Please help new member with liner staining problems.

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SteelSteve

0
Aug 15, 2015
10
Chesapeake, Virginia
Fist let me provide some basic information :
Pool - Above Ground - 24ft round Steal pool - approx. 13,000 gals.
Frog inline Chlorination system (Mineral pack + Chlorine pack)
Filtration is Sand filter with 1 horse pump


I've had the pool now for about 7 seasons. The first liner (yes I said first liner), started developing brown staining after the first or second season and progressively got worse. I spoke with the pool company and there best guess was ground mold, which I was told once it takes root in the liner there is nothing I could do. So about 2 seasons ago I replaced the liner, and had them install a plastic matting under the liner to prevent this from happening again. Well I've now stated seeing this brown staining again. Should be noted the water is and has been crystal clear. I asked the pool store if the Frogs mineral pack could be causing it and was told no.


A few additional pieces of information which may help is I have wedding cake steps in the pool. To hold them down the steps have 3 bladders which need to be filled, the instructions call for sand but I chose to use rocks / gravel (bought a couple of bags at the home depot). I have test strips but to be honest haven't used them much. I have had the water tested at the pool store a couple of weeks ago and was told I needed Ph Up and Alkalinity UP which I added. Had the water tested again today, and was told my phosphorus was a little high so I'll be adding the appropriate chemical for that tomorrow. Here are the numbers provided by the pool store:


Free Chlorine: 0.0 ppm (I shock every weekend, and have 2lbs of shock waiting to go in but was told by the pool store not to shock it for 2 days after applying the Phosphorus chemicals
Total Chlorine: 0.2 ppm ( I also bought a new Frog backpack to replace the one that is almost empty, but again was told to wait on installing for 2 days).
Combined Chlorine: 0.2 ppm
PH: 7.5
Hardness: OVR247 ppm
Alkalinity: 35 ppm
Cyanuric Acid: 38 ppm
Copper: 0.1 ppm
Iron: 0.1 ppm


Sorry for the long post. I asked them if the staining could be Metals, but they tell me my metals are low. I guess I'm hoping someone will tell me its not ground mold, but something easily correctable so that I don't end up having to purchase a third liner with in the next couple of years.
 
Hello Steve. Welcome to TFP. Based on your thread title, I was 99% you had metals in the water, but based on the readings above for copper/iron, I'm not so sure. But say, the first thing you really need to do is stay clear of the pool store for products and testing. You need to take charge of your pool with a test kit from TFTestkits.net. Everything you do from this point forward begins there.

Don't waste money on algaecides, phosphate removers, etc. Stick with regular liquid bleach for right now - about 1 gal each evening until you can get either a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006. Then we can get proper test results and really help you better. For now, perhaps try rubbing some crushed vitamin C tabs on a stain, or perhaps even an old chlorine tablet on the stain to see if that helps.
 
Hi! You will be so glad you found us. I am sorry to say ............you have been "pool stored" :( They are selling you stuff you do not need and will cause problems. Oh wait it already has :(

First step.............do NOT put the frog backpack in please oh pretty please! It adds metals to your water and metals are bad for a pool.

Second step order your own test kit. You can look in my siggy to find the pool kits we use and love. This will save you SO much time and money!

Yeah I know the pool store will test for free but...........is it really free if you walk out with $$ stuff????? nope!

I am going to share a link with you. It will show you what we use to maintain our pools. Most of it can be bought at Walmart! Neat huh???

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

We can help you work on your pool. Let us know when you order your test kit.

Kim
 
Are you *still* using the Frog mineral packs? I would venture to say that is the cause of staining..... we don't like 'em and don't recommend them.

I'd also suggest you refund the PhosFree as its overpriced and generally unnecessary if you'd just keep enough FC and CYA in your water. Why do you "shock" every weekend yet what do you do for chlorine during the week? If you don't have a salt water chlorine generator, liquid chlorine (aka "bleach") works just as well. And without any unwanted ingredients.

As one guy here says- "A pool is like a pet. You have to feed it daily whether you want to play with it or not".

Time for you to head to PoolSchool and review some basics of pool chemistry. The link is on the top right of this page.
 
Hi Steve,
the frog system you are using contains copper ions as an algaecide, and copper leaves black stains in the pool.
Here is a thread about it, and this is why we dont recommend using any system, being mineral packs or algaecides that use copper.
HELP with Copper Stains

If its iron staining, that can be easy enough to remove. But first you need to make sure if its iron or not. The easiest way is go rub a Vitamin C Pill on the stains. Yes, regular ol' Vitamin C pill. If the stain lifts, then its iron.
 
Thanks for the quick responses. I thought after 7 seasons I was an old salt at maintaining pools, but it looks like I'm wrong.

Kimkats:: I'm sorry to say that I'm not just now adding the Frog, it was what the pool store sold with the pool so it's been in use for 7 seasons. Since the season here is almost over I was thinking about replacing it with an inline Chlorine dispenser (don't want a Chlorine float in the pool). The problem is though I like the lower Chlorine levels in the pool, people always tell me they like the fact that the water doesn't burn their eyes like in most Chlorine pools. What do you / anyone else reading this recommend using?
 
YippeeSKippy:: Yes currently I am still using the mineral pack and back pack (until now I've had no reason to doubt it).
My parents have always had pools and have instilled shocking every weekend which is why I do that, as for Chlorine during the week isn't that what the FROG is for?
I've never heard of using bleach to Chlorine, can't that bleach or dull the liner? How do I determine how much to use?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks everyone, looks like I have some reading to do.
 
Household bleach is the exact same chemical as Pool Store liquid chlorine, just the strengths are different.

Bleach is usually 8.25% whereas liquid chlorine is often >10%. The.Very.Same.Chemical. Honest!

The bleach & liquid chlorine is nice because unlike pool store granular chemicals, the liquid doesn't add "other stuff" which may be either CYA or Calcium. You only need x amount of CYA and vinyl pools don't even need calcium. So we like to add our chemicals singularly instead of some compound mixture. We use just what we need and leave the rest out.
 

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You are heading in the right direction----------reading and learning!

All I have to do each day is run a FC test and add what is needed. Most of the time is it about 6 cups of chlorine!

I am going to give you another link. It will show you what needs to be done with your pool. After a while you will be able to tell what your pool needs just by looking at it!

Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Kim
 
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