Cracks in grout, weird white stuff - help!

[EndlessSummerAZ]

Pool was completed August 2023. PebbleTec came out and made the PB redo the pebble sheen in November 2023 so it’s been maintained since then by ourselves aside from the start up company the PB made come out initially.

Anyways, today, I noticed a very small piece of missing grout where the waterline tiles meet at a 90 by the skimmer entrance. What’s the best way to fix? Also, I see the grout cracking where the top of the skimmer meets the coping underneath. Assuming same way to repair?

Bonus points if anyone can tell me what all the white stuff is towards the top of some tiles in the photo. It seems like calcium as it’s hard and some of it can be flaked off. It’s also in a couple of other places around the top of the waterline tile. However, since the pool is so new and I’ve been following TFP I highly doubt that’s what it is but as a first time pool owner I don’t know what else it could be on a new build.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It’s calcium scale. It’s what happens here in the desert. Our water is basically concrete slurry …

Your PoolMath logs show that your CSI is consistently positive. That will lead to scale. You need to keep your CSI between -0.3 and 0 to reduce the tendency of scale formation.

 

[mknauss]

If the grout is cracking, it is likely because they did not use epoxy grout. What you show in your first picture I am not sure is worth messing with, but if you wish, you can use something called Pool Patch. Do a search.

Matt stated the issue with the calcium scale.

 

[EndlessSummerAZ]

It’s calcium scale. It’s what happens here in the desert. Our water is basically concrete slurry …

Your PoolMath logs show that your CSI is consistently positive. That will lead to scale. You need to keep your CSI between -0.3 and 0 to reduce the tendency of scale formation.

I’m surprised scale would form that fast (8 months) especially with CSI being < .6

I’m curious, is it normal to see scale form higher than the waterline?

I feel like I’m always adding MA as it seems PH is what’s throwing CSI off with the new plaster but I guess I’ll just need to test more frequently.