Ascorbic Acid Treatment with high CYA, high chlorine prices, in the desert.

[Chefwitchyherb]

Background: not sure how old the pool is because we moved in November 2020. We drained and refilled last March. We did a full drain and refill last March. As a result of chlorine prices in Arizona, I used pucks and shock. Now my CYA is at 80. ,

The stains on the surface of my pool REALLY bother me. I used the Vitamin C test with a sock and it cleared up some stains on the steps pretty quickly, confirming that the stains are probably iron.

With that being said, I read through the Ascorbic Acid Treatment article and the No Alkalinity Acid Wash Treatment. As I ponder about these treatments, the best course of action seems to be the Ascorbic Acid route.

With my CYA being 80, the probability of high phosphates, living in the desert, and having a cartridge filter, is there any way to get rid of the phosphates to prevent an algae bloom? Considering my circumstances is this even a good idea?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Where are your test results from your own test kit?
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt if applicable

Stains could be coming from those pucks you've been using, along with any other product that isn't either Liquid Chlorine or a Salt System Chlorinater. Were they by chance Clorox XtraBlue? Have you added any cheap algaecides that contain copper?

Phosphates are usually not anything one needs to deal with, and they have no impact on staining.

Maddie

 

[Chefwitchyherb]

The pucks are HTH. I've never used a "cheap algaecide". I've never used any algaecides. I used liquid chlorine, pucks, shock, borax, baking soda, and muriatic acid.

I'm not concerned about phosphates staining the pool.

I'm worried about doing the ascorbic acid treatment for the iron stains and then ending up with a green pool.

We are already at 75° here. By next month, it could be in the 80s.


From my understanding, you need to bring the FC down to 0 and add an algaecide to prevent any algae during this treatment. 0 FC in my warm climate is a problem. That's concern number one. While I'm doing this vitamin C treatment, I feel like a FC 0 will turn my pool green in a day. Concern number two, after the ascorbic acid application, all of the phosphates will be floating around in my water, further increasing the chance of algae.

So not only do I have to keep a high FC, as a result of my high CYA, but I feel like there's a greater chance of my pool going green, when all of these other factors come in to play.

My question was is there anything that could filter out the phosphates that would result in less of a chance turning my pool green? Besides a DE filter. I have a cartridge filter.

 

[ajw22]

From Ascorbic Acid Treatment - Further Reading

2. You can add Polyquat 60 per directions on the bottle to avoid getting algae while the chlorine is low.

Phosphate Removers - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Do you know its iron? We can deal with that! If its truly just iron stains here is a helpful cure-

From brown to 😍😍. Thank you polyfil!

We filled our pool from our well. We knew the risks and knew we would have a battle when the water was 12" deep as it looked green from the metals. Our fears were confirmed when we added chlorine and the water turned brown almost immediately. Enter 5 gallon polyfil filter. It worked...

www.troublefreepool.com

If its copper, which I had jumped the gun assuming, that's good that you say its not.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also, why do you believe you have high phosphates? Have you tested them? If so, what is the phosphate level?

Municipal water suppliers in Arizona don’t typically use a lot of phosphates in the water supply as our infrastructure is much “newer” than the water delivery infrastructure in other areas of the country. My municipal supply here in Tucson has practically zero phosphates in it.

 

[Chefwitchyherb]

Also, why do you believe you have high phosphates? Have you tested them? If so, what is the phosphate level?

Municipal water suppliers in Arizona don’t typically use a lot of phosphates in the water supply as our infrastructure is much “newer” than the water delivery infrastructure in other areas of the country. My municipal supply here in Tucson has practically zero phosphates in it.

I don't believe I have high phosphates, yet. I'm worried I will if I do the ascorbic acid treatment.

 

[Chefwitchyherb]

Do you know its iron? We can deal with that! If its truly just iron stains here is a helpful cure-

From brown to 😍😍. Thank you polyfil!

We filled our pool from our well. We knew the risks and knew we would have a battle when the water was 12" deep as it looked green from the metals. Our fears were confirmed when we added chlorine and the water turned brown almost immediately. Enter 5 gallon polyfil filter. It worked...

www.troublefreepool.com

If its copper, which I had jumped the gun assuming, that's good that you say its not.

I know it's iron because some of the staining came off with vitamin C tablets.

We also have a giant grass yard, roses, and a vegetable garden. I use organic fertilizers on the veggies and roses. But my husband does the lawn, which is massive, and is close to the pool. Over a period of two years he's planted winter grass twice, with fertilizer. It can be windy. And I think the fertilizer has drifted into the pool and created the iron stains.

