Iron nail stain in gunite pool

[nityntiy]

I replaced my roof few years back and got some nails on the pool floor which I missed and got all stained up in few days. It's been more than 5 years now, how can I get rid of the stains?
I read up some articles here about using ascorbic acid which is kinda time consuming (as I am listing my house in the market in 3 weeks ). What are my options? Should I give it a shot and risk getting my water all greenish in case if things go south? I do have the Vitamin C pills handy, I am planning to drop some in the pool today if recommended. But time constraint is a problem.

I read about this product online. BioGuard Erase Iron Stain Remover which is faster based on the reviews. Any tips?
Iron Stain Remover

 

[Texas Splash]

If there aren't too many or you aren't in a rush, just rub some Vitamin C tablets on the stains.

 

[ajw22]

Crush some vitamin C up into a paste and rub it on the stains.

How deep are the stains?

You may need to put the vitamin C paste in a thin sock and attach it to a pole to rub it on the floor.

Spot treatments will be better then trying to dump chemicals in the pool water.

 

[nityntiy]

Crush some vitamin C up into a paste and rub it on the stains.

How deep are the stains?

You may need to put the vitamin C paste in a thin sock and attach it to a pole to rub it on the floor.

Spot treatments will be better then trying to dump chemicals in the pool water.

The stains are 3 feet deep. I crushed the vitamin c pills and put it in a sock and placed it on top of the stains. Few minutes later rubbed it in using brush. Didn't see much difference, nothing noticeable atleast. I lwill let the sock sit on it overnight and will update tomorrow.

 

[Texas Splash]

I lwill let the sock sit on it overnight and will update tomorrow.

For a simple rust stain it should work. If the paste isn't getting through the sock very well, take a tablet and rub it directly on a stain.

 

[duraleigh]

It will be difficult to remove that 5 year old stain. You may minimize it but I doubt it will all come out. Sorry.

 

[nityntiy]

It will be difficult to remove that 5 year old stain. You may minimize it but I doubt it will all come out. Sorry.

You are right, its 3 feet deep in the water and not coming off fully. I can't rub it in by hand, maybe that would be more efficient I guess.

 

[ajw22]

Rub it with your feet.

 

[nityntiy]

Rub it with your feet.

Tried that too, still not effective. I am using 500mg tablets. Will 1000mg make a difference?

 

[ajw22]

Tried that too, still not effective. I am using 500mg tablets. Will 1000mg make a difference?

Probably not.

You waited too long to treat the stain.

 

[nityntiy]

Tried that too, still not effective. I am using 500mg tablets. Will 1000mg make a difference?

How about muriatic acid? Isn't it strong enough to remove iron stains?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Take a wet/dry sanding sponge (med or fine grit) and lightly sand the area in question. Keep it small and don’t overdo it. There are also “magic stain sticks” that you can attach to the end of a pole and rub the stains with. They are usually a grit filled melamine or hard rubber that lets you sand the stained area. They sell them on Amazon or, if you have to, pool stores. They’re worth a try. There are also pumice stone versions too.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

How about muriatic acid? Isn't it strong enough to remove iron stains?

I would not do that. You can mar the plaster and make it look even worse. Try the sanding method first.

 

[ajw22]

How about muriatic acid? Isn't it strong enough to remove iron stains?

MA removes plaster. If you are removing stains you are removing plaster and that area may then have a different look to it.

So you may trade one type of stain for another.

Same thing with sanding. Depending on how old and stained and faded your plaster color is you may create a stain of a different type.

 

[nityntiy]

Take a wet/dry sanding sponge (med or fine grit) and lightly sand the area in question. Keep it small and don’t overdo it. There are also “magic stain sticks” that you can attach to the end of a pole and rub the stains with. They are usually a grit filled melamine or hard rubber that lets you sand the stained area. They sell them on Amazon or, if you have to, pool stores. They’re worth a try. There are also pumice stone versions too.

After a closer look, it did come off a bit using Vitamin C, but not fully yet. Only if I could stay under water and rub it in using my hand vigoroulsy. I will try the sanding method this afternoon once it gets little warmer. I can't get the sponge go down using a stick. Need to get under the water once it hit the 70s this afternoon. If I knew this would be such a pain, I wouldn't have ignored it this long.

 

[nityntiy]

What about this product? Strongly tempting to try out.
Stain remover

 

[nityntiy]

Take a wet/dry sanding sponge (med or fine grit) and lightly sand the area in question. Keep it small and don’t overdo it. There are also “magic stain sticks” that you can attach to the end of a pole and rub the stains with. They are usually a grit filled melamine or hard rubber that lets you sand the stained area. They sell them on Amazon or, if you have to, pool stores. They’re worth a try. There are also pumice stone versions too.

That WORKED. The stains are gone now. Thank you so much
Now how do I remove the rust stains dissolved in the water? I read it might come back if left untreated in the water and filter won't catch it. I have the pump running now and poured half bottle liquid chlorine as well.
Should I use some stain remover to remove the dissolved rust from water? Not sure if it's significant amount for the stains to come back. Probably had 8-10 spots that was sanded off.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

That WORKED. The stains are gone now. Thank you so much
Now how do I remove the rust stains dissolved in the water? I read it might come back if left untreated in the water and filter won't catch it. I have the pump running now and poured half bottle liquid chlorine as well.
Should I use some stain remover to remove the dissolved rust from water? Not sure if it's significant amount for the stains to come back. Probably had 8-10 spots that was sanded off.

Just leave it as is. You said the house is going on the market soon, right? The less fiddling you do the better, no need to invite trouble …

 

[nityntiy]

Just leave it as is. You said the house is going on the market soon, right? The less fiddling you do the better, no need to invite trouble …

That's true and it makes sense. Not messing around anymore. Thanks for the tip.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

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