Tea (looking) stains on vinyl liner

Jun 24, 2007
19
scottsdale,az
I have an inground vinyl lined pool. 10,000
These are my numbers
I shocked last night because I had some algae..
With my test kit I'm pretty much guessing at the chlorine after dilution 10ppm Free & total look the same - hard to tell.
Cya 70
TA is 120
PH is just under 7.5
Calcium changed from pink to clear around 600 but never turned blue.
The water looks clear and beautiful.

I have these tea stains on the liner. I've tried the asorbic acid in a pantyhose overnight - nothin'
I tried the Mr.Clean Magic Eraser-nothin' I only succeeded in removing a little ink from the liner.
They aren't just on one side of the pool or the other.
One thing I have noticed is that they buddy up! Like, they're afraid to be alone or something. Where there's one, there's another.. two or three together.

As you can see from the photos, they're very light but when the pool is clear and still I can see them and it makes me nuts.
They started appearing last year- one area ..then another. I always thought I could put a little Vit C or use the eraser on them and didn't need to worry about it. Now that I've done those things- I'm worrying about it.

Oh, I also have a heater that I don't use. It's only about two years old.

Whattaya think?

pool001vp9.jpg
pool004op7.jpg
 
I tried that and it didn't work. I'm stumped. I just went out and put a little chunk on top of one of the stains. Even if it bleaches the liner a little bit, it's better than the stain. I'll watch it though so it doesn't eat through the liner.

Thanks for replying.
 
There are various things that can get behind the liner, rust, algae, mold, water, which can cause discolorations visible on the front. They are generally very difficult to treat without replacing the liner.
 
Do the stains come and go? If they do, then I doubt that it is under the lliner. How did you apply the ascorbic acid? Did you ever get a true reading on calcium? If you used the drops to over 600 calcium, then that could be a problem - maybe dirt encapsulated scale. YOu can try rubbing some ph down on the stains. But mostly I would like to know if they come and go, and if your cheistry has been consistant. :)
 
If I'm being totally honest, my chemistry has not been consistent. I've been much better about it recently which is why the stains really bother me.
I put the asorbic acid, crushed in a pantyhose and placed it right on the stain.
Our water is very very hard here in arizona. When I run my hand and toes over the stain, it doesn't feel any different than other parts of the liner.

..and no they don't come and go..sometimes they seem lighter than other times. I think when it's super bright outside I'm just blinded by the sun :shock:
 
Since the ascorbic acid didn't work, and the stains are not rough, it may be that they are coming from under the liner. I just am reluctant to believe it because the stain from under the liner is usually black, or very dark. If it were my pool, I would take the ph down to 7.0 - 7.2 and add a metal out (sequestering agent) as per the directions on the bottle. Since you have high calcium in your area water, you probably have high calcium in your pool. It is just a thought, and it won't hurt to add the sequestering agent, and it may lighten the stains or remove them. I like to use Proteam's Metal Magic. Let us know how you make out. :)
 
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