Stain removal from fiberglass walls

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tech135797531

Well-known member
Jun 14, 2019
53
FL
I'm about to start the process of stain removal with Polyquat 60 > Ascorbic Acid > Megic Metal. I've read many posts here, I've read the process. My issue is that I have a lot of staining on the walls, pretty much all the way around. But the process mentions dumping it in the pool, close to the stains. So would the AA in the water also handle the stain removal from the walls? Or is there something special I should do there other than rubbing everything by hand with vitamin C (which would work I guess).

Thank you!
 
Just add the AA to the pool (you can broadcast it around if you like) and the brush the pool to mix. Let the AA work for 24 hours or until the stains the are gone, whichever is sooner. If your stains still don’t lift by the time 24hours is up, you might have to spot treat them to determine what their origin is. If the stains are iron, then the AA will work very quickly. If the stains are copper, then the AA will make them darker typically. If the stains are dirty scale (calcium deposits) then AA will not change them much at all.
 
Just remember, the iron is not gone, it's simply redissolved back into the water and the sequestering agent is holding it there. If you run the FC up too fast or too high, the stains will come back. The only way to reduce staining is to add iron-free water to the pool and drain as much of the iron-laden water as you can. If your fill water is the source of the iron (very likely in Florida), then you have to consider investing in ways to treat the water before it enters the pool or else you will be stuck in an endless cycle of ascorbic acid cleanings.
 
@JoyfulNoise, I'm afraid I need to bother you with another question. There was no chlorine left as of this morning, PH was 7.2, added Polyquat last night and circulated the pool overnight. This morning I added 1lb of ascorbic acid from NetworkRX and let it run for over an hour. Could not see a difference on the walls, just on the bottom where there acid settled before I brushed it. I took some AA in my hand and put it on the wall. The staining immediately disappeared where the AA touched the wall and where I rubbed a bit. Let it run another half hour and then I added another lb. So I'm up to 2lbs and the walls look the same while the bottom has cleared up where the powder settled. What else can I do? I only have 1lb left but I doubt it will make a difference at the point.

It is a light blue FB pool and the staining is not horrible but visible and consistent (so not spots but the entire wall pretty much. Any ideas? Pinch a penny sells a Super Stain Gone for $42 (Suncoast Super Stain Gone, 1 Lb.) that looks like clear crystals, but I don't know what's inside of it. Should I try that, should I add more ascorbic acid or should I put my scuba gear on and rub by hand the entire pool?
 
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You need to brush and mix the water more. When you add the ascorbic acid, it is going to settle and dissolve but not necessarily mix well especially if the water is cold. You can run the pump if needed to help mix the AA better but you should be brushing the pool a lot or put in a robotic or automatic cleaner to help churn up the water. The bottom cleared first because the AA settled there and created a concentrated mixture or AA and water. Overall, the AA needs to mix and the stains will slowly dissolve.

I see you have a heat pump. Typically you want to pull a heater out of of the return loop and bypass it to avoid getting AA in the heater. If your heat pump has a titanium heat exchanger, then it's ok. If it's copper, you need to bypass it.
 
My heat pump has a titanium heat exchanger but it's bypassed anyway. I've brushed it every 30 minutes in between work calls and I have the pump running at 2k RPM. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thank you again!
 
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