Calcium Crystals!?! First Pool Opening. Please Help

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J

jmill012

0
Apr 9, 2015
69
Carroll County/MD
Hi All,

Our pool was installed in June of 2015. It is a salt water gunite/white plaster pool. I took the winter cover off today and ran the robot vacuum and found crystals FILLED the basked. The picture is below. Any idea what this is and the cause?

image1.jpg

Thanks!!
 
Try a drop of acid on the crystals to see if they bubble. If they do, then they're probably calcium carbonate.

Can you provide a full set of test results of the water immediately upon opening?
 
jmill012 said:
bubbled like crazy!

FC - 0
TC - 0
PH - 9.0+
Calcium Hardness 800+

Why did this happen? Fix?
Click to expand...
It precipitated out because of the super-high pH and the Calcium saturation. If your pool walls don't feel like sandpaper, I'm amazed. If they do feel rough, call a pool pro to do an acid wash or sandblast, or if you're handy, attempt it yourself. Here's one guy who did: Blasting limescale off my pool walls - DONE REPORT POSTED

I doubt if reverse osmosis is available where you live, so a drain and refill is your only real option. Don't even waste any more time or chemicals on that pool, start pumping. You can rent pumps at rental yards and Home Depots. Call around.

The source of all that Calcium needs to be determined. Is the pool fairly new? Were you chlorinating with Cal-hypo? Is the water there really "hard"? You'll know if the showerheads and coffeemaker are crusted up. You can also test the water coming out your tap to see how high the CH is there.
 
Yikes! That's calcium carbonate scale. New plaster can release calcium hydroxide, which will raise ph and create a lot of calcium carbonate (aka plaster dust).

The plaster is likely compromised to some degree. You want to get the CSI down as much as reasonable beginning with keeping the ph down to about 7 to 7.2. Adding a sequestrant can help.

You might want to seek a qualified local service person who can evaluate the situation on site.
 
Thanks. Here is the thing, when the pool was closed, the hardness was around 400 and the pool filled with rain/snow this winter. So could there be another source of the hardness? Don't want to drain and refill just to find out there is something else wrong.

Also, could the fact that it is brand new plaster pool (less than a year old) play a role?

Is this something that is due to a bad plaster job?
 
Thanks. Just walked on the tan ledge (WATER IS COLD BUT THAT IS BESIDES THE POINT). It is really rough but doesn't hurt my feet. What makes me upset is I has it very smooth before the pool company closed the pool. Where did we go wrong over the winter?!? Why did this happen and can I prevent it going further.
 

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I have the Taylor k2006. I used the test strips tonight for a quick measure but as I mentioned before I went to the Taylor kit and got a true hardness reading.

So if my robot vacuum is picking the calcium up and filling the basket. Does that mean I may be able to get rid of the scaling without needing to empty and acid wash?

Also, if I decide NOT to acid wash and the walls and floors stay rough or covered in calcium. Is it ok to swim? Will this damage my pool?
 
It's ok to swim as long as the chemistry is good and the water is clear.

I think that it's worth trying to resolve the scale without draining. You can always drain later if necessary. Draining has its own risks. The pool could float or crack or damage the plaster.

Acid washing can remove the scale, but the surface will end up rough anyway because the acid eats the smooth finish as it's eating the scale.

There are no easy answers. The plaster might be damaged already but it might not be too bad.

You could also drain and sand the surface with sanders/polishers.

For now, I would keep the ph down to 7.2 and brush as much as possible.
 
I think I'm having the same exact thing happen to my pool. I was about to open a new thread about this, but saw yours. I was thinking it might have something to do with it being new plaster that was still curing, as we only ran the pool for about 5 weeks or so prior to having to close it for winter. Construction was completed last fall and we just had our first opening done yesterday. Here's what I'm seeing in my robot's vacuum bag:

IMG_3376_zps0jxgoj1x.jpg


Haven't felt the walls or tested the water yet. Will be doing so shortly.
 
Ok, got my test results - should I post them here or open a new thread? I don't want to hijack...just posted originally since I think it's the same exact topic.
 
I don't mind the hijacking :) looks very similar. Feel the walls below where the water line was this winter. You will feel the scale of it is indeed there. Also since you have a tan ledge like I do. Rub your hand on that and see how it feels (assuming it was under water all winter). Mine is rough but I walked on it and it wasn't rough on the feel so I will live with it if the roughness isn't cured. Still haven't ventured into the pool to check the floor. 55 degree water ain't my cup of tea and I'm not turning the heater to check lol

So I have lowered my PH significantly and I am almost at 7.4 I have been brushing the walls like crazy and running the robot for the floors. The walls are smoothing out but I can feel big crystals when I run my hand over the walls. Thing is if I use my nail they pop right off. So any suggestions on what I can use to brush the walls? Sandpaper taped to the brush? The wire brush just doesn't seem to be strong enough.
 
jmill012 said:
I don't mind the hijacking :smile: looks very similar. Feel the walls below where the water line was this winter. You will feel the scale of it is indeed there. Also since you have a tan ledge like I do. Rub your hand on that and see how it feels (assuming it was under water all winter). Mine is rough but I walked on it and it wasn't rough on the feel so I will live with it if the roughness isn't cured. Still haven't ventured into the pool to check the floor. 55 degree water ain't my cup of tea and I'm not turning the heater to check lol

So I have lowered my PH significantly and I am almost at 7.4 I have been brushing the walls like crazy and running the robot for the floors. The walls are smoothing out but I can feel big crystals when I run my hand over the walls. Thing is if I use my nail they pop right off. So any suggestions on what I can use to brush the walls? Sandpaper taped to the brush? The wire brush just doesn't seem to be strong enough.
Click to expand...



Ok, thanks :smile:...

Yeah, there's definitely a scale there. The tan ledge feels rough (yes, it was under water all winter), but not as rough as the walls, and not as rough as a few days ago. I've been brushing the walls and floor with a standard nylon brush daily and it is getting better...not quickly though. I'm glad I opened the pool now, as I'm hoping to get this all taken care of before it starts getting warmer out.

My initial readings, the morning after opening, were:
pH = way above 8.2
FC = less than 0.5
CYA = 25
CH = 200
TA = 60

Yesterday they were (after starting to shock and adding chemicals):
pH = 7.5
FC = 12.0
TC = 12.5
CYA = 30
CH = 200
TA = 80

Today they are (after adding more chemicals):
pH = 7.4
FC = 9.5
TC = 10.0
CYA = 30
CH = 300
TA = 80

I am concerned with getting the walls smooth. I had them very smooth prior to closing. I think they will get back there if I keep brushing daily, but my time is very limited so it's not going to be easy for me. I am wondering why this happened...could it be because the plaster was only completed about a month and a half prior to closing the pool?
 

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