What is this and how do I get rid of it...?

[okeesignguy]

We have had our fiberglass pool for over 20 years and have had great luck with it and are very satisfied with it...HOWEVER...
Little by little, over the years this "ring" has built up that looks kinda like calcium (?)...
First a little background...
FYI...I originally tried taking care of it myself but quickly realized that I didn't have any idea what I was doing and screwed it up as we didn't have good internet sites like this one back then and I had little to no info for guidance...
So hense I have had a service doing that for many years...
My wife and I recently retired and in an effort to reduce money going out monthly I have been servicing it myself for about a year and with info available today I am doin ok with the chemicals etc...

So...getting back to my issue.....this "ring"....I have tried everything I can think of to clean this off and nothing has worked...
What am I looking at here....what the heck is this and how can I get rid of it...?

Any help is very much appreciated as I am at my whit's end...
Thank you

 

[Jimrahbe]

I have been servicing it myself for about a year and with info available today I am doin ok with the chemicals etc...

Guy,

Welcome to TFP... The very best place to learn how to maintain your swimming pool.

The problem is that most of the pool info you can get off the internet today, is flat out wrong. You should check out our pool School and see what we are all about.

I can't help with your ring problem, but I'm sure that others will be along shortly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Mdragger88]

Welcome to tfp - glad you found us!
The first thing we need to help with your issue now & going forward is good test results from your own recommended kit
Test Kits Compared
The waterline appears to have scale & keeping parameters within recommended levels/keeping csi in check should prevent that in the future once it’s removed

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

How is CSI calculated? Very simple – by using the PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more

www.google.com

Lets ask @Texas Splash what may be may be done about it & how to test the stains to confirm that it’s scale in a way that won’t affect your fiberglass.

 

[okeesignguy]

Guy,

Welcome to TFP... The very best place to learn how to maintain your swimming pool.

The problem is that most of the pool info you can get off the internet today, is flat out wrong. You should check out our pool School and see what we are all about.

I can't help with your ring problem, but I'm sure that others will be along shortly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thank you I did not mention that in addition to learning online my pool guy that we used for years taught me over a few weeks time before leaving me on my own Also...he does help me if I get into a jam but that has not been often...thanx again!

 

[Texas Splash]

@okeesignguy, help me to understand the pics. Is that a formed (tan/pebble) formed coping that goes from the decking down a few inches over the shell? The while line appears to be on that pebble material versus the FG gelcoat, or am I not seeing it correctly?

 

[1poolman1]

We have had our fiberglass pool for over 20 years and have had great luck with it and are very satisfied with it...HOWEVER...
Little by little, over the years this "ring" has built up that looks kinda like calcium (?)...
First a little background...
FYI...I originally tried taking care of it myself but quickly realized that I didn't have any idea what I was doing and screwed it up as we didn't have good internet sites like this one back then and I had little to no info for guidance...
So hense I have had a service doing that for many years...
My wife and I recently retired and in an effort to reduce money going out monthly I have been servicing it myself for about a year and with info available today I am doin ok with the chemicals etc...

So...getting back to my issue.....this "ring"....I have tried everything I can think of to clean this off and nothing has worked...
What am I looking at here....what the heck is this and how can I get rid of it...?

Any help is very much appreciated as I am at my whit's end...
Thank you

Contact a pool tile cleaning company. They may be able/willing to "bead blast" (small glass beads or even walnut shells) that off the coping. Cost in may area is about $4.00/ft.

 

[okeesignguy]

@okeesignguy, help me to understand the pics. Is that a formed (tan/pebble) formed coping that goes from the decking down a few inches over the shell? The while line appears to be on that pebble material versus the FG gelcoat, or am I not seeing it correctly?

It is a fiberglass pool and the surface "color" is a sand representation...
Not a fan of blue pools...we wanted something more natural looking...
The entire thing is that color...
Gelcoat if you will...

 

[okeesignguy]

I just read about using sulfuric acid instead of muratic acid will leave deposits etc...
My pool guy has been using sulfuric acid...
Could that be the culprit...?

 

[Texas Splash]

Sulfates in large numbers tend to mess with metals and plaster products more than anything. Not aware that it could be causing the waterline issue you are seeing in a FG pool. Sulfates also cause trouble for SWG cells. Your signature is blank so not sure if that applies or not.

Since that is a gelcoat application, have you tried applying a little muriatic acid directly to a small area as a test? If that doesn't work, you could try a Magic Eraser or perhaps work your way up to something stronger like about 1,000 grit wet/dry sandpaper in a small test area.

The other (very important) question we should ask how are you testing? A full set of reliable water test results from a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C would be recommended so that we don't stray off course with bad advice.

Also, is that white chalky look only at the waterline, or does it go below as well?

 

[okeesignguy]

Sulfates in large numbers tend to mess with metals and plaster products more than anything. Not aware that it could be causing the waterline issue you are seeing in a FG pool. Sulfates also cause trouble for SWG cells. Your signature is blank so not sure if that applies or not.

