Yellow staining on vinyl liner

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dtracy55

0
Jul 12, 2016
11
Hudson, Ma
Have yellow staining on vinyl...never had before. I have 24 ft round x 52" tall vinyl above ground pool with 16400 gal. Had water tested today using pool watch water analysis with the following results:
total chlorine 6.0
free chlorine 5.9
ph 7.1
total alkalinity 71
calcium hardness 29
stavilizer 121
copper 0.0
iron 0.0
phosphate 497.0

Added 4 ounces Algecide and 5 pounds alkanality high. How do I remove the staining and what's causing it.
 
Staining is usually caused by metals in the water (iron or copper). Some rural areas or wells have iron, and many algaecides like the one you added is an example of a product that commonly introduces copper to water. The only way to remove metal once it's in is to drain or exchange that water. Just another example of pool store service and why we here at TFP advocate 100% pool owner control of their pools by testing their own water. Your TA was fine at 70 so there was no need to increase it either.
Best things you could do for yourself right now is:
- Obtain a proper test kit - either a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C (link below)
- For the stained area, try rubbing some vitamin C on it. Regular tablets crushed in a sock will do. If it lifts the stain it was probably iron (i.e. from well water). If it made the stain darker, it could be copper (i.e. from algaecides) in which case try some dry acid on the same area. If those don't show a change, try a tri-chlor puck on the area to see if it's organic. If that works, then an increased FC level may help reduce the overall appearance of the stain. Finally, there are also over-the-counter methods to ID a stain (i.e. Jack’s Magic Stain ID Kit – about $15) that can be used to help identify the cause of a stain.

Also see: Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains

Hope this helps get you going. Let us know if you have more questions.
 
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Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind as you move forward with your pool is independence. No one will care for your water better than you. Even if you're new to pools, once you have the proper test kit, you have 99% of your issues resolved - or at least identified. Now our recommended test kits (TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C) don't detect metals, but that's about the only test we'll recommend going to the pool store for. But the water sample needs to be taken before it gets to the pool (without chlorine). So grab a sample from the source.

Aside from that, with the proper readings you'll be amazed how much you can easily learn and control with your water. Please take some time to checkout those vital links below in my signature. They, along with the right test kit, are the corner stone of TFP care. Don't expect those references to match what you hear at the pool store or on some pool sites. TFP is not here to make money or sell products, only to make pool care "Trouble-Free" to the maximum extent possible. :)
 
Hi Pat - Just to let you know that I've been spending more time today looking through this site than doing my real job...yikes! I will try the things you suggested and I also purchased the TF-100 pool test kit. I should get it in a few days. :)
 
Had my water source tested yesterday. Here's the complete analysis although I wanted to have the report on metals.
TC 0.1
FC 0.1
pH 7.5
TA 37
Calcium Hardness 12
Stabilizer 0
Copper .1
Iron .2
Borate 0

Now waiting for my TF100 test kit to arrive.
 

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Interesting. Now what I would say about that is of course only focus on the metal results. While the metal numbers do appear to be under that we would consider to be troublesome for a pool, we have to remember this is a pool store test. They usually get the other items wrong, so the metal portion could be off as well, and it doesn't take much at those levels. We like copper under .3 and iron under .4, so not a lot of room for error. Basically it does confirm you have some metals, that's the most important thing to remember. Also interesting you had copper because fill water doesn't usually have copper, at least not all that common.

SO when your TF-100 arrives, we'll help you to ensure the water is algae-free. If it is, then you'll always want to keep it that way because you never know if/when that metal could go higher. The more metal, the more chance of staining or water changes when the metals react to the chlorine/bleach. Good job confirming. :goodjob:
 
Great! Now I will say this ... you have just confirmed why the TF-100 is so critical. You show a CYA of 100. The first pool store test was 121, and on the 15th they said zero. Quite a difference. Here's the deal. Chlorine tabs are not your friend here. They increase CYA like crazy. So much so that when your CYA is over 90, you can almost be certain you need to drain and exchange some of the water. That's the only way to reduce CYA. Why? Look at the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below). It's very difficult to keep the FC high enough to match your current CYA. I believe a partial water exchange is in your future which might help you with the metals issue as well. Here's what I'd like for you to do:
- Do the diluted CYA test when you get a chance as follows:
Add pool water to bottom of sticker.
Add tap water to top of sticker.
Shake.
Pour out half so mixture is to bottom of sticker.
Add reagent to top of sticker.
Shake.
Test outside with back to sun and tube at waist level.
Pour back and forth a few times to see if you get the same result.
Double the result.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind the following whenever doing the CYA test:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading.
Click to expand...

Let us know what CYA number you get. You may have to do this tomorrow since it's getting late. That's okay. Just add some regular bleach to your water this evening like normal and you'll be okay. But an accurate CYA is where we need to start because when you show "100" it may actually by higher since the vial only goes so high. Make sense?

CYA will tell us how much water you need to exchange, then we can adjust your FC level from there. Again, no more tabs. Just feed your pool regular bleach each night. Use the Poolmath calculator to increase your FC from whatever you show to about 6-7 ppm for now. Once we see your next CYA test we'll go from there. Have a nice evening.
 
Wonderful advice!

Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading.
Click to expand...

OMG what great advice! I never even thought about repeating the test over and over until your technique is perfected. Thank you Texas!

Dtracy,

I am glad to hear about you being able to get rid of your stain. There is such a wealth of knowledge in this place, that you will never want to return to a pool store. :D
 
I'm sorry I haven't responded in a while as I've been dealing with a family tragedy. So, I just ran a new baseline to restart this whole process:

From the K1000 CY= 0 BR=.0. pH=7.2

FC = 1
CC = 1
TC = 2
Calcium = 100
TA = 100
CYA = 100
 
Ran the diluted test 4 times (2 times per test for total of 8)... Mostly to ensure I was doing it properly and getting consistent results. Each time I was smack dab between 50-60... If anything, just a blip leaning towards 50 and I had my wife verify results with me...
 
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