Recurring Metal Stains... worse than ever...

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Still trying to get the weekly dosage of MM dialed in. I'm seeing a little more staining so I added 12 ounces of MM. the good news is that it did not affect the water clarity this time and the water is finally crystal clear... heres a look at the deep end drain (8ft deep).

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Just an update from yesterday's addition of 12 ounces of Metal Magic after seeing some staining starting to return. It took a bit but this evening, there appears to be no trace of stains. I'm pleased to see this happen because it means I may be able to stay in front of the staining and even reverse any staining when it first appears.

In the past, once I saw stains reappear, all I could do was add more Jacks Purple stuff and hope it would stop any additional staining but it would not remove the stain. Eventually, the stains would slowly darken and darken until I'd have to do another AA treatment and start the cycle all over again.
 
Well, in the morning light I wanted to confirm that the light stains have indeed been reversed by adding some more Metal Magic (12 additional ounces).

I'm very pleased by this. I may have finally found a way to control my metal stains.

In the past, the stains would start to come back after 1 to 2 weeks and would only get worse over time until the next AA treatment only to start the cycle again.

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Nice, I think y'all are on to something here. Catch it early and use Metal Magic to lift the stains and sequester the iron. Eliminating all the hassle of AA treatments is huge upgrade.
 

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It's looking like although Metal Magic is working wonders in my pool lifting stains when they first appear, it's happening with great frequency (about every 3 days).

Don't get me wrong... to me, this is still much better than Ascorbic Acid since I don't have to worry about the high chlorine demand from AA treatments but I was hoping maybe I could keep the stains at bay with 16 oz or so per week but it's not looking that way. Right now, I'm averaging about 36 ounces a week. I'm adding MM when I see traces of the stains returning. I'm not waiting for the stains to get dark.

It's also possible that when I drained water last weekend, I lost a lot of sequestrant and have to make it up. I guess it's early to tell for sure.

In the spirit of full, honest disclosure, I want to keep the thread updated with the facts as I'm documenting them. I've been keeping a detailed pool journal since I did the MM treatment on 5/29/2017.

BTW - I wanted to mention that it looks like the Jacks sequestrant test kit works with Metal Magic. I doubt the scale/measurements are equivalent between Metal Magic and Jacks Pink/Purple but maybe this will help me establish a repeatable, measurable level of Metal Magic in my pool.
 
Well, it's officially been 3 weeks since the initial Metal Magic treatment. I think I'm able to manage the stains by only using Metal Magic.

Here's a photo of the pool this evening. I thinks there is a hint of staining on the perimeter of the shallow end floor but it's very light. My wife thinks I'm seeing things. I have noticed that the stains seem easier to spot in the evenings or when overcast. In full sun, it seems like they are harder to see when they first appear and are very light.

The last time I added 12 ounces of MM was 3 days ago. I'll check it again tomorrow and if it's getting darker, I'll add more MM.

At least this is better than dark staining that would usually return in 7 to 10 days.

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Just wanted to stop in and say THANKS for this thread carlos31820!! Your situation is EXACTLY what I've been dealing with to a 'T' and I was as frustrated as you were. I bought some more MM and added on Friday night - by Sunday morning - all was gone. Will find out what 'dose' my pool needs and start weekly treatment as well. This is so liberating for people such as myself who expect the pool to look right - aka - water is right chemically but the orange stain, however light it may be, isn't right. It's SO frustrating to me - I guess it's the perfectionist in me ;) Love the forum - lurk a lot, still learning a TON - and appreciate the effort and follow up on this thread much!!
 
vexter0944 said:
Just wanted to stop in and say THANKS for this thread carlos31820!! Your situation is EXACTLY what I've been dealing with to a 'T' and I was as frustrated as you were. I bought some more MM and added on Friday night - by Sunday morning - all was gone. Will find out what 'dose' my pool needs and start weekly treatment as well. This is so liberating for people such as myself who expect the pool to look right - aka - water is right chemically but the orange stain, however light it may be, isn't right. It's SO frustrating to me - I guess it's the perfectionist in me ;) Love the forum - lurk a lot, still learning a TON - and appreciate the effort and follow up on this thread much!!
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I'm glad to hear it. I have also learned a lot from this forum. This iron stain issue has been tormenting me for over 3 years. I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to the pool. It's especially frustrating to see those stains keep returning when I try to stay on top of the water chemistry. My wife commented one day that maybe we should fill in the pool because she hated to see it "rob me of my joy for 6 months of the year".

