Black sticky icky stuff

[Pennypat]

I have this sticky thick stuff showing up in my skimmers. The skimmer in the shallow end is much worse. When I clean it off, it comes back the next day.

 

[Saturn94]

Sunscreen, lotions, etc.

 

[Newdude]

Tennis balls (2 in each skimmer) are great at sucking up any oils. They stick to the skimmer walls, possibly the pool walls as well, and then any debris floating by sticks to it, leaving you that black gunk.

I keep 2 tennis balls in each skimmer all season just because. Occasionally a kid finds them and plays with them once they move on to something else, the tennis balls find their way back to the skimmers.

 

[Pennypat]

Sunscreen, lotions, etc.

There hasn’t been much swimming in the pool this season because I’ve been trying to clean up an iron staining problem. And, I did a slam also. If there’s no one swimming, would there still be this problem? It’s gross (like lube oil). And, it builds up in the shallow end skimmer every day.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I wonder if perhaps you have a disintegrating o-ring somewhere.

 

[Saturn94]

There hasn’t been much swimming in the pool this season because I’ve been trying to clean up an iron staining problem. And, I did a slam also. If there’s no one swimming, would there still be this problem? It’s gross (like lube oil). And, it builds up in the shallow end skimmer every day.

I wonder if there are other (natural?) sources of oily substances in your environment?

 

[Pennypat]

I was wondering about all of that too. I know I have critters that like to drink out of the pool . They’re mostly squirrels. I have seen a groundhog once and have had a mouse in the skimmer once. I put the tennis balls in and will see how it goes.

Any ideas about keeping the squirrels and birds away? I believe they are also tracking red clay around my white batting which probably isn’t helping my iron issues.