Stain Problem

[lb34]

I bought a house with a pool last year, so I am a little new to all of this. The pool had been closed all of last year and it was a green mess. Got it all cleared up thanks to lots of bleach and the water looks clear. I had a couple light stains in 2 of the bottom corners. I tried scrubbing them but to no avail.
I shocked it and they got lighter, but started get darker again. I shocked again and scrubbed with the brush. Again they got lighter, but came back. I looked around online and thought maybe it was a metal stain, so I got some vitamin C tablets. I put them in a stocking and rubbed them on the stain. Did nothing (it may have gotten slightly lighter, but that could be from rubbing it or just imagined). I used about 20 tablets. Now, the stains have now gotten darker and now light stains are forming all around the bottom. Help!

Stats:
CYA: 50
FC: 3.5
CC: 0
TA: 100
CH: 70
PH: 7.4
Vinyl liner, inground pool. ~18,000 gallons.

A few pics of the stain:
[attachment=2:1xu5rlrr]photo1.JPG[/attachment:1xu5rlrr]
[attachment=1:1xu5rlrr]photo2.JPG[/attachment:1xu5rlrr]
[attachment=0:1xu5rlrr]photo3.JPG[/attachment:1xu5rlrr]

 

[JasonLion]

Try holding a trichlor tablet against a stained area for about one minute and see if that does anything.

Do you use anything that might be adding copper to the pool?

 

[lb34]

Try holding a trichlor tablet against a stained area for about one minute and see if that does anything.

Do you use anything that might be adding copper to the pool?

I forgot to mention that, but I did try trichlor tablets and they worked, but it came back over the next week or two.

I don't use copper, but the guy that opened the pool dumped a bottle of copper algaecide in when he opened it.

 

[lb34]

More pics. Used the real camera instead of the Ipod...
A little bit of glare on the last one. The jagged stuff at the top and bottom are the outline of my pine trees, not part of the stain.
[attachment=2:2u3t80dp]IMG_9317.jpg[/attachment:2u3t80dp]

[attachment=1:2u3t80dp]IMG_9318.jpg[/attachment:2u3t80dp]

[attachment=0:2u3t80dp]IMG_9319.jpg[/attachment:2u3t80dp]

 

[duraleigh]

I would suggest two steps.....

1. Perform the OCLT....Read how in Pool School and perform that test exactly as it's described.

If you fail that test, start the shock process by adding enough liquid chlorine to get to 200ppm and HOLD IT THERE until you can pass the OCLT.......that may take a few days of constantly adding chlorine.......don't dose it just once and think you are through. It's a common mistake.

2. Once you complete the OCLT and pass it, then keep your FC up around 6-10ppm ALL THE TIME until the stains disappear completely. Once they are gone, allow the FC to return back down to around 4-6ppm.

 

[lb34]

I would suggest two steps.....

1. Perform the OCLT....Read how in Pool School and perform that test exactly as it's described.

If you fail that test, start the shock process by adding enough liquid chlorine to get to 200ppm and HOLD IT THERE until you can pass the OCLT.......that may take a few days of constantly adding chlorine.......don't dose it just once and think you are through. It's a common mistake.

2. Once you complete the OCLT and pass it, then keep your FC up around 6-10ppm ALL THE TIME until the stains disappear completely. Once they are gone, allow the FC to return back down to around 4-6ppm.

OK, I'll try the test tonight. It's at 4 now.... we'll see.

I assume you mean 20 ppm, not 200. If I get forty 1.4 gallon jugs of bleach from Walmart, they might think I'm some kind of terrorist.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Surely Dave meant 20 ppm!

When you buy bleach for shocking, If you they don't look at you funny when you check out, you didn't buy enough!

 

[lb34]

I would suggest two steps.....

1. Perform the OCLT....Read how in Pool School and perform that test exactly as it's described.

If you fail that test, start the shock process by adding enough liquid chlorine to get to 200ppm and HOLD IT THERE until you can pass the OCLT.......that may take a few days of constantly adding chlorine.......don't dose it just once and think you are through. It's a common mistake.

2. Once you complete the OCLT and pass it, then keep your FC up around 6-10ppm ALL THE TIME until the stains disappear completely. Once they are gone, allow the FC to return back down to around 4-6ppm.

OK, I'll try the test tonight. It's at 4 now.... we'll see.

I assume you mean 20 ppm, not 200. If I get forty 1.4 gallon jugs of bleach from Walmart, they might think I'm some kind of terrorist.

Chlorine was 3.5 this morning. So I guess I pass....

 

[lb34]

Surely Dave meant 20 ppm!

When you buy bleach for shocking, If you they don't look at you funny when you check out, you didn't buy enough!

First time I went to Walmart for pool chemicals, I bought 19 pounds of borax (all they had), 12 lbs of baking soda (all they had in large boxes), and six 1.4 gallon bottles of bleach (all they had of the cheapest bleach in large bottles). Thought I would get odd looks from the cashier, but nothing. They were too busy talking to another cashier. Probably annoyed I interrupted their conversation.

 

[duraleigh]

200ppm

Yikes!

Perhaps an adult beverage was involved.....I just can't remember.

 

[Bama Rambler]

When I first started buying a large quantity of bleach they looked at me funny, but now I can go in and buy 12 or 15 large jugs and they don't even look up. There used to be plenty sitting on the shelf whenever I went in there but now there are times I go that the shelves are empty. This BBB must be catching on.

 

[lb34]

Try holding a trichlor tablet against a stained area for about one minute and see if that does anything.

Do you use anything that might be adding copper to the pool?

Could it be from the copper algaecide the pool guy added when he opened it? It was a full bottle of this stuff:

http://www.glbpoolspa.com/TechDataInfo.asp?authID=2102194059&ProductID=231

He didn't dilute it like they mention there, he just walked it around. The pool was a green mess at the time (about 6 weeks ago).

 

[lb34]

I bought a Jack's Magic Stain ID Test Kit. None of the tests cleared the stain up. So far the only thing that has worked is Tri-Chlor tablets that I left on for a few minutes. But the stain eventually came back. What do I do?

 

[Beamup]

If the trichlor clears it, then I'd suspect it's organic. Maybe some variety of algae. Are these in corners that don't get much sun perchance?

Personally I'd shock at mustard level for a couple days and see what that does, even though you did pass the OCLT. But I'm hardly one of the more expert folks here.

 

[lb34]

If the trichlor clears it, then I'd suspect it's organic. Maybe some variety of algae. Are these in corners that don't get much sun perchance?

Personally I'd shock at mustard level for a couple days and see what that does, even though you did pass the OCLT. But I'm hardly one of the more expert folks here.

No, my pool is pretty much a rectangle (with the corners cut off) and gets sun from ~8AM to ~6PM. The stains are mostly at the bottom edges, but in the deep parts of my pool the walls aren't straight down. They angle in, so those parts get a lot of sun.

I was thinking of doing that, but it's been great pool weather and my wife is a teacher, so I've been putting it off.