appeared, the issue can't be failed/defective floc).
6. I've tried both liquid clarifier (first) then granular floc and neither did a bit of good.
7. I've given the water plenty of time to settle (filter off, no swimming) and vacuumed to waste to see if maybe the pump was to strong and pushing the floaters through the cartridge...no dice. Lost a fair bit of water, but the darn specks remained!
8. I might just be imagining it, but the specks appear to be only in the top half of the water.
9. I've been a pool owner for about a decade and have dealt with my share of chemistry/dirt/plumbing issues. I like to think that I have a reasonable understanding of pool troubleshooting but this one is beyond me.
I took a few pictures, but you can't make the specks out in the photos so there's no real point in posting them. You can't see them from the pool deck and can't really make them out when lighting is dim (cloudy, twilight, etc). It isn't a HUGE problem, my wife and pool guests have told me you have to look for them to see them and they don't make the pool look/feel "dirty" at all. I'm a bit obsessed with pool cleanliness/appearance (i actually sort of enjoy vacuuming/cleaning)...it might be silly, but as relaxing as the pool SHOULD be and usually is, this non-problem is really irritating! Based on some of the threads I've browsed, I can tell I'm not alone!
Anybody have any advice?