Truly, the AA treatment was just too disruptive to keep doing in a continuous basis. It always feels like a gamble to do it in the hot summer months. Then there's the additional expense of Polyquat, the really high chlorine demand immediately after the AA treatment. And in my case, I would only have a stain free pool for 7-10 days at best. I'm not sure why the Jacks products didn't seem to be as effective keeping the stains from returning when i was using a really high weekly dose (a full quart per week).

Long story short, it looks like I may have found a way to control the stains. I wish my needed Metal Magic weekly dose was smaller but this is still by far easier than my previous approach. I especially like that MM not only sequesters but can reverse the stains when they first appear without eating up all my chlorine, etc. Adding MM on a regular basis is a fairly easy compromise for me.
 
Carlos, So sorry for your 3yr torment, but this is an awesome thread and I'm glad to be learning from your struggles as I think we live in very close proximity to each other and we have the same exact vinyl liner lol ;) with similar issues. Looks like Eiland put your pool in, as my in-laws have very similar design, just smaller. He replaced my liner a few years ago as well when we had the torrential spring rains and my liner floated and was destroyed beyond help. I did an AA test with Vit C tablets and it took my stains away in the test area on fiberglass steps (see pic). I'm getting some metal magic on order today. Please keep us updated on what you ultimately dial your preventive dosage to on a weekly basis. PM me if you want to swing by, cold beverages will be on me...:cheers:

Ben

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Aubie99 said:
Carlos, So sorry for your 3yr torment, but this is an awesome thread and I'm glad to be learning from your struggles as I think we live in very close proximity to each other and we have the same exact vinyl liner lol ;) with similar issues. Looks like Eiland put your pool in, as my in-laws have very similar design, just smaller. He replaced my liner a few years ago as well when we had the torrential spring rains and my liner floated and was destroyed beyond help. I did an AA test with Vit C tablets and it took my stains away in the test area on fiberglass steps (see pic). I'm getting some metal magic on order today. Please keep us updated on what you ultimately dial your preventive dosage to on a weekly basis. PM me if you want to swing by, cold beverages will be on me
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Ben, small world. I take it you're an Auburn fan with that name. My wife went to AU.

Joey Eiland has always been great to work with. He's really a good guy. He's gone above and beyond for us.

Anyway, good luck with Metal Magic.
 
Hey Carlos, yes AU alum and big fan. Agreed on Joey, he's went above and beyond on many occasions for me as well even though he wasn't the one who built the pool originally. I think my iron may be coming from the pool ladder (looks like the bolts holding the steps in are carbon steel or a very low grade stainless as I'm seeing some rust bleeding). Going to look into replacing hardware with better stainless or just replace the ladder. All other hardware in pool looks good. If that's my source, hopefully I may not need MM long term, time will tell.

Thanks and good luck to you in keeping those stains under control.
 
Here's the latest update on my stains. I noticed some light staining on Monday. On Tuesday, the staining was more pronounced so I added 16 ounces MM around 6pm.

Today Wednesday, I checked the pool before leaving for work and the stains were not much different than yesterday so I added 12 more ounces before leaving for work.

After work, I checked and the stains look lighter but still visible. I added an additional 12 ounces. Unfortunately, that's over a quart since yesterday. I'm wondering if I'm now to the point where excess MM from the initial treatment has been broken down by chlorine although it's not that high (FC=6, CC=0, pH=7.2).

Here are some photos I just took. Unfortunately, it's drizzling so it's hard for the camera to pick up on the stains I can clearly see with the naked eye. I've marked the photos to highlight the areas I see light staining.

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