Questions from newbie - problems with spring-tails

[Trey9007]

New pool owner with a few questions. Been a lurker on this site for a month or so. Ive gotten a lot good info here. With the info I've found here, our pool has been crystal clear thus far.

I have a 21k gallon, 16 x 32 Vinyl IG pool with a sand filter.

Question 1: What is the fastest way to get rid of springtails. Whenever we get rain with high winds, the pool gets filled with springtails. I think they are coming from trees that are near the pool. After a previous storm, they were in the pool for almost a week. I brushed, skimmed, brushed, skimmed, skimmed some more, chlorinated and eventually they were gone. Well,today we just had rain event with very high winds, and they're back in the pool. I actually watched the pool fill up with them as it rained. Is there a quick way to get rid of these things? We're expecting 90+ degrees for the next week, and I really don't want these things keeping my pool from being used.

Question 2: The wife made the mistake placing our floating chlorinator on our pool steps. It sat on one of the steps for a day and now we have a yellow stain where it was sitting. Any suggestion on how to get this stain removed?


Thanks!

[Trey9007]

bump....

[PoolDoc]

Spring tails originate outside your pool -- you have to deal with them there, before they enter the pool. Here's a fairly authoritative guide: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74136.html

And, a thread from last year: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?14426

Other then physical methods (grinding, polishing), I've never seen anything remove the stains from leaving a chlorine tab on a concrete or fiberglass surface. They do seem to lighten somewhat over time.

By the way, if you'd be willing to give me high resolution pictures of EITHER problem, I'd be grateful.

{archived: "20419 - Dealing with spring-tails"}

[Trey9007]

Ill send a pic of the stain. Luckily I cant send you pics of the springtails because I found about 95% of them dead.


What I think Ive learned is that adding 2 gallons of bleach after a storm kills them off. Came home from work this afternoon and found just about all of them dead at the pool steps. So I think Ive found a quick way to get rid of these pests.

[PoolDoc]

Glad that worked out for you.

[Trey9007]

Went to take pics and it appears that the stain has almost faded away. I have jets by the stairs and with the jets on you barely see the stain.

I'm a bit confused on how to attach the photos to a post. But the stain is so minimal now, I think it will be totally gone, or close to totally gone, soon.


thanks.

[PoolDoc]

You can email them to me -- poolforum@gmail.com -- if you like.