Bird Poop Bomb, Stain - Pics - Need Cleanup Advice

DB-Cooper

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2019
579
Austin, TX
Pool Size
30000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I went swimming last night in a perfectly clean pool. At sunrise, I went down to check chemicals and found tons of brown seed like things. Also were two dark streaks on the plaster. I was able to scoop up many seeds with the net, but when I hit the streaks with my pool brush, nothing happened. I then entered the pool and scrubbed with my steel bristle brush. I got it a bit better, but I can't get rid of all of it. I ran out of time and had to get to work for a meeting. I'll hit it with pumice tonight, weather permitting.

I did find one piece of feces which I also pictured. Strangely that's all I found, everything else was seeds (coffee bean sized). I do not think this is mammal given it's the dead center of the pool and no signs of any activity towards the walls, steps, sides; amazing dead center hit. The streaks and debris field leave me to believe this was an aerial bombing with forward momentum. The loose stuff first, which hit in a pattern and maybe rolled downhill a bit, then the undigested seeds were further down the pool. I didn't spot anything on my cameras, but I believe it happened in pitch black so nothing it could've picked up on. I did see a raccoon on my deck, but I see that guy on my cameras every morning, and he wasn't wet and he was leaving the area of the pool. As stated, that guy's a known quantity and walks across my deck and terrorizes my neighbors front yard

The robot was NOT in the pool while this occurred so it is not the treads from that. I did manually collect and net many of the seeds and the robot had no issue picking up the rest swiftly, but there were a lot. Regrettably, I didn't take a picture of the initial carnage, but it was the two steaks and copious seeds, and then the one liquidy poopy organic matter I showed.

Any tips? I'm going to use the Pool Cleaner pumice thingy and get my scuba weight belt to really scrub it hard (was hard this morning as I kept floating to the top). I'm also bring FC up, dumped a bottle in and running Super Chlorinate. I'm planning a filter clean on Sunday anyways, but would like to get as much of this out as possible :(
 

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Well, the sun is out and Chlorine is at 13ppm, it seems to be getting better. I can't tell if it's just because the morning photos had no direct sunlight, but the pictures from the previous post were after I was done brushing. I went out there just over 2 hours later and it already looks better. I used a softer brush (still metal) on a pole and I think I got it even better.

I'll keep monitoring and reporting:
 

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Well, the sun is out and Chlorine is at 13ppm, it seems to be getting better. I can't tell if it's just because the morning photos had no direct sunlight, but the pictures from the previous post were after I was done brushing. I went out there just over 2 hours later and it already looks better. I used a softer brush (still metal) on a pole and I think I got it even better.

I'll keep monitoring and reporting:
If the stain is organic (and it appears to be in the pictures), sprinkling a bit of cal hypo (calcium hypochlorite) on it should remove it. Just toss it out over the stain and let it settle. You can leave it, or brush it after about 5 minutes. Commonly sold in 1# bags as shock. It needs to be cal hypo and not sodium dichlor. Stay upwind when tossing it (the dust will bleach your clothing and its not really good to breathe) and clean any off the deck that may land there so it doesn't get tracked into the house or someone sit on it and bleach their clothes.
If it doesn't work, all you've done is add some more chlorine and a tiny bit of calcium to your pool.
 
Clouds overhead again as a storm is coming. It's getting better. I'm using a brush on a pole, but I'm convinced if I go diving again, I can mostly get this out. Will also try pumice and the pool eraser.

I believe the sun helped a lot. Similar to my concrete coping, once in a while I'll find critter poop stained on my coping and I'll think I never get it off only to see it vanish after some time in the sun.

I have to really work the right angle to see it now versus this morning where it looked like a high horsepower car did a burnout on my pool floor.
 

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If the stain is organic (and it appears to be in the pictures), sprinkling a bit of cal hypo (calcium hypochlorite) on it should remove it. Just toss it out over the stain and let it settle. You can leave it, or brush it after about 5 minutes. Commonly sold in 1# bags as shock. It needs to be cal hypo and not sodium dichlor. Stay upwind when tossing it (the dust will bleach your clothing and its not really good to breathe) and clean any off the deck that may land there so it doesn't get tracked into the house or someone sit on it and bleach their clothes.
If it doesn't work, all you've done is add some more chlorine and a tiny bit of calcium to your pool.
Thanks, if I can't get it all out, I'll give that a go.
 
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