Mustard and/or Black Algae

It’s mostly cosmetic.

Also, people’s hair can turn green from copper, especially blonde hair.

The main chemicals for removing metal stains are ascorbic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid and sulfamic acid.

Jack’s #2 is sulfamic acid, which is the most effective on copper.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and use a diamond grit power sander on the plaster to remove stains.

Power sanding also smoothes the surface.

Acid washing makes the surface very rough.

In the earlier pictures, they chose to acid wash and it came out pretty nice, but the surface was very rough.

You can also try a “No-Drain” acid wash, which is where you lower the TA to zero for a while to see if the stains will lift.

Zero TA can damage metals like copper in the heater, handrails and lights, so it is not a good choice if you have metals that can be damaged.
 
It’s mostly cosmetic.

Also, people’s hair can turn green from copper, especially blonde hair.

The main chemicals for removing metal stains are ascorbic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid and sulfamic acid.

Jack’s #2 is sulfamic acid, which is the most effective on copper.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and use a diamond grit power sander on the plaster to remove stains.

Power sanding also smoothes the surface.

Acid washing makes the surface very rough.

In the earlier pictures, they chose to acid wash and it came out pretty nice, but the surface was very rough.

You can also try a “No-Drain” acid wash, which is where you lower the TA to zero for a while to see if the stains will lift.

Zero TA can damage metals like copper in the heater, handrails and lights, so it is not a good choice if you have metals that can be damaged.
I will drain over time and will try jack’s #2. Thank you so so much! I really needed your help!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW
It’s mostly cosmetic.

Also, people’s hair can turn green from copper, especially blonde hair.

The main chemicals for removing metal stains are ascorbic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid and sulfamic acid.

Jack’s #2 is sulfamic acid, which is the most effective on copper.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and use a diamond grit power sander on the plaster to remove stains.

Power sanding also smoothes the surface.

Acid washing makes the surface very rough.

In the earlier pictures, they chose to acid wash and it came out pretty nice, but the surface was very rough.

You can also try a “No-Drain” acid wash, which is where you lower the TA to zero for a while to see if the stains will lift.

Zero TA can damage metals like copper in the heater, handrails and lights, so it is not a good choice if you have metals that can be damaged.
I checked alkalinity level and ph. Alkalinity is 110-120, ph is 7.8. I used Taylor 2006
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW
What I would probably do:

1) Get the pool clean and algae free.

2) Take the system offline.

3) Add the recommended dose of Jack’s #2 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

4) Brush as much as possible.

5) If the process is not satisfactory, add a second dose of Jack’s #2 and give it another 6 hours.

6) Brush as much as possible.

7) If the process is not satisfactory, lower the TA to 0 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

8) Begin diluting by adding and removing water at the same time until most of the water is exchanged.

9) Once the water is mostly new and the pH and TA are back to normal, start the system.

You can also try ascorbic acid, citric acid or oxalic acid.

See what the stain ID shows and which chemical works best.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and power sand with diamond grit pads.

Draining has risks like the pool popping out of the ground and/or the plaster delaminating.

Note that there are a lot of risks involved and it might not give good results and it might make things worse or cause unexpected damages.

Any metals like handrails, lights, light niches etc. can be damaged by the procedure.

I am just giving my opinion and I am not recommending anything or telling you that the procedure is safe or effective.

Do your own research on what options you have as well as the pros and cons, the costs and risks etc.

You should get a local professional expert to come onsite to help you make the best most informed choices and to help you decide on the best procedures.
 
What I would probably do:

1) Get the pool clean and algae free.

2) Take the system offline.

3) Add the recommended dose of Jack’s #2 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

4) Brush as much as possible.

5) If the process is not satisfactory, add a second dose of Jack’s #2 and give it another 6 hours.

6) Brush as much as possible.

7) If the process is not satisfactory, lower the TA to 0 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

8) Begin diluting by adding and removing water at the same time until most of the water is exchanged.

9) Once the water is mostly new and the pH and TA are back to normal, start the system.

You can also try ascorbic acid, citric acid or oxalic acid.

See what the stain ID shows and which chemical works best.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and power sand with diamond grit pads.

Draining has risks like the pool popping out of the ground and/or the plaster delaminating.

Note that there are a lot of risks involved and it might not give good results and it might make things worse or cause unexpected damages.

Any metals like handrails, lights, light niches etc. can be damaged by the procedure.

I am just giving my opinion and I am not recommending anything or telling you that the procedure is safe or effective.

