View attachment 59742View attachment 59743View attachment 59747Hi All...new pool owner as of last summer. I am SOOO looking for to using the TFP method....been reading so much good info. So I had my pool professionally closed last Fall, these pictures are from last summer. I ordered my Taylor test kit...to test the water and begin opening the pool later this week. I will post questions as they come up. My big concern is the staining you see in the pictures. I am unsure if it is organic or metal, there is also some minor discoloring on the floor of the pool. I plan to SLAM the pool to kill all of the algae in it soon. Will the SLAM remove a lot of these stains? My question is what is the best way to attack these stains and clean up the plaster? Drain the pool and do an acid rinse? No drain zero alkalinity acid treatment? SLAM? Thanks so much...this FORUM has already been a life changer...you guys rock!!!
New Pool Owner Seeking Wisdom
- Thread starter Timmygreen
- Start date
Stain removal depends on what type of stain it is.
If it's organic, from leaves and debris sitting in one spot and rotting, a few months of steady chlorination will fade them with no extra effort on your part.
If it's metals, ascorbic acid treatment will lift them and a sequestrant will keep the metal in suspension so it doesn't reoccur. But you also need to find out where the metals came from. Iron in the well water? Some previous owner used a poolfrog or some other non-chlorine sanitizer (misnomer) system?
If it's rusty rebar leaching up through the plaster, you're stuck.
Get a couple Vitamin C tablets. Plain Vitamin C, cheapest you can find. Set them on a stain for a few minutes. If the stain disappears, it's metals. Check out the photo in Yellow Stains
If it's organic, from leaves and debris sitting in one spot and rotting, a few months of steady chlorination will fade them with no extra effort on your part.
If it's metals, ascorbic acid treatment will lift them and a sequestrant will keep the metal in suspension so it doesn't reoccur. But you also need to find out where the metals came from. Iron in the well water? Some previous owner used a poolfrog or some other non-chlorine sanitizer (misnomer) system?
If it's rusty rebar leaching up through the plaster, you're stuck.
Get a couple Vitamin C tablets. Plain Vitamin C, cheapest you can find. Set them on a stain for a few minutes. If the stain disappears, it's metals. Check out the photo in Yellow Stains
Tim,
Welcome to TFP. I don't have any answers for you on the stains because I am a newbie too...but I love your coping! That color variation looks great! I just got my pool 6 weeks ago and it has been TFP from day 1. My water looks amazing and smells as fresh as a daisy! You will love it!
Crystal
Welcome to TFP. I don't have any answers for you on the stains because I am a newbie too...but I love your coping! That color variation looks great! I just got my pool 6 weeks ago and it has been TFP from day 1. My water looks amazing and smells as fresh as a daisy! You will love it!
Crystal
Thank you, I will do the Vitamin C testing. What about the discolorations along the bottom of the pool, you can see them in pic 1. Is that just normal look of older plaster? Would you ever advise a drain and acid wash to brighten it all up?
I would recommend getting water balanced, algae free, and test the stains to see the type before considering draining and acid wash.
Thank you, I will get the pool running and crystal...and then diagnose the stains and decide the appropriate course of action. In regards to opening the pool, since I need to SLAM my pool as it is now....do I start the SLAM right off the bat while opening the pool....or do I clean out pool, get chlorine and cya to the right levels....and then start the SLAM?
Follow the SLAM directions. That includes a lot of brushing and vacuuming. If CYA is low, it's easier to SLAM. When it passes all the tests, then you can raise CYA if needed and let the FC drift down to target.