Brown steps - any advice?

[DaveTheAccountant]

Some brief research indicates iron, but we are on city water. Am I misunderstanding, or is that normally a well water problem?

Test results are available in pool math. FC is low, but everything else seems reasonable.

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

 

[Texas Splash]

Rub a Vitamin C tablet on the steps. If they get white, it's iron.

 

[Texas Splash]

If that doesn't work, post a full set of water test results and we'll go from there.

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

If that doesn't work, post a full set of water test results and we'll go from there.

I’m definitely going to tru the vitamin c, but we have two days of rain ongoing. Test results are updated in poolmath.

 

[Texas Splash]

Test results are updated in poolmath.

For some reason I can't see your Poolmath testing. Please check your Poolmath settings. There should be a toggle that allows you to share Poolmath to TFP. Make sure it's on.

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

For some reason I can't see your Poolmath testing. Please check your Poolmath settings. There should be a toggle that allows you to share Poolmath to TFP. Make sure it's on.

I have anyone with a unique turned on. Does this work? PoolMath Logs

 

[Texas Splash]

The link took me there. We'll look into the Poolmath-to-TFP link later.

Your FC does look like it's fluctuated a bit over the past, so you may have a bit of organic stuff in there. Might be good to perform an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out algae. In the meantime, that Vitamin C test is still good to check for iron.

 

[Texas Splash]

Getting back to your Poolmath logs. Some FYI stuff. If you place your mouse cursor over my avatar pic and hold it there, you'll see a Poolmath Logs link in blue. I don't see that when I place my mouse over your picture though.

When you go to Poolmath, click on the Settings gear icon. You should see the following:

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

I don’t have that option. Regarding fluctuating, FC, my SWCG is undersized so I manually chlorinate sometimes to assist it. That’s why they seem to go up and down a bit.

 

[Texas Splash]

Gotcha. Let us now how the Vitamin C test goes.

By the way, are you using the free Poolmath version? I wonder if that's why you don't have the link toggle option.

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

Gotcha. Let us now how the Vitamin C test goes.

By the way, are you using the free Poolmath version? I wonder if that's why you don't have the link toggle option.

No. I am subscribed for $7.99/year.

 

[Texas Splash]

@Leebo, good morning! Can you look into why this OP doesn't have the option in his Poolmath settings to link to TFP? Thanks Lee.

 

[mknauss]

The login for Poolmath and TFP must be the same.

 

[Chrissu]

IMO, the fastest way to resolve your brown steps issue is by draining enough water out of your pool so that the steps are above the water line. Then do a simple acid wash of the steps using a 50/50 mix of muriatic acid and water. A half gallon of MA is more than enough. Use a brush to move the acid around and rinse with a hose after about 5 minutes. This works wonders and will make your steps look good as new. The wife will be happy. Follow up with a treatment as advised here to get your water chemistry in check. This two pronged approach gives you both a short term and long term solution. Cheers

 

[JamesW]

Some brief research indicates iron, but we are on city water. Am I misunderstanding, or is that normally a well water problem?

All pool water has iron unless the pool was filled with RO or distilled water.

Some have very low iron and some have high iron, but all pools contain iron.

Drop a vitamin C tablet on a spot.

 

[Mdragger88]

I am on city water & also have an iron problem. It has gotten worse as time goes on & the level builds. I am now getting stains in my skimmer & pump basket along with my robot's basket. Definitely not a well only problem. using crushed vitamin c pills in a small sock will yield immediate results if its iron. It takes longer to crush them up & get em in the sock than to do the test. Also try rubbing it on an inconspicuous spot on your liner. I was taken back by the difference as I hadn't realized how dingy my liner had become. I plan to do the full AA treatment in the early spring when I open.

 

[JamesW]

The brown color is usually from iron (rust) particles that come off of the older pipes. Although it is undesirable, the water is safe to drink. The color can stain white clothes in the washing machine.

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[JamesW]

Also, chemicals like salt can have enough iron to cause stains.

It only takes a tiny amount of iron to create a stain.

Iron is present in all natural sources of water and it can be in the pipes that deliver water and in naturally derived products like salt.

 

[DaveTheAccountant]

Thanks for the detailed responses. I’ll try C tomorrow and evaluate results.