Pool floor turned dark gray after shock

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Fonzi

0
Jul 29, 2013
6
I put some shock in my pool and around the 3ft shallow area it turned a dark grey, almost black.

I tried using a wire brush and the robot to remove it and it won't come off.

I also have a Floatron and a electric heater.

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It almost looks like a metal stain or something.
 

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Welcome to TFP. You just gotta KNOW we're gonna ask you to post up some test results to help, right? How do you normally sanitize the pool and what exactly did you use to "shock" with?
 
I use Poolife TurboShock. I buy a huge jug of it for $250 and it lasts me about a year. And I have a salt generator, as well as the Floatron.

That is the only shock I have used since I owned the house, which is about one year.

Any ideas on what I should tell the guys pool place tomorrow? Or what to buy? I hope it goes away, looks terrible. Only thing I found high was my Ph.

Something is telling me that this stain came from the Floatron, because it uses copper?
 
Fonzi said:
I use Poolife TurboShock. I buy a huge jug of it for $250 and it lasts me about a year. And I have a salt generator, as well as the Floatron.

That is the only shock I have used since I owned the house, which is about one year.

Any ideas on what I should tell the guys pool place tomorrow? Or what to buy? I hope it goes away, looks terrible. Only thing I found high was my Ph.

Something is telling me that this stain came from the Floatron, because it uses copper?
Click to expand...
That would be a good assumption.
 
Remember, it's the pool place that thinks copper is a good thing in your pool. Just saying!

I can't find the msds for the erase product. Apparently you have to call them for one. Sounds kind of suspicious to me. It's probably ascorbic acid.

Also keep in mind that once you have to sequester the metals it's an ongoing proposition. You'll have to add weekly doses of sequestrant to keep the stains from coming back. Just figure that into the equation when deciding whether to replace the water or not.
 

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Fonzi said:
Wow. Definitely don't want to replace the water.. Well I'm stuck.

I'll see if the pool place has anything.
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I am going to let you know, in no uncertain terms, that the recommendations you get at the pool place and here are going to be very different. We will give you advice that could be time consuming but is backed by science and hundreds of real world examples. The pool store will sell you a product. You are not going to be able to mix their advice and ours. Just keep in mind that their mindset (copper ions kill algae so it's a good thing!) is what caused this mess.

We can help, of that there is no question. We can help you do it cost efficiently and effectively. The first thing I am going to tell you is take that bleeping Floatron out and throw it away. Next, aside of needing Jacks Purple Stuff (or preferably a water drain), what are your current test results?
 
Bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Chemistry ... 88-4730944

Made the stain go away instantly. They didn't find copper. I thought since the pool was gunite it would be hard to remove, but it came off the second I put it in. Magic?

I was hoping this would remove my algae (I think) stains too. The last owners of the house were an old couple and they paid someone to take care of the pool. Apparently they didn't do a good job.

Here are the test results I got today:

Free chlorine- 5.39
Total chlorine- 5.39
Cyanuric acid- 39
Calcium hardness- 373
Total alkalinity- 87
Ph- 8.20 (Brought down to use the remover)
Copper- 0.10
Iron- 0
 
Welcome to tfp, Fonzi :wave:

Fonzi said:
Ph- 8.20 (Brought down to use the remover)
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Is this correct? You do not want your ph that high especially with metals in the water. I would lower it down to 7.2 asap.

Fonzi said:
Bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Chemistry ... 88-4730944

Made the stain go away instantly. They didn't find copper. I thought since the pool was gunite it would be hard to remove, but it came off the second I put it in. Magic?
Click to expand...
That is ascorbic acid (a very expensive version). The stains were either something else like iron, or you got lucky and had one of the "easier" forms of copper to remove. Bottom line is if you keep using the metal ions (floatron) you issue will likely appear again. Make sure you use a sequestrant to keep the metals from redepositing. By the way we highly recommend against metal ion systems...you are finding out why first hand.

Fonzi said:
I was hoping this would remove my algae (I think) stains too.
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If you have organic stains then raising your FC up a little bit (maybe 7-8 ppm) will slowly remove them. Make sure to lower your ph first (again down to 7.2) so that you do not exasperate your staining.
 
Honestly, I think you got lucky. The Ascorbic Acid you bought was one of the things that the helpers were going to be suggest but I expect it would have been tried on a smaller scale before risking the whole pool. The methods recommended here are generally focused on safely fixing your pool and not risking your pool long-term.

I hope you have good luck and decide which path you want to take as the BBB/TFP method and the pool store you shop at are polar opposites. Attempting to combine the two methods is a recipe for failure... and a ruined pool. Plaster finishes can be permanently damaged by one misstep.
 
I've been looking around and the stains look like organic stains. I've been trying to get rid of them for a while now with shock. It wont do anything, they keep coming back. Adding a ton of shock to one area with the pump off and leaving it there for a few days helped some, but then again, they came back. It's like big and small patches of green that can't be brushed off. Then again, a lot of leaves and debris were left in the bottom of the pool when it came in my hands.
 
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