Staining

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dayhiker

dayhiker

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jun 6, 2008
304
Pell City, AL
Last year was my first full summer in the pool and I had no issues. I kept the pump running about 2 hrs a day through the summer, had a fairly high chlorine concentration due to the shading that the cover gave, and put the SWG on 0%. I tested my pH a few times during the winter with no major issues. When I took the cover off the steps were orange with a good bit of Alabama red clay all over them. When I got the dirt off the steps stayed that color...so I assumed it was the dirt. Over time the steps have lightened a great deal. The skimmer intake has the same color but has not lightened. It doesn't get direct sunlight. I've attached pictures of each. Is this really a metal stain or something else? I have actually written my kids names in the stains with Magic Eraser. The eraser does get it up. I notice some tinting in my liner too so scrubbing that whole thing doesn't sound fun.

Any thoughts?

3632550183_3cdc8b9f2e.jpg


3632545351_c263d5df64.jpg

Note the white plastic above waterline inside the skimmer and the color change below waterline.



As of yesterday:
FC - 3.5
TA - 60 ( I think, I'm going from memory)
pH - 7.8 (I'm pulling that down to 7.5 tonight)
 
If it's iron, holding a Vitamin C tablet on the stains it will lift...and if you have stains all over, you can try the Absorbic Acid treatment, instructions are in Pool School. You will then need maintenance doses of metal sequesterant, like Jack's Magic brand.
 
I read about that on the page, but since the water was in there 18 months before the stain showed itself and that it was municipal water just made me doubt that it's iron. I'll buy some Vitamin C tablets today and see what happens though.
 
But it only faded in areas of direct sun. Notice how light it is on the steps and how dark on the skimmer.

Very weird.

I'll check the Vitamin C and see what happens. I just assumed it was something else instead of trying first. Ready, fire, aim, I guess.
 

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Will do.

I put my SWG on 0% to start lowering the FC. I've been adding Borax of late and am up to maybe 30ppm. This would seem to be a good time to get it all the way to 50 to help my lowered chlorine content while I do the Vit C treatment. I should have it all shiny and great looking by the 4th.....well, if I can keep the sand out. I'm laying about 600 sf of flagstone adjacent to the pool and the kids keep tracking sand in. I've got to get the project done and polymeric sand placed to keep all of that Crud outa the pool. Always something to do.
 
Stains are gone, running the filter 24 hrs, tonight will start pulling the chlorine up. I didn't put the borax in over the weekend. I wish I had because now I'll have to be very, very careful when I do it because of pH spikes screwing up what I just did. Oh well, should have thought ahead.

While dealing with my flagstone install I had an incident with my big toe, a piece of stone, and well, I'll spare you the details. This pretty much derailed what all I had in mind to get accomplished last weekend. Still, should have put that borax in.
 
dayhiker said:
Stains are gone, running the filter 24 hrs, tonight will start pulling the chlorine up. I didn't put the borax in over the weekend. I wish I had because now I'll have to be very, very careful when I do it because of pH spikes screwing up what I just did. Oh well, should have thought ahead.
waterbear said:
Get the borates to 50 ppm and the pH stabilzied BEFORE you start the stain treatment!
Click to expand...

While dealing with my flagstone install I had an incident with my big toe, a piece of stone, and well, I'll spare you the details. This pretty much derailed what all I had in mind to get accomplished last weekend. Still, should have put that borax in.
Click to expand...
I did tell you that!
 
You did. I was thinking in terms of the borate helping out with the lack of chlorine as opposed to the pH jumping around. Sometimes I need to be hit in the head with a brick. I probably need to do it one box at a time.

I did hop in the pool to cool off from dealing with flagstone last night. The kids were in it too yesterday. Today my right eye is very red. It's not itching. I hope I don't have pink eye. I got it at the end of summer 07 just after the pool was installed and blamed it on the pool. Oh joy.
 
The Absorbic worked great but now I can't keep my FC up. Going into the season my CYA was a little low, bought 10#'s, calculator said add 6#. This got me to maybe 50 instead of a little higher. I added 2# more. I tested over the weekend and it was more like 30. That seems way weird and I guess partially explains my FC issue. Friday night I added (2) 96oz jugs of 6%. Sat late I added (1) 128 oz of 6%, half of a 128oz yesterday and finished it off today. Before adding today I was back at FC = 0. I've been keeping my pH around 7.2. My Alkalinity is around 60. It was low and Friday I added 6#'s or so to get it up around 60.

A month ago I did have a leak in my liner. We had tons and tons of rain here, yet my pool never got to the overflow....this may be the simple explanation on the CYA. I'm just hesitant to go nuts adding the stuff only to find out I've tested it wrong.

Is this a matter of the chlorine just eating the boogies and I need to keep going or is this more of a CYA thing? I'm about out of the test chemicals for CYA and may just take it to the pool store for testing. The only reason I haven't is to avoid explaining why my chlorine is low since I didn't get the Vit C or metal stabilizer from them. Ahhh, decisions, decisions.
 
I got home, added 128 oz of 6% all around the pool. The pool was a shade of light green.

I did a full test

FC - 2
CC - 0
pH - 7.2
T/A - 60
CYA - 40

I just went out to add the rest of my CYA. I added about 3.5# or so as a guess.

My pool is now green. This is before I added the CYA. I can makeout the bottom of the pool. Is this algae? It seems more likely that it's iron.

Any advice?

Since this is now a water issue I'll post over there too.
 
Staining issue has turned into a green water issue

Threads Merged for Clarity/Consistency.

I did the Vit C treatment, all was well and over the weekend I couldn't get any chlorine to stay in the pool. I added 96 oz of 6% on Friday night, next morning it was gone. Pool felt slimy and I had CC - 0.5. I added another 96 oz. More of the same. Sun morning I did 128 oz and that night another 128 oz. Today at lunch FC - 0, CC - 0, pool looked good. I also added 6# of Baking soda on Friday night.

I got home from work, added 128 oz of 6% all around the pool. The pool was a shade of light green.

I did a full test

FC - 2
CC - 0
pH - 7.2
T/A - 60
CYA - 40

I just went out to added the rest of the CYA I had on hand. I added about 3.5# or so as a guess.

My pool is now green. This is before I added the CYA. I can makeout the bottom of the pool. Is this algae? It seems more likely that it's iron.

Any advice?
 

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