 

[Chefwitchyherb]

From Ascorbic Acid Treatment - Further Reading

2. You can add Polyquat 60 per directions on the bottle to avoid getting algae while the chlorine is low.

Phosphate Removers - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Yes. I read that. It's an algaecide right? I've never used those. I don't know how they work. With our desert temps, I'm worried it won't work. This week is forecasted to be cool, but it always changes. I had planned on doing this as soon as I got all of the product, which I will probably order online, due to price. And who knows what the temps will be by the time I receive everything. Will Polyquat 60 keep a pool clear with temps in the 70s? It's only about 15k gallons. A play pool. 4' on one end, 6' in the middle and 5' at the other end.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I don't believe I have high phosphates, yet. I'm worried I will if I do the ascorbic acid treatment.

Ascorbic acid has nothing to do with phosphates. They are completely different chemicals and they come from completely different sources.

I suggest you focus on the stain treatment and get it done now when the weather is still cool. When done properly, an AA stain removal process shouldn’t take more than 24-36 hours.

 

[Chefwitchyherb]

Do you know its iron? We can deal with that! If its truly just iron stains here is a helpful cure-

From brown to 😍😍. Thank you polyfil!

We filled our pool from our well. We knew the risks and knew we would have a battle when the water was 12" deep as it looked green from the metals. Our fears were confirmed when we added chlorine and the water turned brown almost immediately. Enter 5 gallon polyfil filter. It worked...

www.troublefreepool.com

If its copper, which I had jumped the gun assuming, that's good that you say its not.

Holy Crud I just read that post and that's a science experiment!

I read that a sequestrant (Jack's Magic) will keep the metals from re-staining the pool once chlorine is brought back up to normal levels, after the ascorbic acid. With a CYA of 80, would be 7-9ppm FC, a gallon of chlorine a week? (I'm petrified to add any more pucks or shock to my pool for at least a year!)

But then the broken down metals turns into phosphates right? Which is food for algae? 6 months at 100° plus is another factor to promote algae growth.

I'm just worried if I do this ascorbic acid treatment, come summer, I'm going to be battling algae on the regular, as a result of all of the factors I listed above.

I haven't done the ascorbic acid treatment yet. I'm still considering it. We don't "close" and "open" pools in Arizona. I'm a chef, and work gets insane Nov-Dec, so I let the pool go, until now. It's hard zero chlorine since November. It was dirty, leaves, dirt, rocks (kids!), I believe my nephew dumped dirt in the pool but no algae, until it was 77° Super Bowl Sunday. And BAM, algae started. So now I'm SLAMing with $10/cs Walmart 10% liquid.

 

[ajw22]

You are a chef. You know what results you get when chefs follow recipes exactly and when they don’t.

Follow the recipe exactly and you will get the expected results.

Chemistry works the same in the hot desert.

Ascorbic Acid Treatment - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Jacks Magneta Stuff is a non-phosphorous based sequestering agent that you can use. If you are worried about metal and metal stains returning then do the ascorbic acid treatment to redissolve the stains back into the pool water, add the sequestering agent and then drain the pool. Refill with fresh water and you’ll have no more metals and you’ll be able to balance the water to recommended levels.

In the future, tell your husband to be more careful with the fertilizer (put up straw barriers around the pool when seeding or spreading chemicals) and keep the compost out of the pool. I won’t tell you how to discipline the kids but if it were my nephew and I caught him tossing dirt in the pool, there would be a very sore backside heading his way and then the adults (sibling / in-law) would be vacuuming the pool ….

 

[Saturn94]

Jacks Magneta Stuff

Refresh my memory….do I remember correctly that adding the Magenta Stuff in a pool with polyquat will cloud the pool? Of course it wouldn’t be an issue if the pool is to be completely drained and refilled after the treatment.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Refresh my memory….do I remember correctly that adding the Magenta Stuff in a pool with polyquat will cloud the pool? Of course it wouldn’t be an issue if the pool is to be completely drained and refilled after the treatment.

That is true for any sequestering agent and a clarifier of which PQ60 can be considered a mild clarifying agent due to its positive charge. If the water is being dumped, then there is no need to use PQ60 as it would be a waste.

 

[Saturn94]

That is true for any sequestering agent and a clarifier of which PQ60 can be considered a mild clarifying agent due to its positive charge. If the water is being dumped, then there is no need to use PQ60 as it would be a waste.

Thanks.

Hey, my memory still works! At least sometimes.

I’ve never seen an issue with The Purple Stuff and PQ60 together, but I understand The Magenta Stuff is a different formula (doesn’t add phosphates like Purple Stuff does).