has anyone ever seen copius amounts of white flake substance in a swimming pool with salt water chlorination?

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Our pool maker has never seen this occurance. We have a 3M surface. We wanted mini-pebble but that is another story in itself. The flakes do not get caught in the filter, it recirculates in the pool and spa. It is flat and sort of looks like candle shavings...seems waxy too.



Comments

  1. scubabob says:
    July 18, 2009 at 10:10 am

    It’s likely calcium from hard water( scale), combined with high temperatures.Calcium forms in the plumbing usually after the heater and shakes itself loose,blowing out into the pool. Your filter is likely just fine, the reason it’s not catching it is that it’s plumbed in BEFORE the heater. It can only get that calcium on the skimmer end. It won’t be the salt generator, any saline water that evaporates, leaving salt deposits, will just as readily take that salt back into solution and it wouldn’t be flaky, it’d be granular.Get your water tested for calcium hardness at a pool shop, I’ll bet a beer that’s the issue.

  2. desertdiva says:
    July 18, 2009 at 10:10 am

    Happens to me too…but it is when I add salt. The first week or so I get those shavings like you do. At first I thought it was plaster peeling. We do have pebble tec.
    Go to your pool supply place like Leslies.com or so. Ask them and get your water tested. Also, backwash.
    Good luck

  3. windancerhil says:
    July 18, 2009 at 10:10 am

    When water gets near saturation sodium will displace calcium, causing the calcium to "drop out" of solution. Water will only "hold" a certain amount of dissolved material (depending on temperature and pH). Sounds like calcium dropping out. Have a pool store test for Total Dissolved Solids and Calcium Hardness. Also might be a good idea to take a sample of tap water along and have the same tests run on it. You might just have very hard tap water. Or it might have accumulated over the years. One more reason I’m not partial to salt generators.

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