Since that is a gelcoat application, have you tried applying a little muriatic acid directly to a small area as a test? If that doesn't work, you could try a Magic Eraser or perhaps work your way up to something stronger like about 1,000 grit wet/dry sandpaper in a small test area.

The other (very important) question we should ask how are you testing? A full set of reliable water test results from a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C would be recommended so that we don't stray off course with bad advice.

Also, is that white chalky look only at the waterline, or does it go below as well?

I have tried using muriatic acid and it did nothing...magic erasers worked somewhat but they tore up so quickly I'm afraid I would need 100 of them LOL The 1000 grit sandpaper sounds like something worth trying... I am just using the run of the mill test strips...and the white is only a strip from the water level down 5 or 6 inches...I took these pix when the water level was low... Thank you!

 

[Texas Splash]

What concerns me is that you "might" be experiencing what I did. Not 100% sure yet, but possible. See my experience below. We may sound like a broken record, but please keep in mind that here at TFP we focus on reliable/sound test results from a TF-100 or Taylor K-200C test kit. Test strips are simply horrible with the generic "ranges". Local free testing isn't much better. Having a good test kit at home is a must for proper diagnosis and coaching.

Fiberglass Discoloration (Faded & Chalky) - My Story

DISCLAIMER The following is a dialog of my own personal experience. Any processes used, chemically or otherwise, were performed strictly on my own without any recommendations from Trouble Free Pools. FUTURE POSTING I am trying to keep this thread streamlined with just my own progress for all...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

To manage your pool’s parameters accurately & keep csi in check to prevent further scaling you will need a taylor k2006c or tf100/pro.
The strips are quite useless & will lead you astray.

How are you chlorinating?

 

[okeesignguy]

I am getting the feeling that this forum is owned or sponsored by Taylor etc...

 

[reggiehammond]

I am getting the feeling that this forum is owned or sponsored by Taylor etc...

No, not that. When one company is far and away the leader, it's common to hear their name the most.
Troublefree pool methods require accurate self-testing. Taylor is the king in that regard. Repeatable, easy, and not terribly expensive.

 

[mknauss]

I have tried using muriatic acid and it did nothing

Calcium sulfate is not very reactive with acid. You may have calcium sulfate scale. Not sure of a good way to get it off the fiberglass. I suspect any kind of 'blasting' would damage the gelcoat.

 

[Texas Splash]

I am getting the feeling that this forum is owned or sponsored by Taylor etc...

Ha. Somewhat funny you ask, but others have said things like that as well. The answer is no. The Taylor K-2006C test kit can be obtained from various sources outside of TFP and Taylor Industries itself is not affiliated with TFP. The tfteskits.net web site is also a separate business from the TFP forum. Tftestkits.net acquires their own reagents, many of them Taylor products, and packages them in various kits at a very competitive price. Often times when a new member comes to the forum, they get "blasted" with request to have a proper test kit. It's unfortunate, but when a pool owner needs accurate tests or recommendations, one of those kits is a must. Without accurate water results, everything is guesswork and you could spend more money on wasted time and products. Accurate testing from home, by you the owner, is one of the few things you can still do at home without some fancy hardware, computers, or some ridiculous certification and labor charge. If the water chemistry is maintained properly, the test kit reagents should last all season.

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why not use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

I am getting the feeling that this forum is owned or sponsored by Taylor etc...

Absolutely not.
Forgive me, this is gonna be long …
When a better, more accurate & proven alternative to Taylor reagents/ drop based testing comes along you can bet it will become the new gold standard here. Until then it is the best option for homeowners to manage their own pools/spas and follow the TFPC recommendations.
TFP is beholden to no one but its current & future members (you & I).
From the about TFP page:
“Trouble Free Pool is run by a dedicated group of volunteers that have expert levels of knowledge in many areas of pool care.
TFP is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit who displays NO advertising on our site nor is our advice compromised by financial incentives. We use donations from our users to pay for our servers and to continue to develop pool care.”

In other countries where Taylor reagents are unavailable there are others TFP recommends as alternatives. Strips are not on the list for the reasons pointed out by Texas Splash & listed in the video.
Pool store testing- while it may seem free, does come under the guise of selling you products because it’s a store.
Most of which aren’t necessary, often over priced & may actually further complicate things. This is assuming it’s accurate & repeatable, which often its not. It’s also not convenient unless you live next door or something so depending on that for regular testing which should be done more than once a week is not practical for most.
Bottom line, to get where you want to be (clear, safe, well maintained pool & equipment) you need reliable, accurate, repeatable data to base adjustments off of.
Your pool surface condition suggests your chemistry is or was off at some point in some way. We would love to help you prevent that from getting worse but we truly do need a starting point in the form of test results we can trust otherwise we are guessing like you.
Pool Care Basics

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I am getting the feeling that this forum is owned or sponsored by Taylor etc...

Others have weighed in on this already but I think of it like this... You don't want to walk into a math class with a geography text book. You'll never be able to understand what is going on.

Having one of the recommended test kits ensures that we are all working from the same text book and can understand what is going on, and provide the best help.

--Jeff