New here: what is this stuff? Should I be concerned?

[Pharbehind]

I have a salt water pool with a lot of stone work surrounding it (one entire side is a stone water fall for example). I can’t tell if this is stone, salt or some other pool chemical. As you can see from the photo, it tends to align with one of the jets. I use my fine mesh net to scoop this all out every week or so, and it keeps building up. Appreciate the insight.

 

[Pharbehind]

I have a salt water pool with a lot of stone work surrounding it (one entire side is a stone water fall for example). I can’t tell if this is stone, salt or some other pool chemical. As you can see from the photo, it tends to align with one of the jets. I use my fine mesh net to scoop this all out every week or so, and it keeps building up. Appreciate the insight.
View attachment 432345

 

[mknauss]

Calcium scale.
Likely from your SWCG.
Post your water chemistry data from your own test kit.

 

[Pharbehind]

30k gal salt pool:
Salt at 3800ppm
FC is 2.5
PH is 7.8
TA is 120
CH is 500
CYA is 56

 

[mknauss]

Lower your TA to under 80 ppm and the scale should reduce.

Your Fc level is below minimum. Raise it now.

 

[Pharbehind]

Thank you!

 

[Pharbehind]

I asked the tech who came today about this - definitely calcium scale from the SWG. He told me how to remove it, and recommended I flush it with diluted muriatic acid. I’ll need 2 buckets. And just keep flushing it until it’s cleaned out, and not to brush or scrape the metal bars at all.

Does that sound right?

 

[mknauss]

That will remove it from the SWCG. Do realize acid will reduce the life if the cell. Be sure to dilute the acid by 10 parts water to 1 part acid. Or use cleaning vinegar (6%).

 

[Pharbehind]

Sounds good, thanks. We have the same salt cell. How often do you clean yours, and do you use acid or vinegar?

 

[mknauss]

I have never had to clean mine with acid. It does not get scale in it enough to need it. I have pushed out a couple small amounts with a wooden stick.
Manage your pool water chemistry.

 

[Pharbehind]

I have never had to clean mine with acid. It does not get scale in it enough to need it. I have pushed out a couple small amounts with a wooden stick.
Manage your pool water chemistry.

Now that I’m taking care of it myself, that won’t be a problem.

 

[mknauss]

If you are going to use acid to clean an IC 40, you need the cleaning kit to plug off one end of the cell. Do NOT put the entire cell in a bucket of acid water.

 

[Pharbehind]

If you are going to use acid to clean an IC 40, you need the cleaning kit to plug off one end of the cell. Do NOT put the entire cell in a bucket of acid water.

Yeah, thanks. I looked that up earlier and my local Leslie’s has it in stock. I’m not dumb enough to stick the entire SWG in acid water, fortunately.

 

[mknauss]

We had a member report their cell died and it was not very old. Their pool guy put the entire Intellichlor in a bucket of acid. Not good.

 

[Pharbehind]

We had a member report their cell died and it was not very old. Their pool guy put the entire Intellichlor in a bucket of acid. Not good.

That’s an expensive mistake. Luckily my dumbest mistake so far is putting a check valve on backwards.

 

[Pharbehind]

Picked up the cleaning kit (part 520670) this morning, acid washed it this afternoon, took about 45mins and a few cycles. Good as new now! It’s interesting - on the front of the IC40 unit it says to acid wash every 3 months. Never noticed that before.

No more white flakes in the pool!