Closed pool with Iron Stains + Pink Algae... Now What?

[mbar]

I don't think it is as bad as all of that!!! I don't know where the iron comes from, I have been trying to figure that out for 6 years. I do know that once I get the pool treated and balanced, I usually don't have any more problems. If you keep up with your chlorine, you never need to shock. That is what I try to do - keep up with the water. Fiberglass pools are actually very easy to keep - there aren't any rough surfaces to get algae in. The most important thing is to keep your ph around 7.4- 7.6 - not higher. I also run my pool with a cya under 50, so I don't need high chlorine levels. I use regular bleach, baking soda, and borax. The only other chemical I use is the metal free (and ascorbic acid if I have stain). If I ever do have to shock, I put a puck in the basket, and use regular bleach in the pool with the filter running all the time. The high clorine levels will drop out any metals that are in the water, so by keeping the filter running with a puck in the basket, the metals in the water will stain the filter instead of the surface of the pool. It seems that when the water stands (filter off), is when the stains grab onto the surface of the pool. I think a lot of pools have stains, but the white fiberglass is more suseptible and the stains seem to show out so much. Once you get used to your own pool, and your water (it is all different) you will be able to keep the pool so easily. This will be my 7th year with my pool, and it really is simple if kept up with. My family laugh at me, because I actually love "pool maintenance".

[waste]

Though Marie makes lucid and convincing arguments for getting the algae out first, it seems better to address the metal first. The swim season isn't close, at least here in Ct., and once the metal is out of the pool, it's only a matter of days to kill that persnickity algae. I'd also wait to add the cya until the big backwashings (from metal removal and algae destruction) are finnished.
As a side question - why not put a powerful magnet in the skimmer to remove iron? Wrap it in plastic, so it won't rust, and let it pick up the iron ions.(OK, maybe they aren't ions, but I couldn't resist the alliteration )
Finding out where the iron is comming from, though, sounds like the best first course of action. If it's the water supply, and you can feasably do it, drain the pool and truck in non-iron water. If you can get all the metal out, you've all but won the battle, just a little high cl for a week and pinky's gone. An added bonus is that you can start fresh, chemically, and get all your numbers where you want them.

[mbar]

I understand your logic. I can only go by my experience - I tried logic with the stains, but it got me no where. I then decided to figure out what was the best way to keep my pool stain free. I tried to find out where the iron was coming from - my water tests that there is no iron in it. I still get stains.... So I just treat the water at the beginning of the season - with metal free before I add the chlorine and balance the water. If I get stains, I treat them, but I find that if I keep my water balanced so I don't have to shock, or run high chlorine levels, I don't have problems with stains. So this was just my advice - I don't promise that it is right, or logical. I just gave my experience on what I did, and what I thought was the best and cheapest way to go.

[maryetta]

I'm not sure what pink algae is. Could it possibly cause pinkish stains from the waterline up to the pool deck. That is what I was greeted with when I took the winter cover off my pool.(30,000 gal vinyl lined IG)
If it is pink algae, why was there no slimey stuff , just stains? Scrubbing and an enzyme cleaner had no effect.
Please help if possible!!

[mbar]

Pink algae does wipe off, so I don't know what it could be. Do you have any problem with orange dust that may have gotten under your cover and stained? You can tell if it is a mineral stain by rubbing some ph down, or a vitamin C tablet on it. If that takes it off then it is a metal stain. If it is algae then chlorine should kill it. Some things like leaf stains, and stains from vegetation take some time to lift off, but with the regular use of chlorine in your pool you should see it fade over time. Hope this helps.

[mhnewcomb]

An FYI for iron stains...

I had mystery iron stains cropping up last year, mainly on the steps and around the bottom of the liner, where the wall meets the floor. I treated and removed, but they are back upon opening this year.

Due to a new leak (I let my husband scoop leaves--don't get me started), I removed the light fixture to check the gaskets for leakage. I could not believe the amount of rust inside the housing! I had my service guys over replacing the sand, and they mentioned that acidic conditions could cause the rust. Now, I am VERY careful about keeping well-stocked with Borax and Ph levels up. However, the man who sold us the house never was--I know this because we had to replace the liner that wrinkled ALL OVER because of the low Ph levels.

Anyway, you might want to check that light, especially when there seems to be no other source of the metal stains.