White Sediment

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ChapinPoolGuy

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Feb 14, 2015
22
Chapin SC
It's been quite awhile since I've logged on - I guess that's good news eh!?

I have really hard water so any time I have to add water, like in the hot summers in South Carolina, I know I am just adding calcium or some other mineral... oooofffff. I am constantly seeing a cool looking white sediment. Cool looking because it has this translucent shimmer to it. So I have been vacuuming it to waste which lowers my water level, so I add water, etc. Awhile back I added something that was really spendy (for my budget anyway) that was for removing hardness. You chemistry guys probably know what that was but I no longer remember. I was wondering if the sediment is the stuff still working after a few months. How long does this stuff work?

I have a chlorine generator / salt water pool. The generator must be cleaned every month due to buildup.

It's supposed to rain the next few days so maybe a break from the cycle :)

Is this sediment just the minerals falling out of the water still?

Thanks -- Frank
 
Welcome back Frank! :wave: It does sound as though excessive calcium levels (or CSI levels) might be contributing to your situation. Any chance you can post a set of recent water test results? In the meantime, take a moment to review the TFP Pool School - Calcium Scaling page. With the proper test kit (TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C) you can effectively manage your "CSI" level on the PoolMath tool and keep the CSI slightly negative. By doing that it helps to lessen the chance of scaling. Take a look at those products and let us know if you have questions. We'll also watch for test results.
 
Hardness registers high at 664
pH is high at 8.6

Both of these are related to my water supply.

Here's what I am wondering: if I continue to see white precipitating out, does that mean the chemicals I added a couple months ago are still doing their job or do I need to retreat with that scale inhibitor?

Thanks Texas!!!!
 
The product(s) you added before may be trying to control the calcium. But by simply controlling your pH and keeping that "CSI" level in the slightly negative range, it should also erode excess calcium/scale from products like your SWG cell. You might not even need to use a scale inhibitor, many of which their value is questionable anyways. If you chose to use a product like ScaleTec or something, it's certainly up to you. I would definitely start lowering the pH, never letting it exceed 7.8. In your case, with an already elevated CH level, your pH probably needs to be more around 7.3-7.5 along with a controlled TA level around 60-80. Continue to watch your CSI on the PoolMath tool to keep the CSI slightly negative and it will help as well. The PoolMath tool does the work for you.
 
Couple options to consider, once you sort out your original question...

I've used both rain water collection and a water softener to control my CH and CSI. I have CH350 fill water, and I actually lowered my pool to CH325 using a rain water replacement scheme. I settled on the softener as the easier of the two to manage, and since the original fill, nine months ago, my CH is still at 325, and that's with a pretty high evaporation rate and almost constant topping off. It's hot here this year!!

So if you're interested, I can point you to my threads about it all. Point was: it's not only possible to maintain a pool's CH within recommended range, but you can actually reduce your pool's CH lower than your fill water's CH...
 
I checked out the math tool. Pretty cool! I noticed that sometimes the instructions say to drain the pool and add new water, but my well water is high pH and high CA so that won't be helpful. I am bringing the pH down with muratic acid dose right now as you suggested. Then I will remeasure the TA and see if that is improving. I appreciate your experience and wisdom in this Texas! I had not considered that scale inhb products may be of a ? benefit... That is the only thing I can attribute to the precipitating calcium though, unless super high levels automatically drop out due to over saturation?
 
So I have been vacuuming it to waste which lowers my water level, so I add water, etc. Awhile back I added something that was really spendy (for my budget anyway) that was for removing hardness. You chemistry guys probably know what that was but I no longer remember. I was wondering if the sediment is the stuff still working after a few months. How long does this stuff work?
Click to expand...
So this stuff is showing up on your pool floor? How often? Is it evenly distributed across the floor?

1. Very high CH fill water is not very common in South Carolina. Couple that with the fact this is not your own testing makes that 664 number suspicous.

2. I don't think I have heard of CH being deposited as an even sediment on the floor.....it usually sticks to something.

3. CH really can NEVER be removed unless you use R/O treatment so what you bought may have been sequestrant which prevents precipitation. It also could have been promised to you as a remover but it is not.

4. Again, you need your own test results. a pH of 8.6 is VERY troublesome but you need to have that confirmed. We simply place no validity in pool store results or test strips.

5. It seems very wasteful to vacuum out your water. What type filter do you have? Why not vacuum to filter and let your filter do it's job?
 
Thanks Dave> Yes I am using store test results :-(

I have not even looked into how much it would cost to set myself up with a full tester but no reason why I could not. What equipment would you suggest so I can have a look?

For certain the water is rather out of the norm with respect to "some" sort of mineral. First water test showed it when I moved, my water treatment system suffers from high build up, and my chlorine generator requires monthly maintenance (sometimes even slows water flow). I only guess Ca or CaCO3 due to the color :)

The precipitate does tend to be spread out across the pool floor, but also collects in the deeper corners quite a bit. A puddle of white that is 1+ inches deep. Since I typically vacuum to waste, and since the stuff shows up again by the next morning and builds as time passes, I decided that the 665 total hardness number may be accurate.

I have a sand filter that I backwash and rinse periodically.

If not Ca, what else could it be? It is white and has a brittle "feel" and reflects light with a rainbow color! Sounds like snow flakes!
 

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I don't want you to think I am rejecting the idea of calcium but I am still suspicous. I couldn't easily find CH of Chapin water but Columbia is close to you and has about 100 ppm give or take.

I would suggest you decide to take charge of your pool, get the TF-100 (next day delivery from NC) and then we can get to the bottom of what's in your pool.

Again, it may be calcium but I am not sure.
 
I would highly recommend the Magnetic Speedstir as well. It makes testing easier and more accurate, particularly the CH and TA tests where precise drops and consistent swirling are necessary. Its available from many vendors, but if you choose the TF-100, the Speedstir will take you into free shipping range.

Just passin' through.

Good luck,

Mike.
 
Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
I would highly recommend the Magnetic Speedstir as well. It makes testing easier and more accurate, particularly the CH and TA tests where precise drops and consistent swirling are necessary. Its available from many vendors, but if you chose the TF-100, the Speedstir will take you into free shipping range.

Just passin' through.

Good luck,

Mike.
Click to expand...

AMEN!

Thought this was a waste of money but VERY glad I decided to go with it (after checking out the reviews). Can't imagine testing without it...
 
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