Hello, need help please

[Whchesney]

Hi Everyone,
I’m new here and thankful I found this website. I live in Arizona. I moved here about 2 years ago. I bought a house with a pool, but have only ever used a pool service. I know nothing about the upkeep of the pool.
About a month ago something smelled like dead fish by the skimmer area. Upon further investigation I found a huge foam looking type growth and got a tool to scrape it off. It was disgusting. See picture #1. I notified the pool company and they had no idea.
Fast forward a few weeks and this evening I notice the growth form white stuff is returning. See picture #2.
I’m wondering if there is crack in the cement and something is oozing out. Has anyone ever seen anything like this?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Welcome to TFP!

It looks like somebody tried to fill the gap between the bond beam and deck with spray insulating foam.



Does it feel like foam?

 

[Whchesney]

Welcome to TFP!

It looks like somebody tried to fill the gap between the bond beam and deck with spray insulating foam.

View attachment 518865

Does it feel like foam?

Yes it does, but why does it keep growing. I took it all out, but it’s coming back. The only people that would have done that would be the pool techs or previous owners from almost 2 years ago.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I can only assume somebody used a good deal amount of spray foam to try to fill the gap. There's likely some movement between the deck and the bond beam that's pushing out the foam.

 

[Whchesney]

It was located in the area where the water and debris gets sucked into the skimmer. I hope it’s not a fungus of some sort. I look at that area and it appears it’s starting to grow back. I might have the pool drained. I find it concerning.

 

[Mdragger88]

Not sure what draining the pool would accomplish aside from risking your plaster in the current weather conditions.
How does the pool look otherwise? Cloudy? Anything else growing anywhere?
Any visible algae?
What are your most recent test results?
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Salt (if applicable)

 

[proavia]

If it's growing it could be a fungus.
Does it have the consistency of a hard mushroom?
Put some liquid chlorine or bleach on it and report back what that does to it.

Where in AZ are you?

I get something that looks similar in my irrigation valve box if there is excess moisture in the box. Spraying it with bleach kills it.

 

[ajw22]

That was the wrong material to fill a gap in a pool structure.

That foam should be scraped out as much as possible as whatever is growing in it will continue to as long as it has a home.

I can't say what should have been used without understanding your pool and deck construction.

Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

Some daytime pics of the area would help too.