I just went on the nature 2 site and went to the faq and there was a question "will nature 2 stain my pool" and the reply was the minerals are way below regarding any stains on pool surface.
ascorbic acid treatment?
- Thread starter ethany
- Start date
Their mineral erosion feeder does not "know" how many minerals there are in the pool and will continue to add metal ions to the water. So if you are not diluting your water sufficiently, the metal ion concentration will continue to increase and could most certainly stain your pool. The manufacturer makes their system assuming certain flow rates, pump run times, size of pool, amount of backwashing and rain overflow (i.e. water dilution), but the reality is that every pool is different and there is no way they can know that their system will not stain pool surfaces. If you look at posts on this and other pool websites, you'll find plenty of people with Nature 2 systems that either get staining or get algae.
Also, staining occurs not only when the metal ion concentration is high, but when the pH is high (forming metal oxide-hydroxides) or when the TA is high (forming metal carbonates) or when the CYA is very high (forming metal cyanurates). So unless you are measuring your metal ion concentrations and keeping the pH low and the TA and CYA in reasonable ranges, your pool is at risk for staining. This is most especially true for plaster surfaces since these are net alkaline since plaster curing never really stops and the surface of plaster is at a higher pH than the rest of the pool. This is why vinyl pools are more tolerant of such metal ion systems and don't get as much staining, though they can still stain as well (it just requires more extreme concentrations and pH).
Of course, the manufacturer can put out such a low level of metal ions that the risk of staining is very low, but then the efficacy of those metal ions would also be very low -- that is, the system would not be very effective at preventing algae growth. This is why some people with Nature2 systems get algae anyway -- the specifics of their pool are such that there isn't enough copper to kill algae so while they don't get staining they get algae. Creating the right balance to prevent algae growth while not staining the pool is tricky since it is usually challenging to keep the pH low enough since the TA tends to make the pH want to rise.
It's your pool and you can do whatever you want with it. If you leave the cartridge in and end up with stains, you'll know where it came from. If you make sure to not let the pH ever get to 8.0 or above 7.8, that will reduce the staining risk. Keeping the pH near 7.5 would be even better.
Also, staining occurs not only when the metal ion concentration is high, but when the pH is high (forming metal oxide-hydroxides) or when the TA is high (forming metal carbonates) or when the CYA is very high (forming metal cyanurates). So unless you are measuring your metal ion concentrations and keeping the pH low and the TA and CYA in reasonable ranges, your pool is at risk for staining. This is most especially true for plaster surfaces since these are net alkaline since plaster curing never really stops and the surface of plaster is at a higher pH than the rest of the pool. This is why vinyl pools are more tolerant of such metal ion systems and don't get as much staining, though they can still stain as well (it just requires more extreme concentrations and pH).
Of course, the manufacturer can put out such a low level of metal ions that the risk of staining is very low, but then the efficacy of those metal ions would also be very low -- that is, the system would not be very effective at preventing algae growth. This is why some people with Nature2 systems get algae anyway -- the specifics of their pool are such that there isn't enough copper to kill algae so while they don't get staining they get algae. Creating the right balance to prevent algae growth while not staining the pool is tricky since it is usually challenging to keep the pH low enough since the TA tends to make the pH want to rise.
It's your pool and you can do whatever you want with it. If you leave the cartridge in and end up with stains, you'll know where it came from. If you make sure to not let the pH ever get to 8.0 or above 7.8, that will reduce the staining risk. Keeping the pH near 7.5 would be even better.
I test my ph atlas once a week and it is never over 7.6-7.7 alk is 70 -80 and my cya is never over 70 -80. I was thinking of putting a valve on the heat pump so I can bypass it, most of the time it does not get used.
One more thing, do you think if I keep up with the sequesterant It will keep the stains from forming?
Using enough of a good sequestrant will prevent metal stains from forming. Do do need to add more weekly, as sequestrant breaks down over time and needs to be replaced. Over time that can get expensive.
Besides Jack's Magic what is a good sequester. that might be more economical? Also do you get discounts buying in bulk?
