What Does White Water Mold Look Like: A Complete Guide

If you are asking “what does white water mold look like?” you probably saw speckles of white slime in your swimming pool or bathroom. White water mold looks like broken down tissue papers or mucus floating in your tub, pool, or, at worst, your drinking water.

White water mold can sometimes be hard to identify, so you will need to determine if it is indeed mold before you can deal with it. Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about these white fungi.

what does white water mold look like

 

How Do You Determine If Your Water Has White Mold?

At first glance, white water mold can be mistaken for flaky, broken-down tissue paper floating on the surface of a body of water. If you touch it and it is slimy or mucus-like, then it is mold.

Often, white mold is accompanied by a slimy pink substance called pink algae. Contrary to its name, pink algae are not a type of algae, but a thin layer of biofilm produced by bacteria living on top of the mold. Once you see pink algae, then you can be sure that your water has white mold.

Sometimes, white water mold can be confused with mildew. However, mildew can almost always be found on plants only while mold can grow on water and porous material such as drywall and wood. Mold is also more destructive than mildew.

White water mold can also be confused for efflorescence. Salty water leaves salt on concrete or brick walls. When the salty water evaporates, a white, powdery substance gets deposited or effloresced onto the surface.

With that in mind, you can determine if the substance is mold or salt by simply looking at where it is attached to. If it is on stone surfaces, it’s salt. If it floats on the surface of your water, it’s mold.

You can also test the difference between the two by getting a sample of the white substance and mixing it with water. If the substance does not dissolve, you can safely conclude that it is mold.

Mold can be hard to identify, and even harder to distinguish dangerous black mold. To help you spot toxic black mold, check out this ultimate guide on how to identify black mold easily.

 

What Causes White Water Mold?

Mold grows on damp, nutritious surfaces. As such, it should come as no surprise that mold grows on the surface of bodies of water.

Mold only grows on a myriad of surfaces including stagnant, nutrient-filled water such as unclean pools and even drinking water. If the water lacks the necessary nutrients, the initial bloom will eventually die out.

Contrary to what most people believe, white mold is not a specific type of mold. Several mold species appear white especially in the early stages of development. The mold on your hot tub can eventually have a different tint if you leave it there long enough.

As the fungus ages and develops spores, it can change its hue to black, green, gray, and other colors. It is almost always unnecessary to determine what type of mold is growing in your home because all of them share the same harmful effects.

 

How Do You Prevent White Water Mold?

To avoid all the trouble of cleaning your pool along with every pump and filter attached to it, you must take the necessary precautions to prevent mold from growing in the first place. Most of the time, you can prevent mold growth by simply cleaning your pool regularly.

It is recommended that you brush clean the surfaces of your pool every week or use a robotic pool cleaner. You should also run your pool filter daily and clean it monthly. After all of this is done, make sure to check your pool’s pH levels to make it hard for microorganisms to grow.

 

How To Get Rid Of White Water Mold?

Once you notice white mold on your hot tub, pool, or any other still bodies of water, then you will need to act fast. It would be best to get rid of these fungi before you can experience adverse health effects.

To start the process, you should clean your pool or tub entirely, most especially the infected areas. For pools, you should shock the water by adding up to thrice the recommended amount of chemicals and cleaning it afterward. For tubs, you can also add more than the required number of chemicals and distribute them throughout the system.

Afterward, run your filter for 24 hours and then clean every filter and accessory. If there are no traces of mold left after the process, all you have to do is to prevent the fungi from coming back.

White water mold can also appear in drinking water, which makes it dangerous to consume. For more information, you can check out this helpful guide about what happens if you drink mold.

 

Conclusion

So, what does white water mold look like? White water mold is a non-specific type of mold that grows in stationary bodies of water.

It is reminiscent of dissolving tissue paper and often grows alongside pink algae. Once you see white mold growing on your pool, tub, or other places, it would be best to take the necessary steps to clean it out immediately to prevent harmful side effects.

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