Stains on Vinyl Liner...Inground Pool....16 x36, 24,000 gallons

We started out the season good when opening the pool. Shortly after opening we dealt with phosphates in the pool. After clearing that we added Ultima Platinum Plus. When adding this product, it makes the PH high so we would use muriatic acid to lower it. We kept doing this combination until the Platinum Plus was completely added using about 2 1/2 gallons of muriatic acid. About 2 weeks after doing this, we started having issues keep our chlorine up and was unable to keep any FC at all. Then we start having tea colored stains on the bottom and sides of our liner. I tried Stain Magnet, didn't work. When I take a sock and fill it with PH down and place it on the stains, they go away. Shortly after this, still unable to keep chlorine up and the stains coming back, I was told to try Super Sequasol...I used that then added Natural's Chemistry Stain Out. The stains went away...PH was at 7.4, ALK 50, Calcium 110, stabilizer 100, total chlorine 1.31, and no free chlorine. I then was told by the pool store to bring up the alk by using 15 lbs of baking soda. While at the pool store, a Natural's Chemistry rep came in and I told her about my success with Stain Out. She wanted to test my water after i explained I couldn't hold FC and had low/no total Chlorine. She tested it in the store and she found phosphates. When I asked the pool store to retest my water and see if they find phosphates, they did not. So who do I believe? The pool store did test for solid waste (I think that is the correct wording) and they found it was high. The Natural Chemistry rep sent me home with pool magic and told me to add the whole bottle, wait 24 hours then shock it. I did exactly what I was told...added the baking soda, added Pool Magic and then shocked 24 hours later. On Sunday morning we woke to find whiteish/grayish stuff in the bottom of the pool..heavy consistency. We vacuumed it and also saw the stains were coming back. We back washed the DE filter...checked the chemicals. Chlorine was low...no FC...that is after 3 bags of TKO Ultima Shock...12 hours earlier....and the PH was high......ALK was 120. We added PH down...this AM it is at 6.8 (our test kit doesn't go any lower). Stains are still there but much worse. I added a whole box of Mule Team Borax this AM and 3/4 gallon of bleach. Where do I go from here...could it be phosphates again? I think I have two issues...something is eating the chlorine...and I have metal stains. HELP!! I am SO beyond frustrated! We have an inline chlorinator..that is on MAX...a chlorine floater...and have placed a chlorine tab in the skimmer.

WOW!! What hasn't been added to this pool. I'm sorry to say that you have been "pool-stored" as we call it around here.

Do you have a test kit? Post a complete set of current water testing readings. Your most critical issue here is your low pH. Any reading below 7.0 is acidic and can damage the pool. Continue adding Borax a box at a time slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running. Wait a couple of hours and then retest pH and redose as needed until you get the pH above 7.0. Once the pH starts to move, go to 1/2 box doses.

Turn off the chlorinator and remove the floater and the tab in the skimmer. Trichlor pucks are doing two things to your water. They are very acidic and are driving your pH down and they are also adding more CYA which you do NOT want. If your CYA (stabilizer) is testing at 100, that means it could actually be even higher than that since test kits can't differentiate over 100.

Quit taking advice from the pool store. They are not helping. Throwing a bunch of pool store products typically just make things worse.

Did you fill this pool from a well?

Post again with requested info and answers to the questions and then somebody here can try and help. Welcome to the Pool Forum!

I agree with Watermom - you have been pool stored! It happened to me 12 years ago, and that's when I decided to take care of my own water and found this forum, it has been a wonderful place to learn. Doing a stain treatment usually does make it hard to keep chlorine in the water, because the chlorine is trying to get rid of all the stuff you put in the pool! Then you have a vicious circle of having to shock to get rid of the cc, and you get stains back....

First what kind of pool do you have, and how big is it? Is it possible for you to do a partial drain and refill to get rid of the high cya, and all of the rest of the stuff that is in the water? If not, it can still be handled, but just differently. Welcome and let us know how you are doing.