Opening up with stains

[Drewjill]

Hi! Just took our cover off and decided we could open this guy up ourselves this year and have total control over all additives! We have had issues with metal staining for the past several years and still don’t know where the metals are coming from. Could be the heater that we don’t use, but the water goes through it. Upon taking the cover off the pool was pretty darn clear with the exception of some leaves and debris that I will vacuum out today. The stains are the same as when we closed it and vitamin c test shows them to be metal which we knew. Did opening test and have the following results:
FC = 1.5
CC=.5
PH=7.2
TA=80
CH=200
Did not test for salt
Can’t test CYA as I had to reorder R-0013 because I’m out. Also reordered a bunch of other test supplies to get ready for the season. We haven’t added anything to the pool yet and have just been running the filter. I would love to get my staining under control this summer and have placed an order for AA and some Jacks Magic purple stuff. Got some chlorinating liquid from WM and some poly fill for my skimmers. Looking for suggestions as to how to handle the stain removal and then rebalancing water after. In the past when I have done a AA treatment it works beautifully then fails when the FC level gets higher. Hopefully starting early will help me. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Also looking for suggestions on salt testing and metal testing.
Thanks!!!

 

[duraleigh]

What is your refill source? Can you bypass the heater?

 

[duraleigh]

Oops! just saw "town water" in your sig. Can you bypass the heater easily? (although I doubt that is the cause)

 

[Drewjill]

I spoke with the company that installed the pool and they can put in a by pass somehow- they didn’t seem to think that was the source either and I don’t really want to spend the $ for the modifications. We are not putting back in one of the ladders that had some rust on a screw

 

[duraleigh]

Do you have a water softener for your house?

 

[Drewjill]

No and honestly haven’t had to fill much in the past couple of years due to rain

 

[Texas Splash]

Drew, it looks like Dave is offline at the moment, so I poked around on your city/county website and was looking at your 2019 Annual Water Report. All of your local water comes from 5 wells, and there does appear to be reported amounts of iron in that water, along with a few other compounds. I suppose it's reasonable to assume that those levels could increase over time, even though you noted you don't usually have to add much water. I can't help but wonder about the plumbing in your home as well. Do you know if they are original and what they may be made of? You might consider taking a water sample directly from your hose to the local pool store just to see what metals they show. Since the Vitamin C worked, you can be confident that was an iron stain.

 

[Drewjill]

Wow! Thank you so much for looking into it! I do think it may be an accumulation over time. Our house is about 30 years old the pool is 12 years. When we put the pool in we trucked in water to fill it and have used town water to top off over the years. Started getting staining about 4 years ago. I’ve sort of given up on trying to find the source, more looking at how to stay ahead of it on the staining and learning to live with it. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I used a culater thing last year but it didn’t really do anything and tried to get into a routine of adding metal Sequestrant regularly, but never fully figured out the schedule and the staining came back. Thanks!!!

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, I agree with Texas Splash. A sample to a pool store for iron is probably next. It'll confirm it is iron (although it surely is) and it'll give us an idea as to how much is in your water. .3 ppm has often been mentioned as a level where stains can start to develop.

If you cannot determine the source of your iron staining, it will continue to be troublesome. It will simply keep coming back.

 

[duraleigh]

We posted about the same time. A sequestrant can probably work but eliminating the iron source is far better.

Do you have any rusty or iron looking stains in the commode in your house? Regardless, if you could fix it with a whole house softener, would you consider that?

 

[Drewjill]

Other than shower curtain liners and hardware turning a bit rusty No other issues. Not really interested in the water softener investment

 

[duraleigh]

So, it seems pretty certain that the iron is coming from your city provided water.....along with the iron that they put in there at no charge.

I see no solution other than to keep the sequestrant, AA treatment process in place. I don't see it ending unless the city can give you iron-free water.

 

[Drewjill]

Thank you so much - added the AA this morning and like magic the stains are leaving, also filled my skimmers with poly fill (I read somewhere that will help filter and I had it at home- not sure if it will do anything). I did just receive 2 quarts of Jacks Magic Purple stuff and per the directions for start up I need 1 qt. for 10,000 gallons and for maintenance 6-8oz. per 10,000 gallons per week. Does anyone have a recommended sequestering agent? Perhaps one that is less expensive than Jacks? Any recommendations as to frequency of adding?

 

[duraleigh]

The stains will likely return if you skimp. Remember, you didn't eliminate the iron, the sequestrant simply turned it back in soluble form. Stay with the doses they suggest or the iron will precipitate back out.

If you want it stopped, you need to get the city to stop providing the iron.

 

[Drewjill]

Thanks! I have a feeling by the time I can get the town water changed I will no longer be a pool owner Not trying to skimp, just want to make sure i'm spending the $ on the best product for the job.

 

[Drewjill]

Am doing AA treatment and the pool looks gorgeous! Added around 3.5lbs AA and magic! Then added 2 qts jacks purple and poly fill to the skimmers. Circulated for 24 hours and still gorgeous. Tested and found:
FC =0
CC= .5
PH= 7
TA=70
CYA=20
CH=175

started adding chlorinating liquid 10% just about 40 ounces as I want to go slow. I know I need to increase my FC, CYA and PH but want to confirm the sequence of chemicals before adding anything else. i have all the chemicals I need I just want to see what order to add. The pool is still really cold although we are expecting some warmer weather over the next week or so.
Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

I need I just want to see what order to add.

Based on those numbers, you are on the right track. I would increase the CYA to at least 30. You can get that going right away. In addition, continue to slowly increase the FC, just a little at a time, watching the pool for any reactions between iron and chlorine. Have sequestrant in-hand in case you need to do a quick dose. Eventually, if the iron content isn't too high, you can get the FC to the ideal FC range based on a CYA of 30 as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. Leave the TA and pH alone. They are nice and low right now which is good as well. Good luck!