White deposit on pool water

Looking for information or help in the field of DIY and home improvement. Post your questions, suggestions and comments here.
User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:01 pm

We refilled our pool the other day and immediately a white film formed on the water's surface. I can only guess it's extremely fine cal. The filter does nothing to remove it and it's not looking very inviting :thumbdown: .

Any suggestions on what I could use to disperse it? I wondered about using some salt (of the dishwasher variety). It is a fibreglass pool and seems sensitive to some chemicals. I once put anti-algas in it and the surface of the pool bubbled in places, so I'm reluctant to use anything too strong.

Lyric
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2532
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 12:36 pm
Location: Torrox Campo

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Lyric » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:09 pm

Bound to be wrong but I would throw some flocullant at it. That should sink it, a quick Vac and Robert is your father's brother.

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:44 pm

Yes that sounds an easy option, but my little pump is not very strong for hoovering and, as yet, I've never managed to do it in this pool. Being an above ground one it's not set up like a bigger in-ground one unfortunately. It's all a bit of a pain really for a few months use in the summer!

User avatar
knowal
Resident
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:35 pm
Location: England

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby knowal » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:52 am

What is the pool pH? Cal would only survive on the surface if the pH is too high.

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:49 am

The PH was correct when I tested it when I first filled it, and that's when the cal appeared. I'll do it again although this pool strangely needs little adjusting. We've had a little of this before that did just go into suspension in the end, but this year it is awful. The water deposito almost ran out of water and it was refilled just before filling the pool, which I guess has really stirred up all the cal in the bottom. There must be masses of it as it's a huge 350m3 tank (not ours unfortunately as we have to buy water from our neighbour, and the tank is not maintained very well)

Just been looking at our little pool filter and pump that was new last year. It has a bigger motor so I thought perhaps it would vacuum. However I realise that it only has a 4 way valve: Filter, Rinse, Backwash and Winter(closed). It does not have a waste option. Only backwash and rinse will go to the waste outlet, filtration will only recirculate back into the pool. So if I did want to have a go at vacuuming to waste could I use the backwash or rinse option ??

User avatar
knowal
Resident
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:35 pm
Location: England

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby knowal » Sat Jun 27, 2020 11:03 am

Wicksey, my suspicion is high pH and perhaps old reagents if you have a false result.
Is the pH 7.2?
Image
As for the valve, perhaps someone else can answer that.

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Sat Jun 27, 2020 11:11 am

I use the sticks you dip in as the liquids used to go off between seasons. I'll have another look but as I say, I've never had anything as bad as this over the years.

Just done a test. Everything looks in the 'OK' range although alkalinity was a bit high.

User avatar
spanish_lad
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6218
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Alhaurin el Grande since 99, cartama campo since 2022

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby spanish_lad » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:11 pm

Extend the inlet for the filter so that it sits just below the surface.

With the pump running it should only take a few minutes to 'suck' all surface cal?
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

Beachcomber
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 11081
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:11 pm
Location: Guadalhorce Valley

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Beachcomber » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:12 pm

Those sticks are a waste of time and money as are the liquid reagents.

You cannot vacuum to waste by using backwash or rinse because, although the water eventually goes to waste, it goes into the sand filter first so you would just exacerbate the problem.

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:46 pm

spanish_lad wrote: Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:11 pm Extend the inlet for the filter so that it sits just below the surface.

With the pump running it should only take a few minutes to 'suck' all surface cal?
It's not being able to pump directly to waste that now is a problem it seems. I did originally have a go at just trying to hoover it off the surface but it sucked in a lot of air too. Perhaps I could try to siphon it off with a hose onto the garden as the pool is above ground, if I could get it started :think:

User avatar
spanish_lad
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6218
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Alhaurin el Grande since 99, cartama campo since 2022

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby spanish_lad » Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:42 am

Its hard to explain.. but the way I was thinking would be to put a piece of pipe under water, facing upwards to the surface, just below the surface.. so that when the pump is running, it creates a "whirlpool" effect and sucks the water from the surface first?

Kind of like a "DIY" skimmer?
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby Wicksey » Sun Jul 05, 2020 11:44 am

Yes that's what I tried SL but it's so fine it went through the filter and back into the pool. It also sucked in air when the little whirlpool formed. It's settling on the bottom now like white sand, it's not looking good. The only other thing is to set up the submersible pump and try to suck it off the bottom and out onto the garden but it's a bit of a palava. We don't use it much after mid Sept as it gets too chilly for us so then it becomes our deposito for pumping out for irrigation.

User avatar
peteroldracer
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 7774
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:56 pm
Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia

Re: White deposit on pool water

Postby peteroldracer » Sun Jul 05, 2020 1:23 pm

Are you all sure it is cal? We had real problems with a mealybug infestation on the prickly pear and olianders, which caused a deposit of fine white stuff everywhere - including the pool.
I used to cough to disguise a [email protected] I f@rt to disguise a cough.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests