We have a blue fiberglass pool which is 2.5 yrs old and there is a white film coating most of the pool along with wavy blue/black stains. Does anyone know of a professional stain remover company in/near San Antonio TX?
Fiberglass Staining
- Thread starter Jayspoon
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Welcome to TFP! 
White film and wavy (colored) staining could be two totally different issues. You could call any of our local pool companies (Gary's Pools & Patio (Hwy 281), Lonestar (NB), etc) and they will probably give you two basic responses:
1 - We do (or do not) do gelcoat refurbishment. If they do it is quite expensive.
2 - Try to treat the chalky and blue/black staining with various polishing and/or chemical treatments. No guarantee of success unless you know the root cause.
Being new to TFP, I guess the first thing we should establish is do you wish to diagnosis the discolorations yourself at all, or do you simply want to look for a local reference and turn it over to them? I ask because we typically ask for testing results, water history, pics, etc if someone wishes to so some DIY effort. If you only want some references and do not wish to do anything yourself, the two places above are the first two that come to my mind.
Let us know how you feel and if you would like to discuss your issue more in detail and we'll be happy to help.
White film and wavy (colored) staining could be two totally different issues. You could call any of our local pool companies (Gary's Pools & Patio (Hwy 281), Lonestar (NB), etc) and they will probably give you two basic responses:1 - We do (or do not) do gelcoat refurbishment. If they do it is quite expensive.
2 - Try to treat the chalky and blue/black staining with various polishing and/or chemical treatments. No guarantee of success unless you know the root cause.
Being new to TFP, I guess the first thing we should establish is do you wish to diagnosis the discolorations yourself at all, or do you simply want to look for a local reference and turn it over to them? I ask because we typically ask for testing results, water history, pics, etc if someone wishes to so some DIY effort. If you only want some references and do not wish to do anything yourself, the two places above are the first two that come to my mind.
Let us know how you feel and if you would like to discuss your issue more in detail and we'll be happy to help.
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How do you sanitize your pool? Have you been using any copper containing products such as cheaper algaecides or pucks like Clorox XtraBlu? Those can cause copper stains particularly to fiberglass pools.
Maddie
Maddie
Copper staining is possible. I used a natural sunlight activated “chlorinator” from Costco that had a copper coil. We had it in the pool for about 4 weeks in the heat of summer before removing it. I honestly don’t recall the blue stains prior to that.
I tried the Jacks Magic stain ID kit but none of the products seemed to help. I am definitely willing to try DIY with chemicals but have had no luck in the identification process.Welcome to TFP!
1 - We do (or do not) do gelcoat refurbishment. If they do it is quite expensive.
2 - Try to treat the chalky and blue/black staining with various polishing and/or chemical treatments. No guarantee of success unless you know the root cause.
Being new to TFP, I guess the first thing we should establish is do you wish to diagnosis the discolorations yourself at all, or do you simply want to look for a local reference and turn it over to them? I ask because we typically ask for testing results, water history, pics, etc if someone wishes to so some DIY effort. If you only want some references and do not wish to do anything yourself, the two places above are the first two that come to my mind.
Let us know how you feel and if you would like to discuss your issue more in detail and we'll be happy to help.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Please see the pics. There’s black/blue waves and spots and also the white chalky stuff above the water line.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I have a feeling the chalky/faded color is much like what I have experienced below. No real rhyme or reason I'm afraid. I'm curious, who is your pool manufacture? Also may I also ask who was your installer? As large and clear as those pics are, I'm having a hard time picking out the black stains. I think I see some of them but .... 
You already mentioned using copper in the past. Do you have any dry acid (aka pH Down) around? If so, placing some in a thin sock and rubbing it on the dark stain might tell us something. Doubtful it's iron from our local water, but if you are curious you can rub a Vitamin C tablet directly on the dark stain to check.
As a formality, it would be a good idea if you could post a full set of water test results. I doubt anything will point directly to the color changes, but it's good to be sure.
www.troublefreepool.com
You already mentioned using copper in the past. Do you have any dry acid (aka pH Down) around? If so, placing some in a thin sock and rubbing it on the dark stain might tell us something. Doubtful it's iron from our local water, but if you are curious you can rub a Vitamin C tablet directly on the dark stain to check.As a formality, it would be a good idea if you could post a full set of water test results. I doubt anything will point directly to the color changes, but it's good to be sure.
Fiberglass Discoloration (Faded & Chalky) - My Story
DISCLAIMER The following is a dialog of my own personal experience. Any processes used, chemically or otherwise, were performed strictly on my own without any recommendations from Trouble Free Pools. FUTURE POSTING I am trying to keep this thread streamlined with just my own progress for all...
www.troublefreepool.com
Lonestar manufactured and installed the pool. I only have liquid muriatic acid.I have a feeling the chalky/faded color is much like what I have experienced below. No real rhyme or reason I'm afraid. I'm curious, who is your pool manufacture? Also may I also ask who was your installer? As large and clear as those pics are, I'm having a hard time picking out the black stains. I think I see some of them but ....
