Selling Need BIG Organic Stains Gone!!

[Shablam]

Ok need some big time help.

I bought the pool and had some stains, got rid of them by shocking for 3 to 4 days and scrubbing. Then one fall the Oak Tree from the neighbor dumped its leaves in my pool when I was gone on vacation and stained the entire bottom.

Since then I cannot get rid of the stains. I have held shock level and scrubbed over and over. The only thing that works is to sit a puck on the stain and in about a week I have a nice circle where the puck was.

I really do not want to drain and wash, is there anything, and I mean ANYTHING i can do?

I am selling in a month and have to get rid of this.

Thanks so much in advance.

Oh and just to make sure I did do a AA treatment and had no effect.

 

[257WbyMag]

Please post your test results.

 

[Shablam]

FC - 8
CC - 0
PH - 7
TA - 120
CH - 250
CYA - 50

 

[duraleigh]

Well, the stains are either inorganic or organic.

If they are attributable to the oak leaves, they are organic and fairly high levels of chlorine will remove them. I would call your current FC "fairly high" so you might try holding it there CONTINUALLY for the next few days....even higher is probably better but you have to continually replenish your chlorine to keep the FC up.

If it takes THAT long for the puck to do anything, then it might be reducing the staining because of the very low pH (not the chlorine) of the puck. That would indicate calcium scale (inorganic) and the treatment is apparently what you have already done.

It sounds like you have attempted a remedy for both situations so I am stumped. Perhaps someone else has an idea. Can you post a pic?

 

[257WbyMag]

Well, the target FC for a pool with a CYA of 50 being 6 ppm (shock level being 20), I think that there is room to go up from 8 ppm. I'd raise it to 10 or 12 for a couple of days, brush it, and then evaluate again. Because this stain originated under a big clump of oak tree leaves, I am fairly certain that this is just a really bad stain from the tannins in the tree products and that high FC levels and time will cure it.

 

[Shablam]

I boosted chlorine to 10 and have held it there for almost 2 weeks, brushing like crazy. Sadly the stains remain.

Last year I held shock lvl for almost a week (costing me a fortune in bleach) and still couldn't get these to fade.

Not sure what else to do but drain at this point?!

I took a picture this morning. You can see in the picture where I pushed all of the pucks to the bottom of the pool at the drain. Cleared it all up and left some puck circle around the edges.

 

[257WbyMag]

Shock level for a pool with a CYA of 50 is 20 ppm FC and not 10 ppm FC. Unless you shock your pool, your stains will remain.

Draining your pool will not cause the stains to disappear. Additionally, you run the risk of floating your shell by draining water from it, especially with the amount of rain that we have had over the last few weeks.

 

[Shablam]

Oh no no, I was doing what Mag suggested and raising my chlorine lvl to a constant 10. I have already tried to hold a consistent shock lvl above 20 last year brushing, brushing brushing and I just could not get it to lift.

I guess I will try again, just reluctant after hauling all of that bleach home for no results. How long should it take at shock lvl and brushing continuous?

 

[257WbyMag]

You have proven that high concentrations of FC will work. This is evidenced by the little circles on the bottom of your pool where the tablets were laying.

These stains did not develop quickly and likewise, they aren't going to disappear quickly either. Patience, time, high FC levels, and brushing will remove them.

 

[harleysilo]

Does anyone ever don their scuba gear and pressure wash underwater? Or get a really long extension for pressure washing wand? Can you pressure wash off an organic stain?

 

[Beez]

As Duraleigh suggested, the acidity of the pucks may be affecting the stain instead of the chlorine. Kinda looks like iron to me...have you tried vit C?

 

[Shablam]

Yes Vit C does nothing and already did a AA treatment following this site to a T.

Well decide to wait another year to sell. I am opening my pool today and not too happy, pool is clean, water is balanced but the stains remain.

Last week I went to Sams and literately cleaned them out of a pallet of bleach, held shock value the entire week and even went a little higher. I bought a whale brush, you know the one that claims to brush with more pressure, and brushed like there was no tomorrow.

Nothing.

I think I am giving up at this point.

 

[Beez]

I think I am giving up at this point.

That's not such a bad idea! :-D Since there is no time pressure now, if the stains are organic they will gradually fade with time and correct water balance. No special effort required! (other than keeping an eye on that oak)

 

[harleysilo]

How about testing the theory that it will go away over time with shock level held ? Could you fill up a 5 gal bucket with shock level water, cover it with a flat piece of plastic, carry into pool, invert and set on bottom, slide out plastic and put heavy item on top. Leave in place for week then check?