Every morning brown smears on the bottom of my pool

[Happypoolgirl]

Hello all! I am happy to report that I received my Taylor k-2006 test kit yesterday, and I am loving it. So far, I have completed the following tests:

fc-6.5
cc- less than .5 ( I did the smaller sample test that would give results within .5... There was barely a hint of pink, so I know that I do have some cc, but not much at all)
ph- 7.1
cya- 35

Every night I go to bed with a clean pool, and every morning I wake up to a mess. I live in a heavily treed neighborhood. I don't really mind the leaves that much....yet! But what I do mind is some sort of tree bud or flower that drops to the bottom of the pool and leaves brown smears everywhere. I try to brush them out, but the brushing does not help. The stains eventually dissipate throughout the day, probably due to the chlorine, but I don't understand why I am getting this staining in the first place. It is really frustrating. Has anyone else had a similar issue or does anyone have a suggestion to help me avoid these stains? I should post a picture, but I am not sure how.

 

[JohnT]

Do you run your pump at night? Maybe the skimmer would grab them before they sink if the pump was running.

 

[cowboycasey]

what times do they fall, or is it all the time? could you run your pump at different times instead of 1 time a day, that would get more into your skimmer..

 

[Happypoolgirl]

I currently run the pump from 8am to 8pm. That probably explains why I don't see them on the bottom of the pool during the day. Good idea to run the pump at night! I'd like to avoid running the pump more than 12 hours a day, so I will shut it off at some point during the day so that it can run at night. I hope this doesn't cause problems during the day!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You've got a gunnite pool- how's your calcium hardness number? Is it high and is that why your pH is kinda low?

 

[cowboycasey]

try 3 hours split 4 times a day or

2 hours split 6 times, that would give less time with no skimmer action

 

[pooldv]

I run my VSpump at 1100 rpm 24x7 when I have leaf/tree issues. This provides good skimming action and enough flow to keep my SWG happy. My pump draws 150 watts at 1100 rpm. It costs less fhan $12/mo to run my pump 24x7 and keep leaves in the skimmer baskets and off the bottom.

 

[Happypoolgirl]

My ph is low because I added a little too much MA. I added based off of my old test kit. Now that I have the new test kit, I will be able to better manage the ph. I haven't done the CH test yet, but typically (based on pool store testing) my ph is high and I am having to add acid. Pool builder said this is common in a gunite pool for the first few months. Thanks for all of the suggestions about the pump timing! I am definitely going to change it up!

 

[DaninFLA]

its a new pool? then yeah, your pH is gonna keep rising while the plaster cures/seals. you want to check that CH test ASAP to make sure your levels are high enough. its important in plaster pools, especially during curing.

 

[pabeader]

I notice you mention that scrubbing them does no good. have you tried applying a little elbow grease directly to the stain? I get them also, mine are from little pieces of metal (iron) that float into the pool from my broken heater. I have the valves in bypass, but apparently one of them is leaking a little. (weekend project, when not raining.)

do they repeat in the same place every morning?

 

[Happypoolgirl]

I tested my ch today, and it is 260. The spots are definitely from a bud that is being dropped from a tree into the pool. I can brush the stains and the little buds float around, but the stain does not brush away. I have been playing around with different pump speeds. I'm going to experiment tonight running it at 25% to see if that helps. Just a general question...is it better (for the long time life of the pump) to run it all the time at a lower speed (except when using the cleaner) or have it cycle on and off throughout the day/night at various speeds?

 

[DaninFLA]

if you have a variable speed pump I would be running it low for a most of the day, if not 24/7. at the low wattage at low speeds, it just super cheap to run. you are getting the spots due to the buds sitting on the ground, and since you don't get them during the day your skimmer must be getting them?