Pool company used algaecide that introduced copper in my water, kids hair turning green.

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nsa

nsa

Active member
Aug 5, 2022
39
South Carolina
Pool Size
13000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-20
I had my pool installed last year, so since it was new I used the pool builder company to winterize and re-open the pool. They admitted that they added an algaecide. My test kit (LaMotte 3619) has measured 0.2 of copper. I read somewhere that even smaller amounts of copper can tint blonde hair green. It's a shame because I had my water chemistry perfect last year. Anyway, I am exploring my options and could do with some expert advice.

1. Partially drain the pool, leaving 1ft in the shallow end, and re-filling to avoid having to get a liner vacuum.
2. Buy a liner vacuum (such as Air Supply 3 Blower and Vinyl Liner Vacuum)
3. Use a sequestrant like Pool Mate 1-2550-04 Metal Out, but I know this doesn't actually remove it.

I think the best option is to completely drain the pool and buy a vacuum pump. Has anyone used the Air Supply 3? I don't know which hoses / pipes I need to insert into the liner. The pool company had used two when they installed the pool, one on each side, and their hose had a wide flat end (around 5" wide) inserted into the sides of the liner.

Before I do anything, I could do with some advice. My daughter and her friends are very mad. :oops:
 
First off, go to Amazon and buy the shampoos that remove copper from hair. Make the girls happy :)
Next off, I would do the water exchange if possible. You're on city water or well water?? You don't want to be dealing with copper stains down the line, which is still a risk. Bite the bullet if possible and get fresh water.


Maddie :flower:
 
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Alright I thought I'd update here. I did a partial drain and refill, probably 40% since I don't have a liner vacuum (yet) to keep it in place for a full drain. Didn't make any difference to the copper measurement at all. I'm not sure how accurate the LaMotte 3619 copper test kit is, but it's kind of hard to read, so perhaps it went down a little.

I've ordered some ProTeam Metal Magic as recommended here. I hope that if I use that, and regularly clean the pool filters that I can actually remove the majority of it. I'm curious if I can remove it entirely with multiple treatments.

Why though, do pool companies use copper based algaecides in the first place? My water chemistry was perfect last year. No signs of algae, staining, anything. I thought to myself, I'll get them to close and open the pool last winter as a one-time thing so I can see how they do it, and since I was traveling a lot for work so time for me was limited. This has now cost me time and money trying to rectify it. I'm a new pool owner, so learning this stuff for the first time, but they like many other pool companies have been in business for years. Why then can't they consult with the pool owner, and tell them what chemicals they are planning to add. I'm not blaming the guy the added the chemicals, he just works for the company, but surely the owner should educate their employees. /rant over
 
nsa said:
Why though, do pool companies use copper based algaecides in the first place?
Click to expand...
Mine had no idea. They'd tell me to add Bioguard Banish and then ask me what I did to raise the copper level.

The 30+ year guy told me his liquid shock was 99%.

They don't read their own labels.
 
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If you’re lucky, the guy that owns the service company might have CPO training. Even then, it’s not guaranteed that they care much about the chemistry side of things. Most will simply follow whatever the chemical suppliers tell them to do. They have a service process they use that minimizes their time in your yard and maximizes their profit. They aren’t going to change what they do simply because your kid gets some green hair. As for the guys driving around in the trucks … they are either kids that are just there to make a day’s wage or guys that care more about knocking off at 4pm and hitting the bar with their buddies than actually doing a good job. There are good and thoughtful workers in all the trades but their numbers are few compared to the overwhelming hoard of hacks and con-artists.
 
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nsa said:
TroubleFreePools should form a nationwide pool company. It would be the best Dang pool company on the planet!
Click to expand...

And the biggest money-loser ever to exist 😉

TFP doesn’t scale well as a business model. It would never survive.
 
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nsa said:
I had my pool installed last year, so since it was new I used the pool builder company to winterize and re-open the pool. They admitted that they added an algaecide. My test kit (LaMotte 3619) has measured 0.2 of copper. I read somewhere that even smaller amounts of copper can tint blonde hair green. It's a shame because I had my water chemistry perfect last year. Anyway, I am exploring my options and could do with some expert advice.