As a formality, it would be a good idea if you could post a full set of water test results. I doubt anything will point directly to the color changes, but it's good to be sure.
Fiberglass Discoloration (Faded & Chalky) - My Story
DISCLAIMER The following is a dialog of my own personal experience. Any processes used, chemically or otherwise, were performed strictly on my own without any recommendations from Trouble Free Pools. FUTURE POSTING I am trying to keep this thread streamlined with just my own progress for all...
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Yeah, out of NB. We looked into them as well many years ago before the relocated. Curious what brand of pool it is (Viking, San Juan, etc). Might not make a big difference at this point, but looking to see if there are any historical trends out there.
So Lonestar manufacturers their own pools. Can I use the liquid muriatic acid for the test? Otherwise I can get some Ph Down. If that works on the blue/black stains what would that mean the stain is? I am going to try and get better pics this afternoon with an underwater camera. We did struggle with super high phosphates the end of last summer, as well as keeping the FC level up. Also had significant mold/algae issue at the same time.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
No kidding? I should've know that.
I still get their emails to try and buy a pool. ha. MA is safe for a test. Viking had me pour MA on an exposed step to test for calcium at one point. The trick might be getting liquid as opposed to granules to the stain you want to test.The phosphates and algae issues are totally unrelated to the discoloration and stains you are seeing. I'll talk about that in just a moment, but don't want to get too far off track on the purpose of your stains.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Phosphates are basically food that supports algae. TFP's position is that if a pool is algae-free, what does it matter what the phosphate number is? That philosophy has worked very well here for years. Most TFP members never test for phosphates. Only is a very few scenarios do we go down the phosphate road, and when we do it's for a very specific purpose. When a pool gets algae, it's simply because the FC level was allowed to fall too low and/or the CYA (stabilizer) level got so high the FC could not keep p as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.
If you ever do get algae, treat it by performing a SLAM Process. If you are in doubt about algae and suspect something is off, you can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. I see in your signature you have the Color Q and Taylor's K-2005. Each has its limitations. In the future, I would encourage you to get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C kit, but for now if you get the FAS-DPD (powder & drops), you'll essentially convert your K-2005 to a K-2006 kit and be able to test FC at very accurate levels. You'll see later what I mean. Very important testing.
www.troublefreepool.com
If you ever do get algae, treat it by performing a SLAM Process. If you are in doubt about algae and suspect something is off, you can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. I see in your signature you have the Color Q and Taylor's K-2005. Each has its limitations. In the future, I would encourage you to get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C kit, but for now if you get the FAS-DPD (powder & drops), you'll essentially convert your K-2005 to a K-2006 kit and be able to test FC at very accurate levels. You'll see later what I mean. Very important testing.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Interesting. We did have extremely high CYA as well. Over 100. And that had me dumping extreme amounts of chlorine to get the FC up. We’ve since got the CYA down to around 50 by half emptying the pool 4-5 times.Phosphates are basically food that supports algae. TFP's position is that if a pool is algae-free, what does it matter what the phosphate number is? That philosophy has worked very well here for years. Most TFP members never test for phosphates. Only is a very few scenarios do we go down the phosphate road, and when we do it's for a very specific purpose. When a pool gets algae, it's simply because the FC level was allowed to fall too low and/or the CYA (stabilizer) level got so high the FC could not keep p as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.
If you ever do get algae, treat it by performing a SLAM Process. If you are in doubt about algae and suspect something is off, you can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. I see in your signature you have the Color Q and Taylor's K-2005. Each has its limitations. In the future, I would encourage you to get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C kit, but for now if you get the FAS-DPD (powder & drops), you'll essentially convert your K-2005 to a K-2006 kit and be able to test FC at very accurate levels. You'll see later what I mean. Very important testing.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
Current test from today: FC & TC:3.55, PH 7.9, T ALK 109, CYA 45, CH 375, 70 deg, SAT 0.5Phosphates are basically food that supports algae. TFP's position is that if a pool is algae-free, what does it matter what the phosphate number is? That philosophy has worked very well here for years. Most TFP members never test for phosphates. Only is a very few scenarios do we go down the phosphate road, and when we do it's for a very specific purpose. When a pool gets algae, it's simply because the FC level was allowed to fall too low and/or the CYA (stabilizer) level got so high the FC could not keep p as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.
If you ever do get algae, treat it by performing a SLAM Process. If you are in doubt about algae and suspect something is off, you can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. I see in your signature you have the Color Q and Taylor's K-2005. Each has its limitations. In the future, I would encourage you to get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C kit, but for now if you get the FAS-DPD (powder & drops), you'll essentially convert your K-2005 to a K-2006 kit and be able to test FC at very accurate levels. You'll see later what I mean. Very important testing.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,194
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Those numbers aren't bad. Certainly nothing that would explain the discolorations. I would however lower the pH under 7.8.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,945
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
We have an automatic feeder with trichlor tablets from Costco. I’ve since switched to just using liquid chlorine. I can’t determine a better alternative.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,945
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Those contain copper. You are still feeding the water copper. You should consider stopping that.
