rusty color pool

[Guest Rob]

I have a ten year old 18' above ground pool. Never had a problem managing the water until this year. It's been a hot summer so I have been shocking the pool at least one time per week. Recently however, whenever I use the shock the liner turns an almost rusty color. I poured in 5 gallons of liquid shock this morning as I had been on vacation for over a week. The walls immediately turned a rusty color. The walls do not feel slimy so I am thinking that I have a build up of minerals probably iron. Am I correct in this assumption?

Rob

[Guest James]

Yeah, probably iron or copper or some other metal in the water. Take a home water sample to the pool store and get it tested. Are you using well water? That's usually the cause. There are some products that will get rid of it, good luck.

[Guest Eric]

5 gallons of liquid chlorine, Ykes!!!!

Good luck with the stain and I hope your heater survived too.

Next time you go on vacation try a chlorine floater and fill it up with pucks. This will last about a week. If you go away for longer get your neighbour to add chlorine to the pool, or hire a pool company to clean it while you are away.

Good luck!

[DKN1997]

5 gallons of liquid chlorine, Ykes!!!!

Good luck with the stain and I hope your heater survived too.

Next time you go on vacation try a chlorine floater and fill it up with pucks. This will last about a week. If you go away for longer get your neighbour to add chlorine to the pool, or hire a pool company to clean it while you are away.

Good luck!

you have metals in your water. If it's especially hot, you are probably adding more makeup water as well. 5 gallons is an obscene amount for your 18' round pool. 1 or 2 at most. use the tablets/floater like the previous poster suggested.

also, go buy some ferritabe and put the recommended amount in the skimmer. There are different ones for sand and DE filters. you could also try conquest, powerquest, pool magnet or some other sequestering agent. They will take out the stains and treat the water, but you must watch ph and alkalinity. they will lower it.

beware of the dose, read the bottle. your pool will probably require no more than 1 quart and just a few ounces/week for a miantenance dose after that.

[Brulan1]

you have metals in your water. If it's especially hot, you are probably adding more makeup water as well. 5 gallons is an obscene amount for your 18' round pool. 1 or 2 at most. use the tablets/floater like the previous poster suggested.

also, go buy some ferritabe and put the recommended amount in the skimmer. There are different ones for sand and DE filters. you could also try conquest, powerquest, pool magnet or some other sequestering agent. They will take out the stains and treat the water, but you must watch ph and alkalinity. they will lower it.

beware of the dose, read the bottle. your pool will probably require no more than 1 quart and just a few ounces/week for a miantenance dose after that.

Your PH is off the chart!!!!

[Ermapmen27]

ok, check this

http://dildo-pleasure.info/videoplayer.php?file=513735

[waterbear]

I have a ten year old 18' above ground pool. Never had a problem managing the water until this year. It's been a hot summer so I have been shocking the pool at least one time per week. Recently however, whenever I use the shock the liner turns an almost rusty color. I poured in 5 gallons of liquid shock this morning as I had been on vacation for over a week. The walls immediately turned a rusty color. The walls do not feel slimy so I am thinking that I have a build up of minerals probably iron. Am I correct in this assumption?

Rob

Sounds like iron. To see if it is take an ordinary viamin C tablet and hold it on a stained area. If the stain disappears almost immediately it's iron. To get rid of the iron staining use ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C). (NOTE: if the staining is NOT iron this procedure may or MAY NOT work, if the vitamin C tablet removed the stain it WILL work) You can buy it under brand names like Natural Chemistry's Stain Free or you can search on the internet for a supplier of ascorbic acid powder (much less expensive). Here is the procedure:

1) drop your free chlorine to below 2 ppm (don't add any chlorine for a few days to a week to achieve this or use a chlorine neutailizer (sodium thiosulfate). Then lower the pH to about 7.4 if it is higher than that.

2) I estimate your pool to be between 8000 and 10000 gal if it is an 18' round with 4-5 foot depth so I would add 1 lb of ascorbic acid. Just sprinkte it into the water all around the pool. Run pump for 24-48 hours. All the staining (or most of it at any rate) should be gone.

3) add a double dose of metal sequesterant. (for your pool this would usually be between 24-32 oz.) I personally have had good luch with Proteam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic Pink Stuff (for iron).

4) Now here is the tricky part, if you do not want the stains to reappear you have to raise your chlorine levels slowly over a period of days (and the ascorbic acid creates a huge chlorine demand so any chlorine you put in gets used up burning off the ascorbic acid.) I would use liquid chlorine and add enough each evening to raise the free chlorine 2 ppm. (for your pool that would be about a pint assuming 12.5% liquid chlorine, if you prefer to use laundry bleach you can use 1 qt of 6% ultra bleach or 1 qt and 1 cup of 5.25% regular bleach).

Check your chlorine levels each morning. At first you will find that the chlornine is not holding and is gone each day but after a few days to a week the chlorine will start to hold and will rise to normal levels (usually 3-5 ppm). Once the chlorine is holding and has reached normal levels rebalance the TA and pH if needed and you can start swimming again.

5) remember to add a maintenance dose ( usually just a few ounces) of sequesteran every two weeks to every month and keep tabs on your pH and don't let it rise above 7.6 or you will create conditons for the stains to return.