Hi all, I'm hoping to get some thoughts on my pool situation. Specs: 7,000 gallon fiberglass pool, Salt-Water generator, cartridge filter system. Pool built 1 year ago.
For the last few weeks, when the water is disturbed from swimming, there are small floating white bits that look like tissue paper. When the water is not disturbed, they sit at the bottom of the pool in one area where they've collected. The amount was not huge, maybe a "puddle" of deposit with a radius of about 2 feet that would settle there daily. The pieces dissolve in my hands when I take them out of the water and rub them, so I don't think it's calcium or other mineral flakes. They are not stuck to the pool in any way and there's no slime. Also no pink anywhere that I'm seeing.
I had noticed that I was having to increase the % of chlorine on my salt water chlorinator to significantly higher than normal levels. Usually, I run it at 40% in the summer and was up to 80% to maintain levels. I added CYA in case that was low, but it didn't help. So I wondered, given the white floaty flakes, if it was something (algae, bacteria, etc.) that was eating up the chlorine faster than usual.
What I've done: Besides adding some CYA about 6 days ago, I brushed the sides and then vacuumed the pool. I also went under the water with goggles and vacuumed all of the stuff floating that I could. I did this vacuuming two days in a row. Then, I added muratic acid to lower pH to about 7.2. Then, the night before last, I shocked the pool with about 3 times the recommended amount. Finally, yesterday, I carefully hosed off the filters and let them sit in the sun (rotating) for about 4 hours to hopefully kill any potential bacteria, algae, etc. While there was some normal dirt, there was no slimy, nasty grime or anything that appeared out of the ordinary on my filters. In fact, they looked relatively clean. I also emptied the filter tank and let it completely dry out as well for a few hours, just in case something had been growing in there.
A few hours ago, I tested the water at the pool store, here are results:
Alkalinity: 70 (after being adjusted by pool store for higher level of CYA. I think they were actually 100)
FAC: 10 ppm (due to shock)
TAC: 10 ppm
Phosphates: 200 ppb
pH: 7.4
CYA: 90 ppm
Calcium Hardness: 240 ppm
MT (metals?): 0
I plan to put in some phosphate remover to bring phosphates down under 100 ppb. I've read that higher phosphate levels can sometimes interact with salt-water chlorinators and affect the output. The lady at the pool store did not recommend adding Alkalinity, as it was adjusted for somewhat high CYA.
Finally, a picture today of the deposits on the pool floor. Today, it's a much smaller radius than it was yesterday, about 6" long and 2" wide (across a few spots). Hard to see much from the picture though. Will try to scoop it up later and take another picture or video.
Thanks for any suggestions/help you can offer.
Vince
For the last few weeks, when the water is disturbed from swimming, there are small floating white bits that look like tissue paper. When the water is not disturbed, they sit at the bottom of the pool in one area where they've collected. The amount was not huge, maybe a "puddle" of deposit with a radius of about 2 feet that would settle there daily. The pieces dissolve in my hands when I take them out of the water and rub them, so I don't think it's calcium or other mineral flakes. They are not stuck to the pool in any way and there's no slime. Also no pink anywhere that I'm seeing.
I had noticed that I was having to increase the % of chlorine on my salt water chlorinator to significantly higher than normal levels. Usually, I run it at 40% in the summer and was up to 80% to maintain levels. I added CYA in case that was low, but it didn't help. So I wondered, given the white floaty flakes, if it was something (algae, bacteria, etc.) that was eating up the chlorine faster than usual.
What I've done: Besides adding some CYA about 6 days ago, I brushed the sides and then vacuumed the pool. I also went under the water with goggles and vacuumed all of the stuff floating that I could. I did this vacuuming two days in a row. Then, I added muratic acid to lower pH to about 7.2. Then, the night before last, I shocked the pool with about 3 times the recommended amount. Finally, yesterday, I carefully hosed off the filters and let them sit in the sun (rotating) for about 4 hours to hopefully kill any potential bacteria, algae, etc. While there was some normal dirt, there was no slimy, nasty grime or anything that appeared out of the ordinary on my filters. In fact, they looked relatively clean. I also emptied the filter tank and let it completely dry out as well for a few hours, just in case something had been growing in there.
A few hours ago, I tested the water at the pool store, here are results:
Alkalinity: 70 (after being adjusted by pool store for higher level of CYA. I think they were actually 100)
FAC: 10 ppm (due to shock)
TAC: 10 ppm
Phosphates: 200 ppb
pH: 7.4
CYA: 90 ppm
Calcium Hardness: 240 ppm
MT (metals?): 0
I plan to put in some phosphate remover to bring phosphates down under 100 ppb. I've read that higher phosphate levels can sometimes interact with salt-water chlorinators and affect the output. The lady at the pool store did not recommend adding Alkalinity, as it was adjusted for somewhat high CYA.
Finally, a picture today of the deposits on the pool floor. Today, it's a much smaller radius than it was yesterday, about 6" long and 2" wide (across a few spots). Hard to see much from the picture though. Will try to scoop it up later and take another picture or video.
Thanks for any suggestions/help you can offer.
Vince
