Pool Stains

[PoolNewbi3]

New pool owner here, purchased a foreclosure in April 2014 and neighbors tell me at one point the pool was completely green/black. The majority of the staining is on the walls and a bit on the floors and looks as if when it was restored you can see the brush strokes on the surface where it was cleaned. I just tried the stain ID yesterday and based on testing it seems that these are copper stains. I applied some of the stop stain and hit with a wire brush which seemed to fade some of it out. Looking for feedback on this one. Thanks.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! If I understand you correctly you used a stain identifying kit and determined these were copper stains? If that is correct, we need to determine the source of the copper, so that once the stains are cleaned they don't come back. Did the previous owners use anything in the pool that contained copper such as copper based algecide, or mineral packs? Less common sources of copper are old, deteriorating copper pipes in the plumbing or deteriorating copper heat exchangers in a heater. If your not sure what was used, post pictures of any old pool product containers they may have left lying around, and pictures of the equipment pad as well. That will help us narrow down the copper source.

 

[PoolNewbi3]

The previous owners left nothing behind, I believe there used to be an electric heater which they removed and took with them as well. The pool water stays clean and clear with the exception of those stains. I usually shock it once a week with liquid chlorine and keep the levels in line based on feedback from the store water tests. Based on measurements of the pool it comes in at about 7k gallons. See the link below for the picture of the pad.

http://imgur.com/L9LT6Pp

 

[zea3]

Have a sample of the pool water tested for copper. The best way to deal with copper staining is to acid wash the pool if the stains cover a large area, then dilute the copper with a partial drain and refill of pool water. You can also manage the copper without draining by treating the stains and using sequestrant on a regular basis.

For the future avoid any copper based algaecides and use only polyquat based algaecides if needed.

I also strongly urge you to invest in a high quality test kit, such as a Taylor K2600 or the TF 100 from Tftestkits.com . With your own test kit you control the conditions in how the tests are performed so that you have more consistent results and only treat the pool with what is needed at that time.

 

[duraleigh]

While it is impossible to tell from pics and guessing, (you need to positively identify the stains) What I see does not look like typical copper staining. I have never had it in my pool but the pics I see here on the forum are much darker, almost black, and are blotchy in smaller areas. Yours appear uniformly widespread.

Since you do not have your own copper testing kit, I would suggest going to another store and getting your water tested for copper.

+1 what zea3 said about taking charge of your pool and getting your own kit to manage your water better.

 

[PoolNewbi3]

Thanks for the advice and Happy Holidays!