After opening the pool this season, we found it to be stained yellow. Your first inclination is algae. Nope not that. Totally perplexed over this until it dawned on me it appears to be a metal stain! We scrubbed ourselves crazy on the pool and the stains did not budge. This is what I got to take the iron out cleared up completely overnight BUT…….it was really hot out and my pool was running low on Chlorine, so I turned the salt cell up to Superchlorinate and bam! The pool turned yellow again!!! Gotta start the process all over. My question is: how long does it take to filter out the iron and do I need to change the sand because of this? The last photo is how well it cleared up but since the salt is turning it yellow again, we have to buy more stain remover!! Shew!
Yellow stained pool
- Thread starter Tmeade60
- Start date
- Jun 24, 2021
- 7,755
- Pool Size
- 30000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60
What is your FC level? If it is very high, then the precipitate will likely go away as the FC lowers. Either way, it would be good to have a complete picture of your chemistry. Do you have a good Test Kits Compared that you can post some numbers from?
Vanish is likely Ascorbic Acid (Vitimin C).
Looks like this article may be a good start. Try some vitamin C tabs in a sock. Scrub on a stain. If it goes away, then yes it it iron.
www.troublefreepool.com
Ascorbic Acid treatment will take the stains out. But you likely need to get the precipitate out of the pool first, or let the FC come back down. Here is one way someone did it with polyfill. You could hook up a sump pump and pump it through the pail with polyfil. Or put polyfil in the skimmers.
Others that know more about sequestrants will come along and comment.
Vanish is likely Ascorbic Acid (Vitimin C).
Looks like this article may be a good start. Try some vitamin C tabs in a sock. Scrub on a stain. If it goes away, then yes it it iron.
Stains in Your Pool
The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.
www.troublefreepool.com
Ascorbic Acid treatment will take the stains out. But you likely need to get the precipitate out of the pool first, or let the FC come back down. Here is one way someone did it with polyfill. You could hook up a sump pump and pump it through the pail with polyfil. Or put polyfil in the skimmers.
Others that know more about sequestrants will come along and comment.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,981
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Here’s some info on dealing with the iron.
You can continuously sequester it with expensive products or remove it. If it is from your fill water (likely) then draining & refilling won’t do much good.
www.troublefreepool.com
You can continuously sequester it with expensive products or remove it. If it is from your fill water (likely) then draining & refilling won’t do much good.
Iron Fill Water Filter - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
The FC and chlorine was actually very low so that’s another reason I turned the salt cell to superchlorinate then the yellow came back so I pretty much knew at that point it was an issue with the salt. I live in an extremely rural area and have dealt with iron well water for a long time (until city water was installed), but there’s never been any iron well water put in the pool. But the stains were exactly how iron water leaves just about anything you wash in it a dingy yellow color. Ascorbic acid works miracles for the stain so that’ll be my resolution this time too, however, I still wonder about changing the sand in the filter and will this ever resolve?What is your FC level? If it is very high, then the precipitate will likely go away as the FC lowers. Either way, it would be good to have a complete picture of your chemistry. Do you have a good Test Kits Compared that you can post some numbers from?
Vanish is likely Ascorbic Acid (Vitimin C).
Looks like this article may be a good start. Try some vitamin C tabs in a sock. Scrub on a stain. If it goes away, then yes it it iron.
Stains in Your Pool
The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.
Ascorbic Acid treatment will take the stains out. But you likely need to get the precipitate out of the pool first, or let the FC come back down. Here is one way someone did it with polyfill. You could hook up a sump pump and pump it through the pail with polyfil. Or put polyfil in the skimmers.
Others that know more about sequestrants will come along and comment.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,981
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I also ordered the Taylors pool testing kit that u mentions above but I haven’t received it yet.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 48,123
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I don't think changing the sand will help. For whatever reason, salt, well water, and/or local water (with an elevated iron level) have the pool's iron level to a point where a certain FC & pH combination causes the interaction. You may have some flexibility with chemical adjustments once you verify the true levels with your new test kit. In the meantime, continue to try and filter with polyfill to remove as much iron as possible.
Thanks so much. I’ll order some polyfill and try that too. I’ll have to put it in my skimmer because the video is way too elaborate to try! Lol
anyways, I’ll keep you advised on these suggested. I’m hoping that just filtering and filtering will eventually get it all out. It stay crystal clear for about 5 days and then poof, it comes
right back!
anyways, I’ll keep you advised on these suggested. I’m hoping that just filtering and filtering will eventually get it all out. It stay crystal clear for about 5 days and then poof, it comes
right back!
jedigrover
Gold Supporter
- Sep 13, 2010
- 333
- Pool Size
- 21000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Vanish is either Ascorbic Acid or Citric Acid. Both will help to get the iron out of the stains and back into solution. The problem is that if it is still in solution, then every time your CL gets high enough, it's going to go green. I would do the polyfill filtering to try and pull it out of solution.
It's a good bet that Clorox salt did it. It gave me plaster stains last year that I'm about to start working on with ascorbic acid.
It's a good bet that Clorox salt did it. It gave me plaster stains last year that I'm about to start working on with ascorbic acid.
I just ordered the polyfill. How do u suggest I use it? I was thinking of putting it in my skimmers. 
Do you think putting the polyfill in my skimmer with be too hard of a pull on my pump or do u think it’ll be ok?
The salt may or may not be a contributor but I'll bet that well is. How do you intend to add new water to your pool?
reggiehammond
Gold Supporter
- Oct 4, 2020
- 1,558
- Pool Size
- 30000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Polyfill in the skimmer will work, but makes it single-use because of all the other Crud it'll catch.
Disregard my post above. You can fill with city water now, right?
There’s never been any well water put in the pool so I’m about 99% sure it’s the clorox brand salt.
yes it’s all city water
- Jun 22, 2014
- 48,123
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I'd be curious to know if the polyfill is picking-up any of the iron by the end of the day. With that much iron precipitation I would think it's a prime candidate for filtering.
I’ll post pics. The funny thing is the pool was crystal clear 2 days ago!!!
