How to best remove white/gray residue particles at bottom of pool

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Mlange126

Mlange126

Member
Sep 25, 2020
24
New Jersey
We have a 2yr old above ground SW pool with a Hayward Perflex DE filter and Perplex Aqua Trol SWG. Things have been amazing & we've had to do very little maintenance until.... we had a lot of rain and I attempted to syphon a small amount of water out and ended up taking practically half the pool water out. I had the water tested at the pool store and made the necessary adjustments but, being a novice, I made a mistake by not mixing enough water with the calcium hardness increaser (I had to add 5lb 4oz). The directions from the pool store print out simply said mix with an "ample" amount of water and pour the "sludgy mixture" around the perimeter. Sometime later I noticed that there were whitish gray granules in small clumps at the bottom of the pool, settling in the small wrinkles of the vinyl lining. I tried pushing them around with a brush several times but they always settled back down. We ended up sucking it all up with the vacuum and thought the problem was solved because nothing kicked back into the pool (phew). Then problem number two occurred when our cell wouldn’t generate chlorine. Luckily the mfg. offered to send a replacement which we are waiting for, but in the meantime, I noticed that the sediment is back at the bottom of the pool. I'm at a loss. One thing to note is the fact that I ran the filter for 24 hours straight, turning up the t-cell dial to 100% in the hopes of generating chlorine. Our salt level was high, around 4000ppm, so I was told by the pool store people that simply turning up the percentage from 50% to 100% would solve the problem.
We live in NJ and want to close the pool once the new cell arrives and we can get the chlorine up to proper levels (and everything else). But I'm concerned about how to solve this sediment issue. Vacuuming it up again doesn't seem the way to go unless we do it to waste, but everything I've researched indicates that we can't do that with the type of equipment we have. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
Welcome to the forum!
If you have an Above Ground pool, I suspect it has a vinyl liner. Thus, there was no need to add a calcium hardness increaser. You got pool stored on that one.
Do you have a full set of test results from your own test kit? If the calcium chloride did not readily dissolve in the pool water, the pH, TA, and/or the CH is probably too high.
How did you check that your pool water salinity was 4000 ppm?
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
 
Hi mknauss. Thanks for responding. Below are the results from the pool store water test after I goofed and took out way too much pool water.:

FC: .51
TC: .62
CC: .11
pH: 6.8
CH: 144
Alk: 67
CA: 16
Salt: 4120

I added what the store told me to...

3 lb 11.3 oz Alkalinity increaser
8.9 oz pH increaser
5lb 3.9oz CH increaser
Then when I was going to add the liquid stabilizer (1pt 7.99 oz) I read that the instructions from the pool store stated that the chlorine levels should be in range before adding the stabilizer. This was when I noticed that the chlorine was so low. I'm embarrassed to say I'm a complete novice so this is all new to me and I'm learning as I go. Looking back at the previous pool water test from the store a month prior I then saw that the chlorine had been low then too: FC: .26, TC: .47, CC: .21.

I had the pool water tested at the beginning of August and was told that I needed salt (the results read 2775). I believe I at that time I put way too much in. I can't remember and didn't write down how much I added. This is what resulted in the increase in the salt.

I agree that I've been pool stored and I completely intend to educate myself and buy a good test kit for the future. It's frustrating being told contradicting information and misinformation each time I go.
 
So now looking back, I think that although I had a lot of salt, my t-cell stopped working at some point and I didn't realize it. I've solved that problem by getting a replacement which I'm waiting to receive, but I don't know what the sediment on the bottom of the pool is and how to best remove it.
 
None of those items you added were needed. The stabilizer may be needed but pool store testing of CYA is typically incorrect.

It is likely you have algae in the pool water and the debris is dead algae. Without a proper test kit, you will not be able to resolve that.

IF the salt level is that high, it may be too high for that brand SWCG. High salt can also damage some of the components on the control board.
 
Ok. Thank you for all the information and advice. I appreciate it. I am going to buy a test kit and test the salinity myself before doing anything else. If it reads high, I'll calculate the appropriate amount of water that I need to remove from the pool to get it back to a good range. Then I'll guess I'll have to lower the pH before shocking it. Does that sounds accurate?
 
