Algae stains remain while emptying pool

[LarryInSanDiego]

Hello, all. I'm draining our plaster pool for the first time in over 7 years. The dissolved solids have been off the chart and algae has been increasingly difficult to control. So while algae has not been an issue to brush off while submerged, it's not coming off even with brushing once it's dried (whoops!) The pool is still slowly emptying, so I plan to step into the shallow end to attempt to remove both green and mustard stains. Will spraying bleach directly on the stains damage the plaster or even work? I want to avoid having it acid-washed if possible. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Larry

 

[Bperry]

Hello, all. I'm draining our plaster pool for the first time in over 7 years. The dissolved solids have been off the chart and algae has been increasingly difficult to control. So while algae has not been an issue to brush off while submerged, it's not coming off even with brushing once it's dried (whoops!) The pool is still slowly emptying, so I plan to step into the shallow end to attempt to remove both green and mustard stains. Will spraying bleach directly on the stains damage the plaster or even work? I want to avoid having it acid-washed if possible. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Larry

Hi and welcome,

Dissolved solids isnt an issue with algae and theres no need to drain the pool because of it. Did a pool store tell you to do that? Did they tell you what it will it accomplish?

If the stains are algae, the SLAM process will take care of them without draining. If they are metals stains caused by iron or copper, thats a different peocess. How are you testing the water?

 

[LarryInSanDiego]

"Dissolved solids isnt an issue with algae and theres no need to drain the pool because of it..."

Thank you. As explained, the water hasn't been changed in 7+ years and it's almost gone anyway. One thing I have been doing lately is always vacuuming to waste, no longer recirculating it back to the pool. Never had a problem removing algae while submerged. The central issue is about removing algae from the plaster now that it's dry as can be seen in the accompanying images.

Or, will it again be easy to remove once the pool is refilled?

 

[Bperry]

"Dissolved solids isnt an issue with algae and theres no need to drain the pool because of it..."

Thank you. As explained, the water hasn't been changed in 7+ years and it's almost gone anyway. One thing I have been doing lately is always vacuuming to waste, no longer recirculating it back to the pool. Never had a problem removing algae while submerged. The central issue is about removing algae from the plaster now that it's dry as can be seen in the accompanying images.

Or, will it again be easy to remove once the pool is refilled?

Theres no need to ever change the water. It doesnt go bad. You just need to follow the SLAM process and that requires water in the pool.

 

[mknauss]

FYI -- In San Diego they use primarily Colorado River water. They also have high evaporation. So the high 'TDS' is salt and calcium.