Worm Stains

[DanaSC]

Apparently worms plentiful this year, and they're enjoying our pool a little too much. They are staining the bottom of my pool, and I'm looking for a way to remove the stains from them. I know in the past with stains like these, usually time does the trick, however in this case, after vacuuming up about 50 worms today, we're thinking we'd like those stains gone quicker if possible.

What, in your experience, is the best thing to purchase to use to get these stains up? Normally we do use a sequestrant because we are on well water and do have some metals in our water that I'm pretty sure of. I'm not sure if I should use some in the pool now and if that would help at all with these types of stains.

Thanks for the help!

 

[kimkats]

Have you tried putting a puck on them? Just watch your CYA to make sure it is not too high.

Kim

 

[DanaSC]

I haven't tried putting a puck on them. Maybe just rub it on them?

 

[kimkats]

I would just let the puck sit on one for 5 mins or so. If that does not anything try 10 mins ect.

Kim

 

[tim5055]

No worms here by the lake, frogs yes - worms no.

 

[DanaSC]

You're lucky, Tim! I believe they're earth worms. They love our pool apparently. Frogs too, of course, but usually I can save those. The worms just have to die at the bottom and be manually vacuumed out each day because our Polaris is on the fritz. Ugh.

 

[tim5055]

You're lucky, Tim! I believe they're earth worms. They love our pool apparently. Frogs too, of course, but usually I can save those. The worms just have to die at the bottom and be manually vacuumed out each day because our Polaris is on the fritz. Ugh.

Well, I just got done mowing the grass and I did have a bunch of dead earth worms along the edges of the driveway and sidewalks. None have ever made it into the pool.

I have a couple of frogs who make a nightly visit, leave deposits in the deep end and are able to get out of the pool on their own. I just refuse to get up at 3AM to confront them.....

 

[windowman]

What is a "puck" I too have a considerable area of worm stains

 

[DanaSC]

A puck is a chlorinated tablet. I never tried that because eventually the stains did disappear. Wish I could say exactly what makes them disappear, but I never figured that out unfortunately.

 

[JamesW]

Worm stains are usually black. Some kind of organic decomposition product. I think that the black might be partly due to bacteria. Slam and brushing usually works.

 

[Pool_Fool]

I have come across a potential fix for this problem.
Sodium bisulfate in a sock or rag rubbed directly on the stain is getting rid of it. I have only tried this once but it dramatically reduced the color of the stain. Sodium bisulfate is a PH reducer, so I am taking the approach in multiple daily steps as to not reduce the ph to far too fast.
Share your results if you experience the same results too.

 

[needsajet]

I've seen this because we get a fair number of worms after a good rain. The suction cleaner collects the dear departed but a few times I had a curly little stain. I learned to just give it a quick brush. It doesn't remove the stain, but if I look again in 4 or 5 hours, the stain has magically disappeared. When I didn't brush, it took a few days, or may have been there until I next brushed.

So my theory is that it's just algae that was temporarily protected from the chlorine by the worm's dead body. Don't hold me to it, because I may never be available for experiments with bloated worm bodies.

 

[Pool_Fool]

Here are 2 pics of a before and after attempt with the ph minus or Sodium Bisulfate. This is only the first application, and it is working. I will go at it some more.


PF