What the heck is happening in my pool?

[ddoggphx]

We are having a warranty issue with our salt cell. It is intermittently working. I've been keeping the water clean regardless. We also just had the cell cleaned as well.

However we had to get out of town for a couple of days, so I tossed a bleach tab in my skimmer to hopefully keep everying rolling whole we were out.

Well my cell worked more than not while we were out and my chlorine is higher than I keep it (3 to 4 ppm) at 8.5. I really don't worry about that, the sun will eat that up soon (115 tomorrow) BUT...

On my steps today we had these white chunks. Now, I've seen some in our robot cleaner before, but much smaller, and I think that was something from the salt cell after researching it. But these are big. Photo attached. Plus the overall pool water in a photo. Salt was a bit high (3900) before I left, but I don't think that's the issue.

Thoughts?

 

[Mdragger88]

That is a beautiful pool
Those look like calcium flakes. You can put a little muriatic acid on them to see if they fizz to confirm .

What are your current test results from your kit? (Which kit do you have?)
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Salt

 

[ddoggphx]

Thank you!!

This is not accurate currently. CYA is at 60, but it wouldn't let me update. Salt is currently at 3900. PH currently 7.5. FC is 8.5 as of today. But this was my most recent (other than the CYA not letting me update and salt after I added some).

 

[Newdude]

my chlorine is higher than I keep it (3 to 4 ppm)

Whatever I did to offend you, that you'd come back at me like this......... I'm truly sorry. I thought we were friends.

Unless you run your cell to keep pace with the UV from 9A to 3P, this is a bonehead move. Even THEN. If you perfectly match the daily loss and ride the minimum line, it's only going to go one way. There is zero prizes awarded for your efforts.

Eventually the UV will be even more harsh that day, the power will flicker and the cell won't resume, the salt sensor will hiccup and shut the cell off for 12 hours....... it's going to go south one way or another.

There is zero gained.

 

[ddoggphx]

Whatever I did to offend you, that you'd come back at me like this......... I'm truly sorry. I thought we were friends.

Unless you run your cell to keep pace with the UV from 9A to 3P, this is a bonehead move. Even THEN. If you perfectly match the daily loss and ride the minimum line, it's only going to go one way. There is zero prizes awarded for your efforts.

Eventually the UV will be even more harsh that day, the power will flicker and the cell won't resume, the salt sensor will hiccup and shut the cell off for 12 hours....... it's going to go south one way or another.

There is zero gained.

This sounds like I am doing a few things stupid. Fix me again.

 

[Newdude]

This sounds like I am doing a few things stupid

I dunno what it is about people trying to eek out as little chlorine as possible. You've been here befote build and it hypnotized you too, never having been the pool store route on this pool.

I was blessed in that my pool ran hot the first week in 2012. It was stupid clear so I repeated it from that day until this day.



10 is my target. 5 is my min. You're safe for swimmers and equipment all the way up to SLAM. Below target range has far less wiggle room and you were operating in that tight space.

(Sorry I hijacked you for your own good. I speak Northeast Vinyl where Calcium is more of a theory than a thing. The plaster folks and MDragger will be back to continue that discussion)

 

[ddoggphx]

I dunno what it is about people trying to eek out as little chlorine as possible. You've been here befote build and it hypnotized you too, never having been the pool store route on this pool.

I was blessed in that my pool ran hot the first week in 2012. It was stupid clear so I repeated it from that day until this day.

View attachment 513744

10 is my target. 5 is my min. You're safe for swimmers and equipment all the way up to SLAM. Below target range has far less wiggle room and you were operating in that tight space.

(Sorry I hijacked you for your own good. I speak Northeast Vinyl where Calcium is more of a theory than a thing. The plaster folks and MDragger will be back to continue that discussion)

Thanks! I think trying to hit that spot I've been overrunning my salt cell, almost all the time, causing it to go off and on. Now we DO have a broken sensor on it but I think I need to dial back my brain and pump it higher less often.

 

[Newdude]

pump it higher less often.

I chose lower, more often. Lol. 24/7 at low RPM costs the same as 2.2 hours at full throttle for me. I skim, filter and top off the FC around the clock. I've never once thought about if I was skimming/filtering enough, and I only occasionally think if I'm at the right SWG %

 

[ddoggphx]

I chose lower, more often. Lol. 24/7 at low RPM costs the same as 2.2 hours at full throttle for me. I skim, filter and top off the FC around the clock. I've never once thought about if I was skimming/filtering enough, and I only occasionally think if I'm at the right SWG %

Oh I meant the swg, higher percentage for 8 hours rather than lower percentage for 16 hours.

