fought iron stains all last season, bit the bullet, pumped it down and brought in 8,000 gallons of new water, treated the stains with asorbic acid and added 1 qt metal magic. It looked like brand new for one week. The stains are returning again just like with the old water did all last year, one week and it turns brown. my CYA is 50, PH was 7.8 or maybe 8 this morning, I put acid in to lower to 7.2, I've been keeping chlorine at the minimum for my CYA for the past week using 10% bleach. it's eating chlorine at about 1.0 to 1.5 qts a day to keep it around 3 to 5 F.C. I am so frustrated, the final answer to the problem was new water, which I did. That did not work. it all plastic plumbing in ground pool 10,000 gallons, vinyl liner on metal walls, the pump is 22 years old, can that be putting that much iron in the pool? I'm ready to fill it in an make a patio.
Brown again
- Thread starter Punchyp
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,908
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I'm curious about what you said about a pump being 22 years old. The pool pump? A pool pump won't add iron to the water. You might contact the service who delivered the 8,000 gallons of water to see where they got it from and if they can confirm it was truly iron-free. Let them know you have suspicions about it based on staining (reaction to chlorine). Stains don't just appear from clean water, so if it's iron (comes off with Vitamin C tablets) then it was either in the delivery service water from before or rusted plumbing from somewhere. Are you sure there are no steel pipes underground for the pool?
Sorry I've been busy and forgot I posted. The pool pump is what I was talking about, I didn't think it had anything to do with the staining.
The new water was supposed to be from an iron free source, but who knows where he actually went to get it, he could have lied. It's all PVC plumbing so its not that.
The staining never got as bad as last season with the old water. My PH was creeping up, and so did the stains, I put 1.5 qts of muratic acid in and lowered the Ph to 7.2, and the stains disappeared overnight.
I've used a gallon and a half of acid since mid to end of march. Only liquid Chlorine to this point, no tabs or powder shock, my CYA is around 50 so not a lot of stabilizer in the water, I guess the liquid chlorine is burning away daily and raising the Ph? I have not slammed as there is zero CC in the water.
No cover on this pool either, cool/cold nights up here in Indiana.
Ive been keeping the FC at the Min. from Pool math calculator.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,633
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
When the ascorbic acid removes the iron from the pool surface, it puts it back into the water. When you did the treatment, I’m afraid it put the iron into your new water.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,153
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
The pool water trucks usually hook/fill up to the closest fire hydrant to your house.
I figured it had to go back into the water. I just thought the metal magic would keep it suspended or eliminate it. it looks like keeping PH at 7.2 is the trick, once it got to 7.6 or 7.7 it stained the wall ladder and the white plastic nozzle covers on the return jets. stains disappeared after lowering the PH to 7.2
My TA has been high as well, but now is down around 100 since the last muratic acid addition.
I swear that years ago the "pool store people" told me that Liquid Ch raises your PH. Not true huh?
My TA has been high as well, but now is down around 100 since the last muratic acid addition.
I swear that years ago the "pool store people" told me that Liquid Ch raises your PH. Not true huh?
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,908
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Only temporarily, and only if it was in a high enough dosage. That's why we say liquid chlorine is pH neutral, because even if it has a small effect, it goes back to its original spot fairly soon. A SLAM Process is a good example of how chlorine can make the pH seem to be high, which is why we recommende lowering the pH before starting a SLAM. But on normal days, no worries.
Now you are in normal-mode, and it's good you got your TA down.
Your region has a notoriously high alkalinity, some pools close to 400 or more. Fill water will try to raise it, but your consistent pH management should help to control it.
Sequestrants put the metals (iron) back into suspension in the water, and sequestrant levels fall over time. They have to be maintained to prevent stains. Iron oxidizes and turns brown when it is exposed to chlorine and falls out of suspension. You can filter out the iron that has oxidized by placing pillow stuffing in the skimmer basket. I would get some cheap knee hi hose and stuff them with pillow stuffing and make some little iron filters for your skimmer basket. Swap them out every couple of hours and clean them by squeezing them out in a bucket of clean water. They can be re-used until they fall apart, and then you can put the stuffing in a new knee high. The iron filters need to be small enough that they fit in the skimmer easily and don't restrict flow.
When you replace iron filled water with fresh water the best sequence to follow is slam first if there is algae, then sequestrant to remove stains, drain sequestered water and refill with fresh.
When you replace iron filled water with fresh water the best sequence to follow is slam first if there is algae, then sequestrant to remove stains, drain sequestered water and refill with fresh.
