Bother with bird dropping stains

[FlyingCircus]

Hello members,

This year we had an unwelcome migration of birds that have taken a liking to my pool. As you can see they have been dropping their waste into the water and it all seems to end up in the deep end (although there are random droppings all over).

At this time I no longer need advice on preventing this from continuing as they seem to have moved on. However, my absence over the summer, to remove the poop as it happened, has allowed it all to stick to the floor of the pool and cannot be removed with any amount of brushing. I have been keeping my pool chemistry in check with higher levels of FC but these stains wont budge.

Does anyone have experience in removing bird droppings from plaster after they have been on there a while?

Thank you.

(Click for full size image)

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Let a trichlor puck sit on the poop stains for a few minutes at a time. Don't leave the puck on the plaster for too long or the acid in the puck will etch a ring in the plaster.

If left alone the chlorine in the pool will lighten the stains over time but that can take months.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Thanks for the welcome and reply, ajw22!

I gave the trichlor puck a try and while it did lighten the stain somewhat, upon closer inspection, I believe there is considerable bird poop below the stain. They are dark hard bumps on the bottom of the pool now. Brushing and other abrasive techniques have had no impact.

Most of these droppings are 8ft down making it hard to do anything to them.

Do you think I may have to drain the pool to address this problem?

 

[ajw22]

Do you think I may have to drain the pool to address this problem?

It is a cosmetic problem. I would not drain the pool for it.

Keep your FC up and hit the spots hard with a pool brush with steel bristles. Over time, which could be months or years, it should fade. Eventually you may decide to forget about it as you get other warts on your pool.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum.

I am struggling to visualize that bird poop could make it through 8 feet of water intact.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Eventually you may decide to forget about it as you get other warts on your pool.

The pool is from the 1980's, there are plenty of warts already I just thought the poop might be a bit off-putting to those who might want to swim.

Welcome to the forum.

I am struggling to visualize that bird poop could make it through 8 feet of water intact.

Thank you, mknauss

I don't think birds are flying over and going all dambusters on the pool. The concentration of them is too consistent for that. Therefore I can only surmise that some nesting birds have been dropping delightful parcels of poop into the pool, they then sink to the bottom and solidify over time.

Anyone else have experience with this?

 

[FlyingCircus]

I got in the pool with a scraper today to remove some of the droppings. I removed a couple of mounds and they have left holes in the plaster. This is no longer cosmetic issue. I cant see any solution but to drain, remove the droppings and repair plaster.

 

[ajw22]

I got in the pool with a scraper today to remove some of the droppings. I removed a couple of mounds and they have left holes in the plaster. This is no longer cosmetic issue. I cant see any solution but to drain, remove the droppings and repair plaster.

That sounds like you have delamination of the plaster and calcium nodules, not bird droppings.

Was this the original plaster on the pool or was a replaster done on the original plaster? Good plaster takes a lot of force to chip off a pool.

Calcium Nodules in pools What are calcium nodules? In swimming pools and spas, they are small mounds, bumps, deposits, or “slag” piles of calcium carbonate which are formed from material that has been released from the plaster. The small calcium nodules are rough to the touch, hard, and generally gritty. Nodules may form singularly (far apart or sporadically), or many and close together along a crack in the plaster surface.