Question About Metal Stains And The Heater

[TXGlenn]

I have a heater but do not have a heater bypass. When I do the ascorbic acid treatment for metals, do I need to run the heater to remove metals from inside the heater? Or will the water pass over the exchanger and effectively lift any metals? I've been fighting a metal stain with some success. I've been trying to raise my chlorine levels up slowly but it has taken a long time (2 weeks) and it's still not over about .5. I recently turn on the heater and the stains came back rather quickly and I was wondering if the heater was likely the cause or if it was just a coincidence? Thanks

[stevenz1g]

I have a heater but do not have a heater bypass. When I do the ascorbic acid treatment for metals, do I need to run the heater to remove metals from inside the heater? Or will the water pass over the exchanger and effectively lift any metals? I've been fighting a metal stain with some success. I've been trying to raise my chlorine levels up slowly but it has taken a long time (2 weeks) and it's still not over about .5. I recently turn on the heater and the stains came back rather quickly and I was wondering if the heater was likely the cause or if it was just a coincidence? Thanks

I "don't believe" that the heating process would activate stains any faster than the water already flowing through the copper. If you wanted to be 100% sure it's the heater, I would spend a little money to plumb a bypass and run the pool with heater bypassed, remove the stain and ensure to make sure there is a stain preventive in the pool. From there, I'd open the bypass and run it without heating for a week or so, and run it with it heating for a couple days afterwards. Compare results?

[Apollo217]

The heater is most likely the cause of the mineral stains. I bet the heat exchange is nearing its end and that's where the copper stains are coming from