White powder swirling & crystallizatio

[Lila]

White powdery substance was swirling around in pool water, settling on surfaces. WE emptied pool last night and the surface looked as white as snow. The surface when washed off feels like sandpaper - or crystals that stuck. We tried sand paper that does remove it, but not the white discoloringl Hand sanding is beyond us in a 5500 gallon pool. This happened just a few days ago, but there has been a white discoloring at the water line for a long time. The surface of the pool is of new glass tiles from China, not the ususal ceramic tile. Is there some chemical to dissolve this? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

DON'T sandpaper the tiles. You will end up scratching the surface and so you will prepare the ideal enviroment for algea to catch on and grow in.

Acid will dissolve the crystals.

[Larry]

Hi Lila

The best way to get rid of the calcium/ scale buildup is with an acid wash. Your pool is relatively small at 5,500 gallons so it should not take longer than an hour or so.

The basics of an acid wash are:
* brush diluted liquid acid (muriatic or other) over the tiles
* rinse immediately

Use the acid undiluted if the diluted acid is too slow or doesn't froth and foam much.

Always wear a mask and never work alone!

Larry

[Pooltown Pros]

Yeah. A little 5.5k gallon pool won't take long at all to acid wash.

You might consider calling in a pro to do it. Being a quickie should keep the price low and you avoid the health risks of doing the job yourselves.

Ron