Hello,
New to this forum. I am new to pool ownership and am having issues with pools stains. I have included pics but the are hard to see clearly as they are about 7-8 feet underwater. I have tried Vitamin C test (rubbing on stains), chlorine tab test (rubbing on stains to see if they fade), and Oxalic acid in a sock and sat on a stain overnight. None of these have helped identify the type of stains my pool is suffering from. When we got the house, a pool inspector mentioned that the stains were due to "electrolysis" and that I could add a zinc metal in the skimmer to help mininize the stainings, but that they would not disappear. Over the last months, these stains have seemed to spread. I've tried the various treatments, and while they do seem to lighten the plaster, they don't do much if anything to the actual stains. I get my water tested regularly at Leslie's and my numbers are usually good and within safe range. At times my phosphates have been high, but i've managed them with Phos Free. I've use the CUlator metal remover, and there was minimal staining on that (a few light spots of yellow-iron, and a hint of blue - copper?) to indicate no metals. Leslie's testing has supported my water having little to no metals in it.
They also told me that Black algae would look like the plague, so i'm assuming it isn't black algae. I've brushed with metal brush and that hasn't removed them so I'm also assuming it's not black algae. I notice that members have indicated that using "Blue" chlorox pool items can cause staining. I have used both Chlorox Blue shock and tablets for a good chunk of the last year. I have since stopped and started using the Leslie's version of both of these. I used these originally until I switched over to the cheaper Chlorox brand.
Any advice? I don't want to keep spending money on expensive treatments that don't work. If these are stains that can't be removed without acid wash, then I guess I will wait until i am ready to swap out water. I might add that we started with fresh water when we got the house a year ago. Thanks in advance for any tips/advice!
New to this forum. I am new to pool ownership and am having issues with pools stains. I have included pics but the are hard to see clearly as they are about 7-8 feet underwater. I have tried Vitamin C test (rubbing on stains), chlorine tab test (rubbing on stains to see if they fade), and Oxalic acid in a sock and sat on a stain overnight. None of these have helped identify the type of stains my pool is suffering from. When we got the house, a pool inspector mentioned that the stains were due to "electrolysis" and that I could add a zinc metal in the skimmer to help mininize the stainings, but that they would not disappear. Over the last months, these stains have seemed to spread. I've tried the various treatments, and while they do seem to lighten the plaster, they don't do much if anything to the actual stains. I get my water tested regularly at Leslie's and my numbers are usually good and within safe range. At times my phosphates have been high, but i've managed them with Phos Free. I've use the CUlator metal remover, and there was minimal staining on that (a few light spots of yellow-iron, and a hint of blue - copper?) to indicate no metals. Leslie's testing has supported my water having little to no metals in it.
They also told me that Black algae would look like the plague, so i'm assuming it isn't black algae. I've brushed with metal brush and that hasn't removed them so I'm also assuming it's not black algae. I notice that members have indicated that using "Blue" chlorox pool items can cause staining. I have used both Chlorox Blue shock and tablets for a good chunk of the last year. I have since stopped and started using the Leslie's version of both of these. I used these originally until I switched over to the cheaper Chlorox brand.
Any advice? I don't want to keep spending money on expensive treatments that don't work. If these are stains that can't be removed without acid wash, then I guess I will wait until i am ready to swap out water. I might add that we started with fresh water when we got the house a year ago. Thanks in advance for any tips/advice!
You might try some dry acid in a sock and hold that on a stained area for a short bit to see it that does anything (copper). Based on everything you said that would be my first concern. You can pretty-much ignore everything the pool store told you to include phosphates and water testing results. It's almost always inaccurate. You'll be better off getting your own TF-100 (link below) or Taylor K-2006C test kit. But try that dry acid test and report back to let us know if it worked.
