Help! White Ring Around Pool

[DRom35]

Hello,
I recently moved into a house with an inground 16x32 rectangular pool. I cannot clean the white ring around the pool at the water line (see pics). Any help is appreciated. I tried muriatic acid without success. Vinyl is 5 years old according to the seller.
pH: 7.4
Alkalinity: 90
Free Chlorine: 3 PPM
CYA: 3

 

[PoolStored]

Welcome to TFP!!!

What is your CH? That is likely scale...if it is rough. If it is smooth, likely a bleached liner...who knows why? Really weird...as calcium scale like this is RARE in a vinyl pool. If it is calcium scale, your level of calcium scale is impressive. My guess is previous owner used Cal-Hypo to chlorinate and your CH is VERY high.

How are you testing? Looks like pool store test results. I would get a good test kit POST HASTE...to get a good bead on your CH levels. Link-->Test Kits Compared

By lowering PH and maintaining a lower pH, you may be able to eventually get the scale off, but it can take a very long time. Plus if the CH level gets too high, which it may already be, and which it will eventually be high again (as you are removing the calcium scale), it will stop working until you replace water to get CH back down. Also it is important to not lower PH below 6.8 as that will damage the liner. Will require a dance between keeping pH low and regular replacement of lower CH water.

If the scaling is especially bad, like yours, most people end up replacing the liner...and may be the easiest route to a Trouble Free Pool. How big is the pool?

In some cases it is possible to physically remove the scale and dispose of it. The challenge is to do this without damaging the liner. Likely difficult in your situation with the embossing on the liner.

You might try this....

Amazon.com

with diluted acid to dissolve the calcium. The risk is in the dilution to remove the scale without bleaching the liner. The struggle will be that amount of calcium that you have (assuming it is calcium scale), as it will take a lot of work.

You are in a pickle. I love a good pickle...just not this kind. I'm sorry for your situation.

 

[DRom35]

Welcome to TFP!!!

What is your CH? That is likely scale...if it is rough. If it is smooth, likely a bleached liner...who knows why? Really weird...as calcium scale like this is RARE in a vinyl pool. If it is calcium scale, your level of calcium scale is impressive. My guess is previous owner used Cal-Hypo to chlorinate and your CH is VERY high.

How are you testing? Looks like pool store test results. I would get a good test kit POST HASTE...to get a good bead on your CH levels. Link-->Test Kits Compared

By lowering PH and maintaining a lower pH, you may be able to eventually get the scale off, but it can take a very long time. Plus if the CH level gets too high, which it may already be, and which it will eventually be high again (as you are removing the calcium scale), it will stop working until you replace water to get CH back down. Also it is important to not lower PH below 6.8 as that will damage the liner. Will require a dance between keeping pH low and regular replacement of lower CH water.

If the scaling is especially bad, like yours, most people end up replacing the liner...and may be the easiest route to a Trouble Free Pool. How big is the pool?

In some cases it is possible to physically remove the scale and dispose of it. The challenge is to do this without damaging the liner. Likely difficult in your situation with the embossing on the liner.

You might try this....

Amazon.com

with diluted acid to dissolve the calcium. The risk is in the dilution to remove the scale without bleaching the liner. The struggle will be that amount of calcium that you have (assuming it is calcium scale), as it will take a lot of work.

You are in a pickle. I love a good pickle...just not this kind. I'm sorry for your situation.

Thank you for your reply. I had a feeling that it was too far gone. I’ll ride it out until it is time to replace the liner. I’m testing with a drop test kit. I have a 16x32 rectangular pool. Any advice for the future to keep calcium hardness low? Our water is very hard here in Albuquerque, NM. Sequestering agent maybe?

 

[PoolStored]

Sequestering is for metals...will do nothing for CH. Only way to reduce CH is to replace water with lower CH water.

What is your pool CH? What is your fill water CH?

If you have a drop kit, how did you get CYA of 3?

Many here in the SW that have fill from the Colorado, use a water softener to fill their pool to reduce CH. One prominent expert here... @JoyfulNoise approach...

Water softener installation!!

So this morning, before the mercury hit 100F, the autofill line was dug up - Yikes...a little too close to the gas line for my comfort :shock: The water softener is a double tank system - the top tank is a GAC (granular activated carbon) prefilter (chlorine/chloramine/VOC eliminator) and...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[PoolStored]

I tried muriatic acid without success.

Explain what you attempted to do. Exact process...

 

[DRom35]

Explain what you attempted to do. Exact process...

I apologize. I meant using a flocculant prior to draining the pool. The water chemistry is from a local pool store, but I do have a drop test kit. I poured muriatic acid into an industrial spray bottle and sprayed on the line around the pool and then tried to brush it off.

