Results of Ascorbic Acid Treatment for Stains

[PoolDoc]

Just a note to all:

If you suspect you have a CONTINUING source of metal in your pool -- from well water, antique and rusting pool pipes, a deteriorating heater, utility water that contains iron, etc -- you may want to use BOTH a CuLator PLUS small doses of HEDP, every time you fill.

Peroidic products want's you to replace the CuLator monthly. However, based on their patent info, and info on their site, the product should work indefinitely IF:
1. It's not fouled with goop (thus, we recommend putting it UNDER a skimmer sock!)
2. It's not discolored.

To the extent the CuLator works at all -- and we think it does -- you should be able to put a CuLator bag in your skimmer in April and have it last till September, as long as it's neither fouled not strongly covered. The carrier beads might fail in water eventually, though I doubt it, but you might want to replace the CuLator annually, unless you are willing to take a chance.

BUT, you MUST remember that the CuLator ONLY works when the metal is soluble. So, when you add water, add a little HEDP, and try to do it when the chlorine is a bit low. Do NOT add water on top of skimmer tabsl.

Now, this is confusing: you can use skimmer tabs to REMOVE metals, OR you can use the CuLator to do so. But these (tabs vs CuLator) methods are 100% incompatible. Skimmer tabs tend to take metals OUT of solution, upstream of the filter, so they can be filtered. CuLator units remove metals ONLY when they ARE in solution. CuLator can / should be used WITH HEDP; skimmer tabs are likely to fail when HEDP is used.

BUT . . . skimmer tabs are chancy -- you hope the stains / precipitation will come out on the filter, but it CAN come out on the pool, instead.

This is a fairly difficult topic; I hope I've been as clear as is possible.