Stained Liner

[Pool User]

Opened pool and the bottom of the liner is pretty badly stained brown/tan. I dropped the chlorine to 0 and added ascorbic acid and followed that with a metal remover. That did not help. I then tried Vitamin C tablets on top of the stains and that did not help either. Please help.

[jdlloyd1183]

Get hold of some granulated pH decreaser, or sodium bisulfate. Place it in a panty hose or sock, tie it to your pole, and set it on the stain. Leave it for 2 min and see if it lifts it. If it does, you have some sort of metallic stain, most likely copper from a heater exchange, source water, or unchelated copper algaecide. If the sock of ph minus doesnt work, take a PVC pipe and pour non chlorine shock, (potassium monopersulfate), down the pipe to the stain to concentrate the shock in one spot to see if it lifts the stain. If it does, you have an organic stain, most likely from leaves being left on the bottom too long. If none of these work or you would like to take a less involved route, get a stain solution kit for 10.00 from your local pool store. POOLIFE makes one Ive used with great success. Also, make sure you lower your pH of your pool water to 6.8 to 7.0 before trying to treat the stain. This will help the water be more aggresive towards metals and minerals in contact with the water, aiding in stain removal. Also have used LO-CHLOR Chemicals Multi- stain remover with much success.
(currently responsible for 50 residential swimming pool's chemistry and maintainence) keep me posted so I can tell you what to use to get rid of the stain and keep it gone after you do these tests dont let the pool pro's at the store sell you anything, take it from someone who works at a pool store they may rip you off unintentionally by being under educated in the chemistry and over educated in selling just buy what I tell you and it will be faster and a whole lot cheaper

[Pool User]

Thanks for your help. I will keep you posted.

[drzlwall]

jdlloyd1183 HELP!
I've experienced brown staining the last few years and it has been getting worse. When is started, the staining was just on my steps and other white surfaces. This spring the entire pool, vinyl liner and all, is stained. Leslie's and other pool stores have tested my water and have found no metals. Leslie's has been glad to sell me the asorbic acid and Metal Out, though. The asorbic acid works great, but sure enough, the stain comes back. The longer I wait to treat it, the browner it gets. I followed their intructions with the asorbic acid then the Metal Out, but it keeps coming back. I have lots of trees in the yard, so I'm constantly fighting the leaves. I do not have a pool heater. No one in the pool stores I ask for help can figure it out.

Get hold of some granulated pH decreaser, or sodium bisulfate. Place it in a panty hose or sock, tie it to your pole, and set it on the stain. Leave it for 2 min and see if it lifts it. If it does, you have some sort of metallic stain, most likely copper from a heater exchange, source water, or unchelated copper algaecide. If the sock of ph minus doesnt work, take a PVC pipe and pour non chlorine shock, (potassium monopersulfate), down the pipe to the stain to concentrate the shock in one spot to see if it lifts the stain. If it does, you have an organic stain, most likely from leaves being left on the bottom too long. If none of these work or you would like to take a less involved route, get a stain solution kit for 10.00 from your local pool store. POOLIFE makes one Ive used with great success. Also, make sure you lower your pH of your pool water to 6.8 to 7.0 before trying to treat the stain. This will help the water be more aggresive towards metals and minerals in contact with the water, aiding in stain removal. Also have used LO-CHLOR Chemicals Multi- stain remover with much success.
(currently responsible for 50 residential swimming pool's chemistry and maintainence) keep me posted so I can tell you what to use to get rid of the stain and keep it gone after you do these tests dont let the pool pro's at the store sell you anything, take it from someone who works at a pool store they may rip you off unintentionally by being under educated in the chemistry and over educated in selling just buy what I tell you and it will be faster and a whole lot cheaper

[dcunliffe]

I know my stain is organic. Now what do I do?

Get hold of some granulated pH decreaser, or sodium bisulfate. Place it in a panty hose or sock, tie it to your pole, and set it on the stain. Leave it for 2 min and see if it lifts it. If it does, you have some sort of metallic stain, most likely copper from a heater exchange, source water, or unchelated copper algaecide. If the sock of ph minus doesnt work, take a PVC pipe and pour non chlorine shock, (potassium monopersulfate), down the pipe to the stain to concentrate the shock in one spot to see if it lifts the stain. If it does, you have an organic stain, most likely from leaves being left on the bottom too long. If none of these work or you would like to take a less involved route, get a stain solution kit for 10.00 from your local pool store. POOLIFE makes one Ive used with great success. Also, make sure you lower your pH of your pool water to 6.8 to 7.0 before trying to treat the stain. This will help the water be more aggresive towards metals and minerals in contact with the water, aiding in stain removal. Also have used LO-CHLOR Chemicals Multi- stain remover with much success.
(currently responsible for 50 residential swimming pool's chemistry and maintainence) keep me posted so I can tell you what to use to get rid of the stain and keep it gone after you do these tests dont let the pool pro's at the store sell you anything, take it from someone who works at a pool store they may rip you of and it will be faster and a whole lot cheaper

[RIC79]

I have a high copper content, 3.8 ppm. I have a heater and recently had a automated chlorinator installed. The heater and pool is 4 years old and this is the first year I am experiencing this problem. Could the chlorinator be contributing to the problem? My pool supplier has instructed me to increase the pH to at least a 7.6 level and follow that up with a stain remover. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.