Hi..I hope someone can help me. One day after swimming, I noticed blue water rinsing out of my hair. The shampoo bubbles were even blue. The Q-tip I used to dry my ears left the swab blue. I called my pool guy as he had serviced the pool a couple of days prior to this incident. The service was really normal he said...nothing odd, nothing new during the service. He was baffled. My husband swam the day after I did and he too found his beard had a tinge of blue and hair had a green tinge. When my pool guy showed up, he found an ink pen in the pump basket. He brought it to my attention thinking this was the reason for the blue water in my ears and in my hair. I then remembered my cousin's puppy fell in the pool and she jumped in the pool with her work uniform on to grab the pup. An ink pen had been in her pocket. the pool guy didn't notice it in the pool when he was vac'ing but that's the only way it could of bypassed a skimmer basket to get to the pump basket. so the ink from this pen has probed to be the culprit...it is still haunting us and turning our hair blue and green. It's been since October, and the pool service has flocked a few times and cleans the filter each week and we cannot get the blue ink out of our crystal clear water. Has anyone ever had this problem and/or does anyone have any suggestions, guidance, or solutions for me? It is an in-ground fiberglass pool. 3-8 ft deep. no staining from the ink on the fiberglass. Ive wondered if I should drain half of the water out and refill every few weeks? I would have thought by now, the ink would be so diluted that we would no longer have this problem...unfortunately that is not the case.
Blue Ink in my pool...help!
- Thread starter Tweeks44
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,361
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
To be honest, it sounds more like copper. What about the use of copper algaecide?
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
To be honest, it sounds more like copper. What about the use of copper algaecide?
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
Welcome to TFP!
I second Marty's opinion: sounds very much like the symptoms of copper in the water. The ink from a single pen would almost certainly not cause such a problem in a pool of this size and even if it somehow did the chlorine would have broken it down long ago. Meanwhile copper can be present in crystal clear water but precipitate out as blue or green stains on hair and nails.
I second Marty's opinion: sounds very much like the symptoms of copper in the water. The ink from a single pen would almost certainly not cause such a problem in a pool of this size and even if it somehow did the chlorine would have broken it down long ago. Meanwhile copper can be present in crystal clear water but precipitate out as blue or green stains on hair and nails.
Remove the cartridge from the filter and show a picture of it before you clean it.
Was copper algaecide added?
Do you have an ionizer?
What are the chemistry readings?
Was copper algaecide added?
Do you have an ionizer?
What are the chemistry readings?
Thank you for your responses. I've just returned from an out of town trip and will get with my pool guy. I will ask for the chemistry readings and a photo of the filter before cleaning it. I know he said he was going to add soda ash to it.. I will also mention copper algaecide. I believe I do have an ionizer. I am so grateful for the help and guidance you've given.
Teresa
Teresa
I just spoke with pool guy. He said the filter does look bluish green before he cleans it and that the chemical reading have been good and read as normal results. He will add copper algaecide next week. I'll keep you posted! Thank you so much!
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,714
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The copper is what is causing the staining not some ballpoint pen from many months ago. Please do not have him add more copper to the water.
Also, I would ask him why on earth he would need to add algaecide if the chemical readings have been good.
Orion7319
Well-known member
- Jul 1, 2020
- 1,287
- Pool Size
- 19775
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Don’t add copper! Copper is probably what’s causing things to be blue. You want to get rid of the copper, which is probably coming from the ionizer you believe you have...
Tweek, it's time to take over your own pool.
The pool guy uses guess strips. Don't expect accuracy for him. A single pen in a large body of water will not affect water color. Agree there's copper in the water.
The pool guy uses guess strips. Don't expect accuracy for him. A single pen in a large body of water will not affect water color. Agree there's copper in the water.
Hopefully, they check in before the pool person dumps another couple of quarts of copper in the water.
Added copper algaecide and no more problems. Question - is there a problem with my heater or is this a relatively common issue over a certain amount of times?
Do I need to just add Copper algaecide every so often for preventative maintenance? Do I need to service the copper elements in my heater?
thank you all so much!
Do I need to just add Copper algaecide every so often for preventative maintenance? Do I need to service the copper elements in my heater?
thank you all so much!
We have been trying to tell you that copper is the problem, not the solution.
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,714
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Since the below responses were not clear enough, I'm going to just bluntly say your pool guy is an idiot and the copper algaecide is what is causing your issues not a pen. DO NOT ADD ANY MORE COPPER ALGECIDE TO YOUR POOL, period. It doesn't belong in any sort of pool regiment and you can see why since it will stain stuff and people.
Ok, so I should tell my pool guy to add another bottle of copper algaecide, right?
Oh my gosh...I didn't see those remarks until right now. I am so sorry! Man oh man, I know you guys think I'm an idiot and my pool guy the worst. I have to say that I had tears I was laughing so hard at this thread. So one comment said the copper is causing the staining. I have no staining in the pool. I was just having blue water rinsing out of hair and it turning hair green. so now that he's added the Dang copper algaecide..what do I do, beside fire the service? The kids swam yesterday and there was nothing but clear water rinsing out of their hair and no nails or lips turning blue or green. The pool water has always been crystal clear. What do I do now?
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Hey, no worries. We all miss some things. My wife says I miss more than my share of things. If you have no further issues with the "blues" and have no staining then continue as is. You get plenty of rain in FL to dilute the copper over the course of a summer. If you do continue to have issues, you would consider a partial drain and refill, or a few if needed. But water tables being high in FL would mean not draining very much at one time, and running your well point if you have one while doing so. Floating a FG pool in FL would be very easy to do.
Thank you so much, bmoreswim...here's a story about the water table under our pool...I had a guy come out to look at my pool..when the kids would touch the side of the pool, it would make the water cloudy. the guy came highly recommended..so he says we need to acid wash the pool. so he starts draining it down. now we live on a lake and the builder (who is now out of business) did raise it up a few feet because of the water table but.........so draining starts and I leave the house...I get a call that my pool was trying to come out of the ground and he had to cut a hole in the bottom of the pool to avoid it "floating". he said it was like a geyser there was so much pressure. so we needed to raise the pool up another 3 ft to clear the table. I was working on a remodel for my house so I incorporated raising the deck pretty easily. now we have to pull the pool out so he can fix the bottom cut-out. I'm thinking I'll just get another pool shell...... as he pulls the pool shell out with a crane, the sides rip and the pool falls into two pieces. OMG! then Hurricane Irma hit...its just been crazy. now I just need a new pool service after this whole blue ink/copper deal. ....so I feel like I've got a handle on understanding water tables. LOL. everything works out and I always learn a thing or two...so it's all good......as they say "All of Life is a School".
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)