Vinyl liner stain, after being pool-stored

I am new to the forum and hoping you can help me with my pool issue. During an issue of not being able to keep the chlorine level up I took water samples to a pool store.

I was told that calcium hardness was 80, that my phosphates were 1000+, the cya was 80 and there was 0 total chlorine. They said to drain the pool 6 inches, add 10 pounds of calcium hardness increaser, 1 bottle of phosphate remover, fill water and to shock the pool. I did every but draining the pool. The next day there were heavy deposits left in the shallow end and after being vacuumed left brownish stains and 0 chlorine.

Not happy with the results, took samples to different pool place. The first thing they asked was if anyone swimming had been in the tropics. My wife and I went with another couple to Jamaica. The pool place said the chlorine problem may be red or pink algae. Their test showed chlorine=0, PH=6.9, alk.=110, hardness=246. Said to add 1-lb. PH+ and shock with 2 gal. liquid chlorine. Next day water sample showed 0 chlorine. They said to use 4-gal. and shock again. Every day the deposits continued but got less with each day but continuing to cause stains. I would vac to waste and test myself. The next day chlorine was .5. Again told to shock with 4-gal. chlorine. Chlorine looked to be stable after 3 days and was told to be safe add 4-gal. more chlorine. Once chlorine leveled out, we got everything else in line.

By this time water looked good but liner was badly stained where the deposits wood settle and the rest of the liner took on a tea stained color. Reading one of you threads, I learned about the vitamin C tablet test and sure enough turned bright blue. Found ascorbic acid stain remover at a third pool store and worked great. 1-week later stain came back. They said I needed to use a filter enhancer to take what ever stained the liner out of the water. Again cleaned the liner as instructed using the filter enhancer and one week later, the stain returned. Cleaned a third time but was told to use another product to keep the staining from coming back.

Again the stain has returned. We have spent over $500 getting to this point and I am getting crazier.

Sounds like you have iron in your fill water. Do you have a well? If so, you may always have iron OR you may have a problem with iron seasonally.

Regardless, stains that are removed by ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are metal based, and usually iron. One IMPORTANT point: ascorbic acid removes stains, by dissolving the metals and putting them BACK into your pool water, but only temporarily. Once the chlorine destroys the ascorbic acid (which happens pretty much as soon as you have measurable chlorine levels) the stains tend to come back, UNLESS you've done something to remove the iron from the water while it was dissolved.

I gather you also have had some slimy deposits, leading to the suspicion of algae or bacterial slime?

Do this:

1. Use bleach to maintain adequate chlorine levels, by dosing each evening as needed.
2. Order a K2006 testkit from Amazon (see link in my blue signature block). When it arrives test BOTH your pool water AND your fill water. (Do NOT test fill water for CYA -- it has none, and the K2006 only has enough reagent to test CYA a few times.)
3. Meanwhile, find a CLEAN white 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Fill it with 4 gallons of water, from what ever source you filled your pool water. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda, and 1/4 cup of bleach. Mix and cover. Let it stand for 2 days, and then check. If you have iron or other metals in your fill water, they will probably show up as colored debris or dust at the bottom of the bucket.
4. Also, brush your pool carefully, every 2 days. If you chlorinate AND brush, that should eliminate any remaining slime.
5. Once you have test results (K2006 + bucket) post that info, along with a description of current water conditions AND info on what pump and filter you have (model numbers).

Good luck.