1. Partially drain the pool, leaving 1ft in the shallow end, and re-filling to avoid having to get a liner vacuum.
2. Buy a liner vacuum (such as Air Supply 3 Blower and Vinyl Liner Vacuum)
3. Use a sequestrant like Pool Mate 1-2550-04 Metal Out, but I know this doesn't actually remove it.

I think the best option is to completely drain the pool and buy a vacuum pump. Has anyone used the Air Supply 3? I don't know which hoses / pipes I need to insert into the liner. The pool company had used two when they installed the pool, one on each side, and their hose had a wide flat end (around 5" wide) inserted into the sides of the liner.

Before I do anything, I could do with some advice. My daughter and her friends are very mad. :oops:
Click to expand...
There are a few ways to get the green out of the hair - ketchup or vitamin c are a couple.
As for the pool, have you read about the no drain water exchange?
Section 3.5👇

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Mdragger88 said:
There are a few ways to get the green out of the hair - ketchup or vitamin c are a couple.
As for the pool, have you read about the no drain water exchange?
Section 3.5👇

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...

I have seen the exchange post (and tarp method) but to be honest I am wondering why not just use a liner vacuum (Air Supply) and even a shop-vac in addition to ensure a good vacuum, drain completely, then re-fill?

Although I will be trying ProTeam Metal Magic and hoping that removes the copper through my filters. I don't want to be spending money by adding that every week, so fingers crossed.

P.S. I am still mad at the pool company.
 
nsa said:
I have seen the exchange post (and tarp method) but to be honest I am wondering why not just use a liner vacuum (Air Supply) and even a shop-vac in addition to ensure a good vacuum, drain completely, then re-fill?

Although I will be trying ProTeam Metal Magic and hoping that removes the copper through my filters. I don't want to be spending money by adding that every week, so fingers crossed.

P.S. I am still mad at the pool company.
Click to expand...
You can do a full exchange with the no drain water exchange method & not risk your liner shifting at all.
I would be mad too but honestly that’s just how they roll- lesson learned!
 
Liners stretch and plasticly deform when they are filled. As you empty, the liner can shift, even with a good vacuum, and it will begin to contract somewhat. The added contraction and expansion could result in a liner tearing or breaking up if it is brittle. You can’t control this simply by placing a vacuum behind it because the seal isn’t perfect. The risk of liner damage and the associated cost of getting a new liner installed simply isn’t worth the slight inconvenience of green hair.

Do the exchange drain method or use a sequestering agent. But I highly recommend you do not drain the pool fully.
 
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JoyfulNoise said:
And the biggest money-loser ever to exist 😉

TFP doesn’t scale well as a business model. It would never survive.
Click to expand...
Right. But I've wondered whether there are more custom internet-based ideas that might scale.

I know as a first-time new old pool owner I'd have been happy to pay a pretty big price to be able to email/chat with a real person who actually knew and could explain things for the first few months. Something like send in pictures of pool and equipment, get 1-1 explanations of what's what and obvious problems identified for fixes. Get the first testing setup. Real time coaching through first test run. Pointers to applicable documents to read. Coach through the first filter cleaning, etc. etc. I know you all could work out a solid program.

Sure all above is covered by Pool School and asking questions here and a lot of off-line sleuthing and study, but I'm pretty sure many people feel uncomfortable learning the ropes alone (where the price of a mistake seems high) and would pay for a more custom experience.
 
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generessler said:
I know as a first-time new old pool owner I'd have been happy to pay a pretty big price to be able to email/chat with a real person who actually knew and could explain things for the first few months.
Click to expand...
FaceTime would make several things easier for all parties. Walking someone through testing the first few times, adding chemicals, learning the equipment and maintenance of said equipment to name a few.
 
According to the conditions of my WITSEC agreement, I am not allowed to be on any social media video for any longer than 5 mins at a time and I’m required to use a high end VPN service to conceal my actual location. I’m also banned from all Chuck E Cheese establishments … but that’s a different story …
 
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