Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading

You do not want copper in pool water. Yet manufacturers are adding copper to many pool products. Products names or labels that say "Blue" are a hint the product contains copper. Alternative sanitizers and "chemical free" pools--The Truth! discusses why copper is put in pool products.

Copper can only be permanently removed from pool water by replacing the water.

In general, less than 0.5 ppm copper will likely not have much effect on pool water. 0.3 ppm is even safer. Over 0.5 ppm you may have some staining or water discoloration, depending on pH.

Effects of Copper in Pool Water

• Staining
• Green pool water
• Blonde or gray hair turning green

Products that May Contain Copper

• TriChlor tablets, sticks, and granuels
• Algaecides
• Ionizers

Copper Tests

Taylor Technologies has the K-1264 test kit for copper and iron. It is expensive if you are going to use it one time.

Find a pool store that can do a "total copper" test, not just a "free copper" test. Free copper is just the amount of copper ions in solution but does not typically include copper that is sequestered by a metal sequestrant chemical. Total copper uses an acid digestion step which frees up all the copper in solutions and gives you a total amount.

Copper tests only test for copper in the water. So, any copper in stains or that is sequestered will not show up on the test.

Removing Copper Stains

Copper stains show up as green to black stains.

Copper stain treatment does not remove the copper from your water, it only removes the solid copper stain from the wall by making it dissolve back into solution. So you still have copper in your water.