Stains on Pool Walls? Pics

[MeSwamp]

Hello! Brand new here

Like many other newbs, I let my pool go over the winter (sorry). I am currently on week two of my SLAM and the water is looking soooo much better; however, now that I can see better I have discovered that many of the walls are stained….

I am on well water, but I haven’t had to add any water to the pool since November. Could it be iron, or is it mustard algae? It doesn’t brush off, even when I put my weight into it.

 

[MeSwamp]

I just updated my sig to include info about my pool, hopefully I did that right

 

[ajw22]

After you meet the three exit criteria of the SLAM Process you can begin evaluating your stains.

Nothing you should do now.

Things may change with the SLAM Process

 

[MeSwamp]

After you meet the three exit criteria of the SLAM Process you can begin evaluating your stains.

Nothing you should do now.

Things may change with the SLAM Process

Ok thank you! I will continue the SLAM until complete and then report back

 

[Ignoramus]

Ok thank you! I will continue the SLAM until complete and then report back

Meanwhile, you might want to look into getting stain ID kit. Shipping might take a while.

 

[MeSwamp]

Meanwhile, you might want to look into getting stain ID kit. Shipping might take a while.

Ah ok, good advice thank you. Is there a kit in particular I should get? I just looked and saw one from Jack’s Magic, do you know if that one would be ok?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Start reading here first. This will give you an idea of what different stains look like and how to treat them.

Stains in Your Pool

The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[MeSwamp]

Start reading here first. This will give you an idea of what different stains look like and how to treat them.

Stains in Your Pool

The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.

www.troublefreepool.com

Ah this is great, thank you!

 

[Ignoramus]

Ah ok, good advice thank you. Is there a kit in particular I should get? I just looked and saw one from Jack’s Magic, do you know if that one would be ok?

Being a newb, like me, you might miss some issues (I totally focused on rust staining not realizing that I also have calcium precipitation that also bubbles when scrubbed with Vit C tablet). Thence my suggestion to get a kit.
Pinch-a-Penny kit is similar to Jack's Magic kit, so I'd get whichever is cheaper.

And yes, do read entire stain guide here to get theoretical background for the process.

 

[MeSwamp]

Being a newb, like me, you might miss some issues (I totally focused on rust staining not realizing that I also have calcium precipitation that also bubbles when scrubbed with Vit C tablet). Thence my suggestion to get a kit.
Pinch-a-Penny kit is similar to Jack's Magic kit, so I'd get whichever is cheaper.

And yes, do read entire stain guide here to get theoretical background for the process.

Thanks! I keep reading more and getting convinced I have every problem Iron? Omg for sure. Copper? Whoa ya maybe that too. Mustard algae? Probably definitely. Going down the rabbit hole of pool problems and I just need to take things one step at a time haha! I like cheap when possible, so I’ll check out pricing and get test kit so I can hone in on my issue after slam is complete. I really appreciate your help!

 

[MeSwamp]

Ok my SLAM went well, pool water is totally clear and beautiful, passed all the criteria for completion annnnnnd the stains are still there… I even SLAMed for mustard algae just in case and it made no difference in the stains.

I tried rubbing a chlorine tab and vitamin c tab on one of the stains and didn’t notice any difference in the stain. There is definitely scale, I dripped some acid on and it bubbled up immediately. So scale is obviously one issue, but what about the stains? They are mostly along the walls, seems they are worst in the shady areas.

I will attach a few photos for reference.

What should be my next course of action?

 

[Mdragger88]

Until the other guys get back with more guidance can you share all your latest test results?
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
water temp

 

[ajw22]

How old is the plaster?

Lots of it looks like worn plaster.

 

[MeSwamp]

Until the other guys get back with more guidance can you share all your latest test results?
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
water temp

Yes of course. From my TF-100 kit on 4/8:

Fc 25
Cc 0
Ph 7.3
Ta 150
Ch 625
Cya 60
Water temp not sure… cold! Outside temps fluctuate between about 48-70F, so maybe around 55-60F

 

[ajw22]

For the scale:

Pool companies will use an acid wash to get rid of the scale and some of your plaster which we don't recommend.

You can pumice or sand the pool surfaces to remove the scale.

You can try and run your CSI very negative at -0.6 to -0.8 and see if the scale melts off in a few months.

We had a recent thread about scale in a commercial pool at...

No drain or drain and acid wash? Commercial pool

I work in the industry for commercial pools. Neighborhood pools mostly. Will you pick up a pool that's what's replastered in January, but the company that did it did nothing for the start up. There's tons of scale deposits all over the plaster. It's just white plaster, nothing fancy. It needs...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[MeSwamp]

How old is the plaster?

Lots of it looks like worn plaster.

On the inspection papers from when we bought the house 4 years ago it says the plaster was approximately 5-7 years old, so would be 9-11 years old now

 

[MeSwamp]

For the scale:

Pool companies will use an acid wash to get rid of the scale and some of your plaster which we don't recommend.

You can pumice or sand the pool surfaces to remove the scale.

You can try and run your CSI very negative at -0.6 to -0.8 and see if the scale melts off in a few months.

We had a recent thread about scale in a commercial pool at...

No drain or drain and acid wash? Commercial pool

I work in the industry for commercial pools. Neighborhood pools mostly. Will you pick up a pool that's what's replastered in January, but the company that did it did nothing for the start up. There's tons of scale deposits all over the plaster. It's just white plaster, nothing fancy. It needs...

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks I will study up on this!

 

[Mdragger88]

If using
PoolMath
(which we recommend)
Be sure to turn on csi tracking in the settings
Your ch is getting up there-
Do you know your fill water ch?

Calcium Hardness - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[MeSwamp]

If using
PoolMath
(which we recommend)
Be sure to turn on csi tracking in the settings
Your ch is getting up there-
Do you know your fill water ch?

Calcium Hardness - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Just tested it:
Ch 250

We are on well water and it is hard, had scale buildup on faucets inside the house before, but we use a water softener now.

The pool used to be filled using the hard water, so that’s likely why it’s on the upper end for Ch. I was honestly surprised that is wasn’t higher… Anyway, we shouldn’t have a problem with increasing the Ch with the fill water anymore right?

Thanks for the calculator! I will use it to have a slightly negative csi and hopefully melt off some of the scale over time. The stains in the scale are so ugly and extensive! Is there a particular metal that likes to hang out on scale? I guess the stains will go away with the scale so that should be my focus.

 

[Mdragger88]

So is the fill water from the softener?
Wells are a common source for metals, namely iron.
Focus on dissolving the scale for now.
250 ch is still pretty high for fill water & will cause ch to continue to rise overtime as you replace water due to evaporation.
(When water evaporates the calcium remains in the water then you add more ch rich water)
You may want to consider a partial water exchange to lower the ch in the near future to help make maintaining the lower csi easier.