Sludge ring around inside of skimmer ???

[pool newby]

Ok, after having my pool up and running for little over a week, I have crystal clear water, and am working hard at keeping my chemicals balanced. Anyway, there is ring of sludgy buildup at the water line inside my skimmer just above the basket. It is a brownish black substance, that is pretty slimy, and feels kinda like grease.

Is this normal accumulation ? Or could it be some type of algae, or something else. Also what can I use to clean it off before it builds up too much?

Advice appreciated

Bob
pool newby
E Tn.

[mbar]

It's gross, but normal. You can wipe it off with some baking soda, or magic erasers work great.

[tphaggerty]

Wow, I can't believe this. I just found the same thing yesterday and pointed it out to my wife. Same stuff, black, almost like grease but heavier and not really "greasy". I wiped it out with a cloth. Was in both skimmers. Haven't seen any buildup like that anywhere else in the pool.

[SLS]

Do you use chlorine pucks in the skimmer? I don't believe I got a black grease ring until I started putting pucks in the skimmer while I was away from home. I just thought it was something in the pucks that was causing it?????

[pool newby]

I use 3 inch pucks in my autochlorinator feeder, nothing in the skimmer. Sounds like this may be a "normal" thing. I'm just wondering what causes it, or what it may be?

[aylad]

I get the same thing around the waterline in 2 corners of my pool every winter (my pool stays open year-round)--I think it's probably just buildup of sunscreen, tanning oil, etc--but in the spring I wipe it off with a kitchen sponge, and it normally doesn't come back until the next fall.

Janet

[waterbear]

There is a little sponge like thing called a 'scumbug'. http://www.rola-chem.com/scumbug.html
drop on in your skimmer and it collects all that stuff. Once it gets dirty just turn it over and when the other side gets dirty rinse it out and it's good to go again. They last about a season and also work really good just floating in hot tubs also. Been using them for many years now starting with my old portable hot tub (before I even had a pool) and now have one in my skimmer basket along with a skimmer sock. They only cost about 6 bucks and really absorb all the stuff that just seems to sit on the surface of the water before it collects on the tile line or around the skimmer!

[pool newby]

Thanks for the info on the scumbug, I'll definitely pick up one on them. Half awake this morning, thought it was a scumbag......if that was the case, I could just drop a lawyer in my skimmer.....LOL !!!!!

[waterbear]

Thanks for the info on the scumbug, I'll definitely pick up one on them. Half awake this morning, thought it was a scumbag......if that was the case, I could just drop a lawyer in my skimmer.....LOL !!!!!

Now THAT would definitely pollute the pool water!!!!! You want to remove the scum...not add more!

[tphaggerty]

I use scumbugs in my Softub, didn't think I would need them in the pool, but I guess we do. I don't use pucks, just SWG and bleach to shock (on rare occasions).