Brown stains all over the pool. Best way to remove?

[king.koopa]

I have been servicing a pool for 6 months. When I took over the pool it already had brown stains, but over time they have gotten worse. The brown has gotten darker and the pool has developed more stains.

Buying a stain remover that needs to be put directly onto the stains is no good as the pool is covered in them.

What, currently, is the best treatment for such stains? One that can simply be added to the pool as opposed to directly onto the stains.

Thank you.

 

[duraleigh]

You must first identify if the stain is organic or inorganic. Hold a puck on the stains for about a minute. If the puck lightens the stain, it is organic. Post back your results.

 

[king.koopa]

Great. I'll head over to the pool later this evening.

Is there anything else I can do while I am there? Any other tests to save me going back again later? I read something about absorbic acid?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You can take a vitamin C tablet and if the trichlor doesn't lighten it you can hold the tablet on it and see what that does.

 

[king.koopa]

OK... so I took a chlorine tab, held it against one of the stains for a minute, and it did nothing. I didn't have a Vit C tablet.

Any suggestions as to what I need to remove the stains or at least lighten them. Anything that requires putting on the stain directly is a no go as the stains cover most of the pool. I would need something that works with the pool water to remove or lighten the stain.

Thanks.

 

[duraleigh]

You can assume that the stain is from metal but I wouldn't. Crush up some cheap vitamin C tablets (ascorbic acid) and put them in a sock or something and hold them against the stain.....pehaps for a few minutes.

If it lightens the stain or removes it, then we can go from there.

 

[king.koopa]

Thank you. I will do that tomorrow and post results.

 

[king.koopa]

Ok, so I rubbed vit c tabs on part of a stain and although it didnt remove the stain, I did notice it lightened a little.

Does that mean the vit c worked?

 

[duraleigh]

Whjat it probably means is that the stain is from excess metal (iron) in your water and you can remove/lighten the stains with an ascorbic acid treatment.

Make sure it has truly lightened the stain before you pursue that treatment although the fact that the tab didn't have any affect is further indication it is a metal stain.

Read how to perform an ascorbic acid treatment in Pool School.

 

[king.koopa]

I went back to the pool, and the vitamin C tablet hasn't really removed much of the stain at all. It's lightened a little but you really have to look close, and even then it's only slight.

I'm really stuck as to what to do / what product to use.

I've attached an image of the stains in question. They are spread out throughout the pool.

 

[Bama Rambler]

How long did you hold the vitamin C tablet on the stain? Leave it on there for several minutes and see if it helps. If it does then follow Dave's advice.

 

[king.koopa]

I left it on there for a few minutes. I rubbed it in, placed it against the stain - whatever I could to get the vit C on the stain. Nothing of any significance happened.

I just dont want to start throwing $30 bottles of this and that into the pool until I have some clear direction as to what I should be doing.

I can't use anything that has to go directly onto the stain because the whole pool is covered. I need something to work with the water.

 

[Bama Rambler]

You can try Jacks stain identification kit, and that may tell you what it is.

This site would never suggest you "throw" chemicals in hoping they work. The pool stores are good at that. That's not what we're about.

 

[king.koopa]

This site would never suggest you "throw" chemicals in hoping they work. The pool stores are good at that. That's not what we're about.

Yes I know that, and appreciate that.