Category Archives: Pool/Spa Maintenance & Replacement Products

The Importance Of Using Quality Pool Salts: Prevention Is The Best Cure

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By Bob Harper

It is important to check with the supplier to learn exactly where and how the salt is manufactured. The supplier should be able to guarantee the quality and consistency of the salt source and production process.
Similar to selecting the appropriate salt, it is important to choose the right maintenance and treatment products as well, as these can either help or create further issues when maintaining a saltwater pool. Therefore, it is important to use products specifically formulated for saltwater pools, without phosphates or sulfates. Phosphates can be found in some anti-scale products and sulfates are found in bisulfate (dry acid), which is often used to lower pH.

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Dealing With Vinyl Liner Stains: Pool Tar

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By Carl Flieler

Sticky substances often referred to as 'pool tar' or 'pool goo,' are sometimes caused by decaying organic material such as leaves, grass and insects.

Sticky substances often referred to as ‘pool tar’ or ‘pool goo’ can adhere to, and cover, parts of a vinyl pool liner and appear as a stain. These substances are sometimes caused by the interaction between quaternary ammonium compounds used in some algaecides and decaying organic material such as leaves, grass and insects.

Chlorine can also interact with quats to form a sticky material if both exceed the recommended levels. For instance, quats can easily come into contact with high chlorine levels in automatic chlorinators, which can result in a gummy substance being gradually fed into the pool where it will eventually precipitate onto the liner. These substances can form when organic materials from cosmetics or tanning/sunscreen lotions are oxidized by high chlorine concentrations, resulting in a beige waxy substance.

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The Importance Of Using Quality Pool Salts: Inorganic Contaminants

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By Bob Harper

Inorganic contaminants, can also affect water clarity—whether dissolved or suspended in the pool water. Photos courtesy Pristiva Inc.

Another problem, which can be caused by inorganic contaminants in the salt itself, is staining. Early warning signs for staining are purely visual and include mild streaking down the sides of the pool or discoloured pool surfaces and/or water.
Once the type of stain is identified, it can usually be treated with products containing citric (C6H8O7), ascorbic (C6H8O6), or sulfamic (H3NSO3) acid. Removing dissolved stain-causing metals can usually be accomplished with sequestering agents and filter aids. Maintaining good water balance as well as using high quality pool salt and stain prevention products can ward off future stains.

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Dealing With Vinyl Liner Stains: Bleaching

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By Carl Flieler

The addition of water treatment chemicals can also damage a vinyl liner if they are not sufficiently circulated in the water. For example, chemicals such as chlorine can settle in the pool’s deep end and bleach the liner if the water is not circulated for several hours before the pool is closed for the season.
Spot bleaching can also occur if calcium hypochlorite (Ca[ClO]2) particles or other slow-dissolving sanitizers are allowed to settle on the pool floor. This can be easily prevented by dissolving sanitizers in a bucket of pool water prior to adding them to the pool. After the sanitizer has dissolved, pour it into the pool using a sieve.

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The Importance Of Using Quality Pool Salts: Organic Contaminants

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By Bob Harper

Some pool salts contain organic contaminants, which are primary culprits for cloudy water and high chlorine demand. Others contain varying amounts of inorganic contaminants such as calcium (Ca), nitrates (NO3−), silicates (SiO44-), sulfates (SO2−4) and metals (manganese [Mn], copper [Cu], iron [Fe]), many of which can affect water clarity, dissolution rate, stain and scale potential, and other important water balance factors.
Sometimes the presence of contaminants can be identified by the shape of the salt crystal, even before it is added to the pool. Generally speaking, the more irregular the salt crystal, the more impurities are embedded within. This is especially true of solar and mined (rock) salt since these salts undergo little, if any, processing to remove naturally occurring contaminants.

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