Read the SLAM Process. The salt content does not bother the SLAM process. As you are closing the pool soon, up to you on adjusting the salt level. Ridding the pool of algae before closing is always a good idea so you have a better chance of opening to a clear pool in the spring.
 
I don't have a green pool though. Our pool is crystal clear. It just has the sediment at the bottom - and now a few leaves. We are trying to close it and I will definitely make sure that the issues are resolved beforehand. You mentioned earlier that I didn't need to add the Alkalinity, pH and CH increaser. Why?
 
I understand. I read through the SLAM process but in the details, it references it’s effective when CYA is around 30 to 40. What if you have a much lower amount? I’m waiting on my test kit to arrive; the separate sodium chloride kit came and my level is 2400. For hypothetical purposes (until I can do an up to date and accurate reading), if I referred to the last test from the pool store which showed FC = .19, TC = .19, CC = 0 and CY= 8ppm what do I do first?

I can’t increase my CY until my Chlorine is in range but Hayward states not to install my replacement t-cell until everything is balanced. It’s a catch-22.
 

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I did my first official at home test (whohoo!). Sadly, and no suprise, the results were not great:

FC: 0
CC: 2
pH: 8
TA: 90
CH: 200
CYA: 0

Can you give me some direction on what is best to add and in what order? Thank you again.
 
Please read "The "ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. You need a better understanding of what this stuff is and why you are doing it.

1. Get chlorine in your pool Now. (Bleach or liquid chlorine from the pool store) Probably 6-8 ppm (have you found PoolMath so you can calculate that dose? Put it in in the evening so it will last a while. It will be gone tomorrow so plan on doing it again

Secondly, Please tell us what kit you have. More to follow but give us the brand and model of the kit.

More to come but please don't try to correct everything at once......you need to be methodical
 
I read the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry; I actually printed it out, highlighted sections and put it in a binder to keep with my log. I wasnt sure about putting bleach or liquid chlorine in instead of salt.
I have a taylor k-2006 FAS-DPD & taylor k-1766.
 
Hi Dave - I purchased a case of 4 - 128oz containers of liquid chlorine w/10% concentration. I'm confused what you meant by the 6-8 ppm. What did you mean? Using the Pool Math calculations, it looks like I need to add 29oz to raise it from 0 to 3. I plan to add the chlorine this evening. I read that the pump should run for at least 30 minutes. Would you recommend that i run it overnight? When do you recommend testing again?
Thank you for all of your help. I greatly appreciate it. We have been so lucky with our pool and have had very little maintenance and no problems at all. It saddens me to see it sitting there in need of some urgent care and TLC :(
 
With no CYA in the pool, your FC is going to be burned off by the sun very quickly. That's why I suggested 6-8 ppm of FC put in your pool in the evening.

Next, I would bring the CYA up to 30 ppm. In this case, I would suggest you use the liquid CYA so you can get some protection for your FC right away.

I would suggest you add the CYA tomorrow or sooner if possible and then be prepared to add more bleach tomorrow evening. Is your SWG working? If so, perform and FC test (only) before you add FC tomorrow and bring it up for a total of 6-8 ppm again.

What does your water look like? Do you have a pic of the water?
 
Ok, I get it. If I add the 6-8ppm of FC tonight how long should i run the pump? Could I theoretically add the CYA tonight, as well? I have liquid conditioner I can put in.

Without rehashing the long story that led to where I am now, my SWG t-cell was not generating chlorine so I contacted Hayward to troubleshoot and they simply sent me another one. I thought the pool had a high salt level (based on what the pool store told me), but now in hindsight, I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, I now have a new t-cell which hasn't been installed yet. Should I hook it up? After I get the FC up? I purchased the salt I need, but wasn't sure what to do and when. Not to add more to the mix, but remember this all started with the "I have white sediment at the bottom of my pool which mknauss told me is probably dead algae. This was the main reason I didn't just hook up the replacement t-cell and just starting adding in salt.
 
Run the pump 30 minutes to mix in chemistry. Don't use your SWG for now. You have got to get your pool cleaned up so you can close it.

Yes, put the CYA in tonight.......that will probably give you some residual chlorine for tomorrow

No pic? of the white residue or the clarity of the pool water? I am trying to get a better grasp of your water condition.
 

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