Metal stains in the pool. What do I do?

CRUSH-IT!

0
Gold Supporter
Jul 29, 2017
75
orlando, fl
Pool Size
24000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I am new and this is my first post. I have however enjoyed and benefitted from many threads which I have already read. I have been regularly looking at this site over several months but have a question or two that remain.

My pool is about 20yo but is in remarkably good shape. I have had brown stains start appearing on the plaster and on the acrylic. They do not respond well to being scrubbed with tricolor but come right off with Vitamin C tabs. (in all honesty some of the stains just don't lift off well. I suspect they are older.) I recently had the water tested at a local store which said "no metals". a week later another pool store said iron is 0 but copper is 0.3 which is "high". I suspect that it is in fact copper as I am on city water which is excellent. I am curious as to the source as this is a new phenomenon. I recently started using borate and have a level of about 30 but plan to increase it. We have had torrential rains here in florida causing a lot of dilution and the pH tends to rise rapidly, (up to 8 in a week). 3 months ago I drained and refilled the pool because the Calcium was getting high and we had a lot of scaling. After that I started the borate and muriatic acid thing. I am usually pretty good with the pH and do not believe I have run the pH low for a period of time.

What is the source of the metal?????

To complicate things, my son is like Dennis the Menace and recently scrubbed the BBQ grill by the pool sending many iron fragments into the pool resulting in rust stains.
The Stainless steel screen on the electrolysis unit was a bit rusty and had stained the PVC internally, I just replaced it.
The leading culprit I suppose is the heater which has a cupronickel heat exchanger.
Additionally, I may have some iron stains and have some concern that the diamond write may have worn in some areas exposing mesh or rebar from the concrete although I am by no means sure this is the case.
I have used no algaecides etc.

If I solve the problem with the metal in the water by one means or another it may just come back if I do not identify the source.

I am really interested in your thoughts and how I should proceed. Thanks.
 
You could certainly start by using a sequestrant to reduce chances of increased staining.

Have you used any other products recently such as blue shock or anything that might contain copper? If you are sure you never had low pH issues, your heat exchanger is not likely the source.

I'm not sure what you mean by the screen in your electrolysis unit... you mean your SWG?
 
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