 

[PoolStored]

I poured muriatic acid into an industrial spray bottle and sprayed on the line around the pool

Did it foam of fizz when you added the muriatic? If it did not fizz, then given the pictures it almost looks like fading of the liner more than calcium. Let's ask @JoyfulNoise @JamesW and @ajw22

Please answer these two questions...

1. Is the white smooth or rough?
2. Test using your drop kit and post the CH of your pool water and the CH of your fill water.

Do not use flocculant...way more issues that problems it solves...

 

[DRom35]

Did it foam of fizz when you added the muriatic? If it did not fizz, then given the pictures it almost looks like fading of the liner more than calcium. Let's ask @JoyfulNoise @JamesW and @ajw22

Please answer these two questions...

1. Is the white smooth or rough?
2. Test using your drop kit and post the CH of your pool water and the CH of your fill water.

Do not use flocculant...way more issues that problems it solves...

It did not foam or fizz. It is both smooth and rough. When I brush it does brush a small amount of white residue into the pool. Unfortunately, I only have a 6 way test kit. I will have to purchase a better one. I don’t know the CH level. For reference, this is the other side of my pool that faces North.

 

[kellyfair]

Wow, those first pictures look more like seriously bleached liner to me. Although I have no idea how it would be just a stripe, and not everything under the water line. I’m wondering if, prior to you taking ownership, the previous owner may have gotten super over zealous about cleaning a scummy waterline?

I have light scaling on my vinyl liner. It was basically everything touched by water, including skimmer faceplate, steps, etc. My PH ran away while I dealt with a health issue last year. But time with properly balanced water is gradually making a difference - bottom is smooth, stairs and skimmer have no more build-up, and walls are slowly getting better.

In your shoes, I would get a proper test kit and manage your water, and see what that does for your issue, over time. I wouldn’t hit it with anything else, because if it is indeed just damaged liner, you may inadvertently weaken it further.

 

[PoolStored]

I think, without a test kit to get at CH levels, and without a history of the pool, it is going to be hard to distinguish between fading and Scale.

The fact that the north facing side does not have the same issue to the degree the south faces, and the that it doesn't fizz, points me toward liner failure of some sort (sun, and ??). I would suspend the use of muriatic on it as that will only accelerate liner fading.

My belief at this point is live with it until it fails, or you can't stand it anymore and replace the liner. Get a good test kit and maintain proper chemistry to prolong the life of the existing liner and the new one.

Here's how you do that:
Get a good test kit. Link--> Test Kits Compared
Go through pool school and follow it. Link-->Pool Care Basics
Download Pool Math and use it to maintain proper chemistry. Link-->PoolMath
Maintain proper FC for your CYA level. Link-->FC/CYA Levels
Here is what you get when you follow this advice. Link-->How Clear is TFP Clear?

 

[DRom35]

Wow, those first pictures look more like seriously bleached liner to me. Although I have no idea how it would be just a stripe, and not everything under the water line. I’m wondering if, prior to you taking ownership, the previous owner may have gotten super over zealous about cleaning a scummy waterline?

I have light scaling on my vinyl liner. It was basically everything touched by water, including skimmer faceplate, steps, etc. My PH ran away while I dealt with a health issue last year. But time with properly balanced water is gradually making a difference - bottom is smooth, stairs and skimmer have no more build-up, and walls are slowly getting better.

In your shoes, I would get a proper test kit and manage your water, and see what that does for your issue, over time. I wouldn’t hit it with anything else, because if it is indeed just damaged liner, you may inadvertently weaken it further.

Thank you. There is a bit of white under the water line as well, but not to the same extent.

 

[DRom35]

I think, without a test kit to get at CH levels, and without a history of the pool, it is going to be hard to distinguish between fading and Scale.

The fact that the north facing side does not have the same issue to the degree the south faces, and the that it doesn't fizz, points me toward liner failure of some sort (sun, and ??). I would suspend the use of muriatic on it as that will only accelerate liner fading.

My belief at this point is live with it until it fails, or you can't stand it anymore and replace the liner. Get a good test kit and maintain proper chemistry to prolong the life of the existing liner and the new one.

Here's how you do that:
Get a good test kit. Link--> Test Kits Compared
Go through pool school and follow it. Link-->Pool Care Basics
Download Pool Math and use it to maintain proper chemistry. Link-->PoolMath
Maintain proper FC for your CYA level. Link-->FC/CYA Levels
Here is what you get when you follow this advice. Link-->How Clear is TFP Clear?

Thank for the help. I appreciate it. I have a solar cover, so maybe it is sun damage/fading? I don’t know, but I’ll ride it out until it’s time to replace the liner and make sure I keep the water balanced.