Pool stains look like rust

Pkhpool

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2023
371
Florida
Pool Size
6463
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi all, I’ve been battling with pool stains look like rust around the edges, spoke to pinch a penny and they said they can try a rust treatment which I’m not to confident about , they have started adding 2 cups of muric acid once a week adding photos thanks
 

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Get some Vitamin C tablets and rub them on the spots. If they go away, they are iron staining.

 
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Thanks will do, and the Muric acid which is being added which stains does this remove ?
It lowers your pH...

The only real use for Muriatic acid is to remove copper stains, but you would have to drain and manual acid wash.

Read the guide I linked. Let's identify the stain before we attempt to clear it.

Can you also post a full set of results...FC, CC, pH, TA, CH, CYA?

Or enable sharing your pool math logs with TFP. It's in the gear in the upper right hand corner in pool math.
 
Good day all, I’ve tested with the vitamin c and it started removing can anyone suggest which chemicals to purchase to remove them totally I purchased the below and not much success
 

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Good day all, I’ve tested with the vitamin c and it started removing can anyone suggest which chemicals to purchase
Ascorbic Acid.
I got some off Amazon a few weeks ago. You only need less than a pound but I would get two to have some. Just keep dry.

You will have to drain the pool after you treat the stains.

 
Hi yes I added around 4lbs of the picture below rubbing it into the stains then I’ve been running the pump for 8 hrs today the stains are fading slightly, I was going to back wash the sand filter afterwards.

How long did it take for your stains to be removed ?

Thought there may be a chemical to add to the pool then back wash the filter
 

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My stains disappear instantly. I do not circulate the pool with the ascorbic acid in the water as I do not want to pump that through the equipment. You should have 0FC and pH of 7.2 or slightly less when you start. Then immediately drain the pool and add back clean iron free water.
 
Thanks I’ve had the pool cleaner running 24 hrs after running, do I need to backwash my DE filter to remove anything or just bring the chlorine level up
 
The iron might have coated the filter, I do not know. That is not my process as I described above.
 
Hi all so looks like leaving the pool with these chemical in has definitely got rid of most of the stains. I’m thinking next step

1. Backwash the DE Hayward filter
2. Empty some of the water also
3 refill the DE via the skimmer
4. Add a 4-1 with Clorox powder to clear the cloudy water
5 check levels
6 run pump and add more chlorine
7. Recheck levels

Am I missing something thanks
 
You need to do what Marty (@mknauss )has indicated:

Then immediately drain the pool and add back clean iron free water.
See this:


4. Add a 4-1 with Clorox powder to clear the cloudy water
I would not use this product. It has Aluminum Sulfate. No Bueno. It will also add CYA. We do not recommend Clorox products, except for chlorine stabilizer, because they have additives that cause problems.

You should replace the water in your pool....you can do a no-drain water exchange if your fill water does not have iron.
 
Thanks for the info and will not use the clorex and try the no drain method with the below to the skimmer line whilst filling during emptying, not to risk any issues emptying to much
 

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Let's figure out where you need to drain and where you need to add.
What is the temperature of your fill water? (let it run for 5 minutes, then get the temperature.)
What is the temperature of your pool water?

I would be VERY careful using your pool pump. It will remove water much faster than you can add. You do NOT want to allow the pump to run dry, you can damage it. Better to use a submersible pump.
 
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Pool water is 78 around 80 degrees outside, thanks for the advise with the pool pump I’ve used it before after storms to drop water level out of the pool and as suggested don’t let it run dry. I may just drop it down to the skimmer level and refil then do it again in stages then back wash the DF filter a few times.

These stains weren’t too bad so was hoping the DF caught some of the stains.

I am wary to empty the pool all the way and can live with a few stains if they reappear.

My next thought is the upgrade my test kit from a 3 in 1 TO a 5 in 1 ?
 
Side note - I’ve been using a local pool company and they have been adding 2 cups
Of muric acid a week wasn’t sure if that was just to keep the filter clean, they wanted another 400$ to remove the stains
 

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