Pool Stains
The last thing you want to see in or around your pool are stains. Yet they are very common. Stains can be organic in nature, such as debris or leaves, or they can be inorganic, caused by iron or copper.
Here’s how to remove the stains and prevent them from happening again.
Organic Stains
These arise from leaves, algae or other organic matter that rests on the pool surface. Not sure if you have an organic stain? Place a trichlor puck on the stain for a couple minutes to determine if the stain lightens or disappears completely. If so, the stain is organic. Brush every day to prevent stains from coming back.
Inorganic Stains
These stains appear after the pH has been raised, usually after you add chlorine. Fiberglass pools and plastic components are vulnerable to iron and copper stains.
Iron
In most pools, metal staining comes from iron, prevalent in well water but not so much in municipal water. You can try the Vitamin C test by placing 15 to 20 Vitamin C tablets in a sock and crushing them. Put the sock on the stain for five minutes to see if it lightens. If so, it’s iron.
If iron gets into the water and it becomes orange, brown, yellow or green, you can filter out the iron particulates by putting a polyfill pillow stuffing material in the skimmer basket.
You could also consider filling your pool with iron-free water. You could also capture rain water or divert gutters to the pool.
Copper
Copper is another common cause of pool staining, usually from mineral systems, ionizers, other natural sanitizers, shock or pucks labeled “blue” and copper-containing algaecides. You may also have low pH (under 7.2), or old copper heaters or plumbing. If you have blond hair and it turns green, you have copper. White dogs and fingernails may also turn green. You can remove these stains by adding a dry acid in a sock and rubbing the stain with it.
Also, you can use a sequestrant to prevent metal stains from occurring in the future. Sequestrants work by binding to the metal and preventing them from depositing. You will have to frequently add sequestrants because they will slowly break down in the pool.
Can’t seem to get those stains out? Just call Central Jersey Pools and we can get rid of them in no time.