Scorching

hope this is correct thread, i am in florida have a 6 year old salt chlorinator pool system with a heater.......I have been told my previous pool service "scorched" the system with chemicals, the water passes thru the heater, (heater has not been used in 3 years, since it was replaced after the 2005 hurricane. he says we need to disconnect the hester and bypass pipes so the water will not pick up whatever it is picking up when it goes thru the pipes thru the heater system. He says once we do that the color changes (last 2 weeks gotten black, green, and pink, and spreading thru the bottom of pool to the steps. after he does that, says we can wach it for a month or 2, and he is confident that will be probelm...then we can drain and acid wash, please give me feedback, as i am at a loss as i do not understand entire process...btw, the service i now use, is highly recommended, with a very positive feedback from many local residents that have used him for a long time, he is the owner operator, and he does the pool each week himself...thanks in advance!1

Steve

I'm sorry you haven't gotten a response by now......I'm not sure that I understand the question. Are you saying that when the pool is on, your water is changing color due to "stuff" coming from the heater? Do you need the heater in Florida? If not, I would completely bypass it or remove it altogether. If the "stuff" can be vacuumed, do so....if it's staining (possible if it's green), try just shocking the pool for an extended amount of time to see if the stain will lift, and if not, then try the metal sequestrant method that mbar describes. Why does the service guy think that you need to drain and acid wash?

Janet

hi janet,
No we do not need the heater, and yes we are going to bypass system just as you said, the bottom and steps have turned black, the gunite is stained, not just discolored. he says the water going thru the heater, even though it is off, picks up particles, and whatever evlse may be in there. He feels the prior sevice, MAY have scorched, i had an independent check of my chemicals now, andall is good, so he feels this is the logical solution. As far as the acid wash, he claims the stains will not be removed any other way, but he wants to wait about 2 months after we disconnect the heater just to make sure it does not continue....Any more feed back will be appreciated. Also, theis service i use now is owner operated, he is out here every week, and has many positive recommendations...Thanks again!!

Steve

Ah, I get it now. Yes, definitely bypass (I would remove it completely if possible) the heater. However, before you drain and acid wash, I'd at least try shocking the water for an extended amount of time first, and you might even try rubbing a vit. c tablet on the stain just to see if it will come off with ascorbic acid. Won't cost much to try....

I can't imagine what the other pool service did chemically to cause this to happen in a 3 year old heater. could you please post your water test results....CL, CYA, pH, TA, CA?

Janet

Sounds like you have copper staining from the heat exchanger in your heater. Does it have a copper heat exchanger (which can be problematic with a salt system) or does it have a copper-nickel or titanium heat exchanger (which is compatible with a salt system)? Chemicals don't "scorch" heaters but they can corrode them and cause the metals to dissolve in the water, which can lead to metal stains.

The usual culprits that can cause this to happen are too low a pH, salt systems with heaters that are not designed for them, or water that has been very out of balance for long periods of time.