Metal Particles coming from heater

[BMpool]

Moved from here.
Did you ever figure out what this was? I'm finding similar looking pieces at the return of my pool. My heater is 1 year old, and I would be very surprised if it's corrosion on the heat exchanger.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Does that stuff stick to a magnet? How are you testing your water, and can you provide a full set of test results?

 

[JamesW]

My heater is 1 year old, and I would be very surprised if it's corrosion on the heat exchanger.

What heater do you have?

Do you have pictures of everything?

 

[BMpool]

Hello, thank you for your reply and apologize for my late response. I'm almost certain that I have copper flakes in my pool. I have a ColorQ 9 plus that tests for copper, and as soon as I put one of these flakes in to the sample bottle, my copper reading goes from low to high. And today, I just found a big chunk in the pool and this worries me.

Here are the pictures of my pool pad, and the copper flakes. My heater is a 1 year old Jandy 200jxi. I have a check valve after my heater and before my salt-chlorinator, but I do miss a scarificial anode in my system. I have three hypotheses for this: 1- Galavanic corrosion, 2- Low calcium level, 3- combination of 1 and 2.

It's been a week that I turned off my salt system, but I still see the black flecks. Today I just added 22 lbs of calcium as my calcium level was quite low (10ppm). The only confusion that I have is, can copper corrosion happen this fast?! I have used my heater for a total of 4 months between last year and this year.
Also, before you ask my PH level has always been around 7.8 and I test it twice a week.

Any hints/suggestion is greatly appreciated.

 

[Texas Splash]

can copper corrosion happen this fast?!

@JamesW can probably expand on that theory. I myself learned first-hand about galvanic corrosion when I connected copper flex lines to galvanized pipes near my water heater. Those galvanized pipes clogged almost completely shut with corrosion in just a couple years. Different from your situation I know, but amazing how chemistry can work. Even with a heater, I suspect you'll be closing soon right?

 

[BMpool]

I suspect you'll be closing soon right?

Yes. I live in Ontario, Canada, and our pool season is at best from May to October. I'll close the pool in mid October.

 

[JamesW]

Does that stuff stick to a magnet?

 

[BMpool]

Just tested the two big pieces I fished today with a strong magnet and they do get attached to the magnet. What do you infer from this?

 

[mknauss]

They are not copper. They are steel or iron.

 

[BMpool]

They are not copper. They are steel or iron.

Hmmm, now the question is what's the source? I have only two equipment after the filter: heater and salt system. My salt cell is transparent and I do not see any indication of corrosion or damaged plates. It leaves us with the heater. Is steel or iron present in the heat exchanger?

 

[JamesW]

Sometimes, the heater will have a cast iron header and it will corrode.

Yours looks like polymer.

Did you ever have a different heater?

How old is the pool?

Maybe the particles have been in the lines for a while and they are only now coming out?

You have a bunch of unions, so it should be easy to take things apart and investigate for the problem.

Try the magnet on things to see if it sticks to anything.

 

[BMpool]

A local Jandy service rep will take a look at my heater this Friday. My unit is 1 year old, but have to see if Jandy will honor their warranty. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[BMpool]

How old is the pool?

Pool + all plumbing + equipments installed October 2021. This is technically my 1st pool season.

 

[JamesW]

These look too thick and too rusty to come from your system, but I have no idea where they might have come from.

 

[wireform]

They were most likely in the pit when the pvc was worked on or was in one of the pipes delivered that way. No way is that from your equipment.

 

[BMpool]

I finally resolved the issue by installing a sacrificial zinc anode, and so far this season (past two months) I no longer see them. So, the black flakes were indeed copper flakes from the heater. Hopefully, one season without the sacrificial anode has not degraded the exchanger significantly.