Stained Pebble

[AllenA]

Hi All,

I am just done SLAMming my pool successfully (thank you for this information) only to be left with this unsightly view (see attachment). You can see a triangle forming from the edge of the pool. The triangle points to the return which tells me that whatever deposited there was being prevented by the constant flow of water. I tried brushing hard several times with an algae brush but it won't go away.

My current chemistry is as follows:
FC: 4.27
TC: 4.43
PH: 7.2
TA: 60
CH: 597 (High due to source water. Already backwashed several times while SLAMming)
CYA: 17 (low because I did not want to increase until done SLAMming)
Salt: 5200 (High because I thought I had too little. Was using test strips and now using Taylor)

Any thoughts? If an Acid Bath would resolve my problem, could you please post a link to how to perform it. I read about the Acid Bath regarding others who have had stains but could not find a thread explaining how to do it.

Thank you in advance.

Allen

 

[JasonLion]

Try placing, or holding, a vitamin C tablet on one of the stained areas and see what happens. The results of that will tell us how to proceed.

 

[AllenA]

Hi Jason,

I just tried the Viamin C test but nothing happened. Left the pill there for 10 minutes after scrubbing it in. From other threads I understand that it means it is not metal problem.
I also read that a triclor puck test can be used to find out if it is an organic stain. Just tried this and also nothing happened. However, I only held it, after scrubbing it, for a few minutes also. Should I try to leave it for a longer period of time? I see from this post that sometimes it may take longer to identify the organic problem.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/30548-Staining-in-Pool-having-trouble-please-help

I could also try the calcium test using a PVC and muriatic acid described in the same post. Unless if there is a better way to test for this.

I should mention that my PH was very high during winter which probably led to calcium scaling and the algae problem that I just dealt with but I would prefer to test instead of assuming.

Allen

 

[AllenA]

Hi Jason,

I repeated the puck test overnight. In the morning the spot where the puck was had returned to its original color. I then moved the puck to another spot and went to work. Yet again, once I came home from work, the new spot was also restored. I am therefore now pretty sure that it is organic.

Since I was done SLAMming, I had added some CYA so it is at 29 for now. I am currently raising the FC to around 10 and will hold it there until the stains are gone. Does that sound right? Or is shock level too high? If so, what would you suggest? From other posts it says to raise between target FC and shock level. Would that mean the mid point? Also, from my own experience and other posts, it seems that brushing does not help (at least while you brush). But does it help for the long run?

Allen

 

[JasonLion]

You are doing well. Shock level is fastest, lower levels will get there eventually but take longer.

 

[AllenA]

Jason,

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate this and I am continuing the process. In the meantime, something is bothering me.

While I did pass SLAM, I feel that I still have something lingering in there. I passed SLAM with CC of 0.16, OFCT of .79 (even after a little daylight), and I have very clear water. But what about the organics that are at the bottom of the pool? They are not floating around and perhaps are not affecting CC and OFCT all the time ?! Perhaps when I brush, some microscopic parts float around and affect CC? Could this be? I ask because of the following CC measurements.

4/3/2015 07 AM 0.16 Measurement concluding that SLAM is done with OFCT of 0.79 and clear water.
4/3/2015 06 PM 0.44
4/4/2015 10 AM 0.16
4/4/2015 11 PM 0.56
4/5/2015 09 AM 0.36
4/5/2015 04 PM 0.40
4/6/2015 08 AM 0.84
4/6/2015 08 PM 0.52
4/7/2015 11 PM 0.56

You can see that CC is not staying under 0.5. Since 4/6, I am even back at shock levels for the stains as you know. I therefore ask, could it be that if there are organic stains SLAMming should not be stopped?

I live in AZ where we got no rain in a while, there is so far no bather load and I do not have trees or bushes in the vicinity so I am pretty sure that the contaminants are mostly from the water itself.

Allen