Ascorbic Acid treatment for Iron just before closing (how I did it)

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Sidecarist

Sidecarist

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Bronze Supporter
Jun 14, 2015
76
Dayton, TN
For all those that have Iron problems I thought I'd share my first time AA treatment for Iron stains. This was my first year with a pool in a new house. Many things conspired keeping me from moving in as soon as I'd like to. As a result I had difficulty getting the pool in balance. It didn't help that it seems like it had been closed for 2+ years. When I opened it there were bushels of oak leaves and considerable staining in a bathtub ring where the water line was. I assumed that these were tannin stains, and some were, but the brown ring continued. In addition as I SLAM'd the pool and dealt with high PH a couple of times the stains got worse particularly just under the tile line (FG Pool). Vitamin C confirmed metal (iron) stains.

I was reluctant to treat it given my difficulties getting in balance the first few times. No that I am preparing to close I gave it a try. I let FC drift down to .5 maybe less (hard to tell) CC tested 0.5, Adjusted PH to 7.0, TA 100, CA 260, CYA 60, Salt 2000.

Added 2lb of bulk AA purchased from Amazon by getting in the pool and pouring the powder right at the edge of the waterline concentrating on problem areas. The stains magically vanished. I let the pool run 6 hours like this then added double the recommended dose of Hasa Super Stain out (which had previously slightly reduced the stains). I added Polyquat 60 after another 24 hours, and let the pool run in this condition for another 24 hours. before restoring CL levels to my normal 5-6ish. The whole time the water temp has been 68-72degF helping slow algae issues.

I am also running a CuLator in the pump basket. I'm not sure if it will help, but it was a gift. When I close the pool in a couple of weeks I hope to pump much of the Iron out for good!

In the end this was not that difficult and the biggest issue was that the water got quite cloudy for the first 8 hours but cleared up after that.

I hope this helps those that have been thinking about this treatment for Iron stains. I have been helped greatly by this forum and like to return the favor when I can!

Thanks to All and Good luck!

Bob
 
Sidecarist said:
The AA dissolves very quickly. I checked FC after wiping the tile line maybe 10 min and FC was already 0.

The pool looks great now the cloudiness is almost gone. I wish I had taken before and after pics!

Just added bleach to bring up the FC to 5 +/-

Bob
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Having just gone through this process TWICE, take care to keep your pH and TA on the low side for a minimum of two weeks with very slow and low additions of clorine to avoid stain return. You can frequently supplement the clorine with Polyquat 60 to offset algae bloom but keep an eye on that cloudy water. Lastly, don't forget the importance of adding an HEDP based sequestrant to keep pulling out the metals.

Wishing you great success.
 
Joan & Bob,

Yes slow additions of bleach. I have learned that patience truly is a virtue when adjusting the pool chems... moving anything too fast can result in undesirable results. I know my TA is a bit high but I had to give this a try. I will be closing the pool shortly, and at that time I'll bring the FC level up, but only just before I pump the level down.

I'll waste a little bleach, but in the process I'll certainly get rid of about 1/3 of the iron permanently. I have an iron pre-filter for next years fill already. So far so good. Temps are low and I can keep the FC level low and use Poly 60 as a supplement too.

Thanks!
 
Sidecarist said:
Yes slow additions of bleach. I have learned that patience truly is a virtue when adjusting the pool chems... moving anything too fast can result in undesirable results. I know my TA is a bit high but I had to give this a try. I will be closing the pool shortly, and at that time I'll bring the FC level up, but only just before I pump the level down.

I'll waste a little bleach, but in the process I'll certainly get rid of about 1/3 of the iron permanently. I have an iron pre-filter for next years fill already. So far so good. Temps are low and I can keep the FC level low and use Poly 60 as a supplement too.
Click to expand...

Confidence is always good and who doesn't like a proactive plan, e.g., your new iron pre-filter. That stated, I would caution you about closing too soon and risk putting your pool to bed with undiscovered algae underneath cloudy water. Of course, you can always repeat the AA process when you open in Spring but just be aware that the "aftercare" is what keeps the staining at bay.
 

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samt said:
The AA treatment has turned into a yearly treatment for me. I consider it just routine maintenance. Unless I replace all the water it seems the stains always come back. And that's with keeping ph at 7.2.
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Staining is a real risk here too (with copper loaded fill water) but I've discovered several ways to avoid it, if not minimize it.

If at all possible, keep from having to SLAM your water because sudden high pushes in pH and chlorine levels risk orange staining. The dreaded purple haze (copper deposits) can be offset with routine use of an HEDP sequestrant to pull out the metals as well as keeping your TA and CYA levels in check.

Hope that helps you because as effective as the AA treatment is, I sure don't like going through that process and the extended aftercare.
 
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