Do your own research on what options you have as well as the pros and cons, the costs and risks etc.

You should get a local professional expert to come onsite to help you make the best most informed choices and to help you decide on the best procedures.
Thank you! I need to have someone to bypass the heater then, I will try the process. I am going to a local store to test the water for me! Then I will be sure about copper issue
 
What I would probably do:

1) Get the pool clean and algae free.

2) Take the system offline.

3) Add the recommended dose of Jack’s #2 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

4) Brush as much as possible.

5) If the process is not satisfactory, add a second dose of Jack’s #2 and give it another 6 hours.

6) Brush as much as possible.

7) If the process is not satisfactory, lower the TA to 0 and give it up to 6 hours to work.

8) Begin diluting by adding and removing water at the same time until most of the water is exchanged.

9) Once the water is mostly new and the pH and TA are back to normal, start the system.

You can also try ascorbic acid, citric acid or oxalic acid.

See what the stain ID shows and which chemical works best.

You can also drain and acid wash or drain and power sand with diamond grit pads.

Draining has risks like the pool popping out of the ground and/or the plaster delaminating.

Note that there are a lot of risks involved and it might not give good results and it might make things worse or cause unexpected damages.

Any metals like handrails, lights, light niches etc. can be damaged by the procedure.

I am just giving my opinion and I am not recommending anything or telling you that the procedure is safe or effective.

Do your own research on what options you have as well as the pros and cons, the costs and risks etc.

You should get a local professional expert to come onsite to help you make the best most informed choices and to help you decide on the best procedures.
Jack’s #2 is cheaper on Amazon. Do you think there is any difference?
 
Jack’s #2 is cheaper on Amazon. Do you think there is any difference?
It should be the same unless the seller changed the product for some reason.

Jack's also has a procedure for using the product that you should review to see if you would prefer their process.

Contact Jack's to get the stain id kit and to see what they recommend because they have a lot of experience in dealing with copper.
 
  • Like
Reactions: s.hashemirud
It should be the same unless the seller changed the product for some reason.

Jack's also has a procedure for using the product that you should review to see if you would prefer their process.

Contact Jack's to get the stain id kit and to see what they recommend because they have a lot of experience in dealing with copper.
I went to a store and they tested my pool water and this is the result. What do you think? Thanks for the support!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0624.jpeg
    IMG_0624.jpeg
    506.8 KB · Views: 17
  • IMG_0623.jpeg
    IMG_0623.jpeg
    528.4 KB · Views: 16
  • IMG_0622.jpeg
    IMG_0622.jpeg
    365.4 KB · Views: 16
What have you done so far?

What makes you think you have black and mustard algae?



What liquid chlorine is the best for pool and how often i should add?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I went to a store and they tested my pool water and this is the result. What do you think? Thanks for the support!
It confirms you have metals in your pool and likely a staining problem.

It confirms the pool water needs to be drained to lower the CYA.

Everything else on those pages is nonsense and should be ignored.
 
What about the alkalinity? They gave me a big package to add to the pool to increase it
You should not use any of the chemicals they gave you and return them.

A TA of 60-70 is perfectly fine.

A TA down to 50 is acceptable.

Think about it. You need to drain 80% of your water to lower your CYA. Why are you wasting money dumping in chemicals into water you are going to drain out? You should see that the Pool Store recommendations are not in your best interests and they just want your money on chemicals that you will dump down the drain.

Stop going to the Pool Store and use your own test kit!

  • Drain your pool and get your CYA down to 30-40
  • Follow the SLAM Process to clear your algae
  • Then see where your chemicals levels are and adjust
 
You should not use any of the chemicals they gave you and return them.

A TA of 60-70 is perfectly fine.

A TA down to 50 is acceptable.

Think about it. You need to drain 80% of your water to lower your CYA. Why are you wasting money dumping in chemicals into water you are going to drain out? You should see that the Pool Store recommendations are not in your best interests and they just want your money on chemicals that you will dump down the drain.

Stop going to the Pool Store and use your own test kit!

  • Drain your pool and get your CYA down to 30-40
  • Follow the SLAM Process to clear your algae
  • Then see where your chemicals levels are and adjust
I am not sure if we have algae. Since based what you and James said, they must be copper stain
 
What about metal? How can I make sure I have copper and possibly iron stains not algae? Should I use pool magnet plus? I don’t have bypass at this point then I cannot use jack’s magic
Also they gave me sparkle up for cleaning filter. They said put in the sand filter. I am not sure how I can put chemical in a sand filter. They said open the valve!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.