I am somewhat new to pool ownership...
Last year was my first year with the pool and had help from a neighbor who has his own pool learning the ins and outs...and of course learned a lot reading TFP!
So last year the fiberglass pool stairs (2 sets) were a yellowish color. Neighbor said it just happens over time due to the chlorine as the pool is about 8 years old. It could not be scrubbed off, even when I scrubbed it with a slightly abrasive brush. It was similar in the yellowing of return jets over time. We closed the pool for winter and when we opened it and got it all cleared up and ready to go this year...the stairs were white as can be! Pleased and shocked! Not sure what would explain this...any ideas?
My real question is related to the slight yellowing again this year. Every now and then there is a buildup of fine dirt that lays on the stairs as there is a lot of landscaping around the pool. I simply vacuum it or brush it off with a pool brush and it clears up. The yellowing this time would not come off with a pool brush...however if I rub my fingers across it I come up with a whitish residue as seen in the picture. Though it looks yellow on the steps...it comes out looking whiter.
I panicked thinking mustard algae and ran to the local pool store and they thought it was a calcium building up...or pollen...however it is only on the fiberglass portions of the pool. They said if it was algae it wouldn't stick to my fingers like that. Water is crystal clear...and nothing is floating around on the surface. Rubbing my hand on many different spots of the liner does not produce this residue. I do not think it feels slimy. My wife says she thinks it may possibly be a little slimy but I will hold to my opinion. Here are my water readings taken at the same time as the picture.
PH: 7.7
FC: 2.75
TC:2.75
CYA: 85
TA: 110
Hardness: 110
Any ideas what could be causing this residue buildup? Having a BBQ this Saturday...can I be sure it isn't algae? Thanks!