I run my pump at high overnight, 50% daytime, and 20% at peak usage (3 hours) because I like to always have my water moving and sending junk into the skimmer.

But I think I should kick up my output of the SWG for an 8 or 10 hour shift rather than lower percentage all the time.

 

[Newdude]

But I think I should kick up my output of the SWG for an 8 or 10 hour shift rather than lower percentage all the time.

If your pump is on around the clock, run the SWG the with it at a much lower %. Nothing is gained this way, but it's easier to have one variable instead of two. (%, or time and %)

Any reason you run high speed all night ? You only need the lowest RPM that achieves your desired function, such as skimming, SWG, waterfalls, heater, etc. Anything more than that is a waste of energy. Filtering happens as a default of doing all the other stuff. Speed is of no

 

[ddoggphx]

If your pump is on around the clock, run the SWG the with it at a much lower %. Nothing is gained this way, but it's easier to have one variable instead of two. (%, or time and %)

Any reason you run high speed all night ? You only need the lowest RPM that achieves your desired function, such as skimming, SWG, waterfalls, heater, etc. Anything more than that is a waste of energy. Filtering happens as a default of doing all the other stuff. Speed is of no

Honestly? No big reason. I just want to turn over as many times as possible, and energy at night is super cheap) we also have solar during the day). We get a lot of dust and small little mesquite leaves and pollen in our pool a lot of the year. I probably don't need to run it so high so long.

 

[Newdude]

I probably don't need to run it so high so long.

You definitely don't. Turnover is a myth. With floaties in particular, they may sit suspended for days and days before finding the filter, as many turnovers of water flowed past them. In that time, it was breezy again and there's a fresh batch that looks exactly like the old batch and it never ends. Lol.

But. Run all night because it helps you sleep better. I'll accept that answer.

 

[mgtfp]

However we had to get out of town for a couple of days, so I tossed a bleach tab in my skimmer to hopefully keep everying rolling whole we were out.

When you say "bleach-tab", what exactly do you mean? I assume it was either Trichlor or Cal-Hypo?

 

[Mdragger88]

Your csi is currently slightly positive (.01)- aiming to keep it slightly negative should assist in reducing scale formation and also prevent the need to clean your cell aggressively with acid which reduces its life.
Turn on csi tracking in
PoolMath

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

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

www.google.com

Also- please never put pucks in your skimmer - use a floater if you need to use them.

 

[ddoggphx]

Your csi is currently slightly positive (.01)- aiming to keep it slightly negative should assist in reducing scale formation and also prevent the need to clean your cell aggressively with acid which reduces its life.
Turn on csi tracking in
PoolMath

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

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

www.google.com

Also- please never put pucks in your skimmer - use a floater if you need to use them.

Here's my current poolmath this afternoon. This is most accurate. Calcium hardness is low so should I try to aim for that to be a bit higher in general? Or is it just continue to fight ph like crazy? That seems to have the most effect on csi in poolmath.

We are also running our aerators overnight because of how hot it is rn in AZ, but I know that also pushes ph up.

Gotcha on the floater if I use a tab. Never had to before so I'll grab one for emergencies.

 

[ddoggphx]

Those look like calcium flakes. You can put a little muriatic acid on them to see if they fizz to confirm .

Yep, fizzed away. So definitely calcium.

 

[mgtfp]

Apart from above advice to generally not add tabs to the skimmer, were they trichlor or Cal-Hypo? Cal-Hypo would have added to the flake building.

 

[ddoggphx]

Apart from above advice to generally not add tabs to the skimmer, were they trichlor or Cal-Hypo? Cal-Hypo would have added to the flake building.

Honestly don't know. Grabbed one from Home Depot. Given these big flakes over a couple days I bet they were the latter.

 

[Mdragger88]

Here's my current poolmath this afternoon. This is most accurate. Calcium hardness is low so should I try to aim for that to be a bit higher in general? Or is it just continue to fight ph like crazy? That seems to have the most effect on csi in poolmath.

We are also running our aerators overnight because of how hot it is rn in AZ, but I know that also pushes ph up.

Gotcha on the floater if I use a tab. Never had to before so I'll grab one for emergencies.

You’re In Arizona so I assume your ch will continue to increase due to your fill water?
Continue the good fight with ph which will subsequently lower ta, as ta gets lower the rise should slow.

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.google.com

 

[ddoggphx]

You’re In Arizona so I assume your ch will continue to increase due to your fill water?
Continue the good fight with ph which will subsequently lower ta, as ta gets lower the rise should slow.

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.google.com

Yep, especially now with all the evap the fill water is practically a quarter of the pool daily lol. I keeed.