Question about metal stains

[michael3]

Ok, I wanted to start this new thread in this forum, I just finished a 2 month battle turning my green pool into crystal clear water. All of that adventure is posted under water testing. My question here is, during the cleaning of the green water I used some algecide with copper in it, the finishing touch of getting my water clear was that I used floc. It took 2 attempts but worked great, I was able to vacuum the debri off the floor to waste. I was then able to filter what little was left with the help of DE in my sand filter. I noticed a few dark stains after getting the pool clean, I figured organic stains, but this morning I tried some vitamin c crushed up in a sock and it was coming up rather easy. So I guess its metal stains. It looks to me that the stains are covering more and more of the pool bottom, is it possable for them to spread? Or could it be metal in the water just now releasing to pool surface, and if so what would have caused that to happen after I got it cleaned? If I was to got he route of using crushed vitamin c in a sock to wipe them up, how long do you think it would be before it would settle back down as a stain. I understand I can go the ascorbic acid treatment, but getting this pool clean has put a hurtin on my pocket lol. and my guess is I`m looking at close to 75$ to do this treatment?

[stma]

So I assume that stain didnt sweep off either ? We both went through the same nightmare and I feel your financial pain ( before it cleared, i was ready for a part time job to make up the money i "put in " the pool )... So when I saw your post about the 75 bucks, I felt inclined to post..

What I did was JUST the ascorbic powder.....i didnt go for the CuLator packet or the other Metal-out product.... So it only cost me $9.00 to do the job... I only did just the Ascorbic itself since I really dont have the need to shock the pool once things have been mended with the water... ( The shocking process is what drops the metals from the water and onto the surface ) that and coupled with the well water I constantly use to top off, i'm always adding metals to the water... I'll deal with it with JUST the Ascorbic, otherwise I'd lose my shirt financially if I had to constantly keep running for the CuLator and Metal-Out :)

As for the Vit C in the sock, what you're seeing in that the metal stain is a bi-product of the metals that are IN the water already.....in other words, you need to treat the WATER, NOT the stain.... Ya know what I mean..? One thing I DID opt for was the $22 bottle of PolyQuat though... Having to drop the FC to zero without it may have caused a much bigger problem...

(( just an fyi: after "our" entire process of getting the water right, i woke this morning to a pool that lost 4 inches of water overnight...I have a hole in the liner now )) Sound like "Truck in the side of the pool" time ???

[Watermom]

i woke this morning to a pool that lost 4 inches of water overnight...I have a hole in the liner now )) Sound like "Truck in the side of the pool" time ???

You must be about to tear your hair out! I am so sorry to hear this! Have you found the hole?

[stma]

Hi Watermom... Yup, i see it from the deck...MAJOR storm last night with 60 mph gusts. The vacuum extension pole evidently got tossed in the pool from the wind and landed on the pool floor.. Because I dont have a cap at the end of the pole, the sharp edges put a nice one inch tear in the bottom... Life with the pool cannot get better !!

[Watermom]

Maybe this will help.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?13118-Patching-a-leak-in-a-vinyl-liner

Good luck!

[michael3]

Oh wow, sorry to hear, stma. the stains we have our the weirdest pattern, almost like streaks but all thew way around the cove part of the liner they are solid and alittle darker. I was crushing 5 vitamin c pills at a time and putting in a sock and it would clean a nice area before it would be gone. I did that on saturday and the spots I cleaned are still clean. I think were going to stick with the cruched vitamin c and see how long that lasts. Kroger keeps there vitamins buy 1 bottle get a bottle free, so we out $5 right now. It has literally stormed here everyday since we got the pool clean, havent been in it yet. Hope you can get yours patched, looks like a 4th of July pool party then put the winter cover on it lol

[stma]

if it works for 5 bucks, you did good !!

[michael3]

Also heard that if its organic you can try and rub a trichlor puck/tablet on it, so I'm gonna try that to. I'm also hooked on the DE powder lol, I add alittle after each backwash just to help keep the water really clean, it seems to work. Before I put the valve in between the pump and filter I never had to backwash because the pump just forced the water thru the sand without filtering it, now it's throttled back and my pressure actually rises and requires backwashes lol. Just another example of the awesome advice from the pool forum :)

[michael3]

Steve, Well the vitamin c was working but it just doesnt go far enough, I would say I probably have stains on over 75% of my liner,so buying bottles of vitamin c will end of costing more than buying the ascorbic acid. Did you get your liner patched? Hope things improve for ya. We spent about 3 hrs in the pool for the first time today.

[stma]

You used your Pool !!!???? What a revelation !!:) We're all patched up....not the prettiest job ever, but at this stage, it'll be fine.... Here's the Ascorbic I picked up:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261144196937?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 .... >>> it worked great...