Bleach stains liner as soon as added to pool

[kwss1976]

Hey guys/gals I have a 18' round above ground pool and was trying to put in a little bleach to bump up my chlorine level and as soon as I add the bleach it stains the bottom of my liner. I got some Stain Free added it and it lifted the stain,but as soon as I add the bleach it stains it and turns the bottom light brown. I use a liquid test kit and test every other day all my measurments are correct for my size pool FC,TC,TA,CYA,CA. I use tablets normally in skimmer and just use the Bleach to keep my Chlorine Level up if it falls after a heavy swim. The bleach I am buying is Dollar Store brand non scented regular bleach but it is (HE) does the (HE)affect this? So my question is why is the Bleach staining my liner as soon as I as I add it?
If I wanted to do the BBB method I could not cause the Bleach would stain my liner.

 

[JohnT]

It's not the bleach, it's probably iron in your water that is being oxidized when you add the bleach.

Check out https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/137-metals-in-the-water-and-metal-stains

 

[kwss1976]

Well that's the thing, I added Stain free to pool that removed the Stain the first time thinking it was copper from the algaecide, but test proved really low copper level,so after adding the Stain Free it sucked all my FC up being an (Acid) so I added bleach to bump level up real quick and as soon as I did ended up with the same result a stained liner added some more (Abscobic Acid)/Stain remover and stain went away, I have not added anymore bleach and there is no staining and pool is crystal clear. If the Stain Free removes the metals that are causing the stain how come it stained up a second time? I did the Vit. C test letting me know it was metal to start with.

 

[domct203]

Well that's the thing, I added Stain free to pool that removed the Stain the first time thinking it was copper from the algaecide, but test proved really low copper level,so after adding the Stain Free it sucked all my FC up being an (Acid) so I added bleach to bump level up real quick and as soon as I did ended up with the same result a stained liner added some more (Abscobic Acid)/Stain remover and stain went away, I have not added anymore bleach and there is no staining and pool is crystal clear. If the Stain Free removes the metals that are causing the stain how come it stained up a second time? I did the Vit. C test letting me know it was metal to start with.

The Stain Free is nothing but ascorbic acid, which simply lifts the stains, it does not remove the metals from the pool.

 

[kwss1976]

Gotcha, thanks what would ya'll recommend to remove the metals

 

[kwss1976]

Here are some pics the one with the tab. in the bottom was one of the test to see if this was Organic or Metal Stain the other one is after the Stain free treatment.

 

[Texas Splash]

what would ya'll recommend to remove the metals

Unfortunately, metals are never really removed. The products on the market simply "suspend" the metal to prevent it from reacting with chlorine/bleach and/or staining. The only true way to remove iron/copper in water is to replace that water with fresh (non-metals) water. Sequestrants and other products wear-off over time, so they need to be replenished from time to time.

 

[duraleigh]

If you are filling from a well, that will be the never-ending source of iron. You must deal with it by purchasing a sequestrant which will keep it in suspension but not remove it.

 

[kwss1976]

Yea its Well Water from down the road we live in a Rural area.

 

[Texas Splash]

So we know iron is the culprit. Besides the link JohnT provided above in post #2, it's important to always keep your pH on the low side (7.2-7.4 perhaps). Keeping the water algae-free is also very important to avoid a SLAM and high FC levels. We know the combination of elevated pH and FC seem to cause iron to react noticeably in the water (colored water, staining, etc).

You haven't posted any test results, but always ensure your FC and CYA are balanced together. I'm assuming your pool takes manual bleach additions (not on an SWG), so rather than adding bleach once a day in larger amounts, you might experiment, if scheduling permits, by adding bleach in smaller amounts twice per day to maintain your required FC range. Just a thought. It might help prevent or reduce that "FC-versus-iron" reaction. Hope that helps.

 

[kwss1976]

My numbers are
TC 2.3
FC 2.3
PH 7.2
TA 100
CA 75
CYA 35

 

[Texas Splash]

PH level is about as iron-friendly as you can get. The FC is just a tad low if we round-up your CYA to 40. The FC recommended range is 5-7, and never below 3. While you're trying diligently to keep stains/spots away, I'd add just a little more FC to prevent algae - especially if your water temps are increasing like ours are. Beyond that, if the stains continue and/or the sequestrant seems to struggle with iron control, it may simply be that your well source contains an elevated amount of iron compared to some other wells.

FYI - There are others with iron water who try to manipulate iron water by addition filtration. This is typically done however during fill or when the iron is in its "angry" stage and currently precipitating out everywhere. They'll allow the pH and FC to rise and use towel and/or other home materials to try and capture as much iron as they can from the skimmer. Your water looks great, so I wouldn't want to do that at the moment. But if trucking-in non-iron water is not an option for you, and if your pool ever has an iron-explosion and starts to show its ugly head, you might consider some of those filtering techniques. Hope some of this helps you.

 

[philc]

I too have high levels of Iron in my well water. It too turns brown (iron oxide suspended in the water) when I add the chlorine. But I am able to filter out the iron oxide with my sand filter. It happens every time I add fresh water to my pool.