                    SWIMMING POOL STAINS


     Do you have a stain in your pool that just won't come
off?  You scrub and scrub but to no avail.  If you have
encountered this problem you are not alone.  Many times each
summer I am approached on the subject of surface staining in
swimming pools.  Below are some hints for testing and
removing some stains in your pool.

THAT BROWN STAIN

     99% of the time that brown stain is caused by iron.
When you fill your pool, whether from a well or from the
city, sometimes the water will contain high levels of iron.
This is particularly true in areas with hard water or old
iron delivery pipes.  You can't see it but it is there.  When
you add water to the pool you are also adding whatever it
carries suspended in it.  The iron in the water is dissolved
in solution and therefore cannot be seen.  When you shock
your pool the chlorine oxidizes the iron in the water.  The
oxidized iron (rust) binds to and stains the surface of the
pool.  The staining is usually heaviest where you add the
chlorine.

     So how do you get rid of the stain?  The first thing you
want to do is test to make sure that iron is the culprit.
Here is what you do on vinyl and fiberglass pools.  Take a
VITAMIN C TABLET and rub it over the stain.  If the stain
disappears (almost immediately) then the solution to your
problem is ASCORBIC ACID.  You will need to add a chealating
agent (stain preventative, Leslie's Metal-X, or other brands)
to keep the stain from reoccurring, circulating the water at
least 4 hours.  Add it to the water at the rate of 1Qt/20,000
gallons of pool water.  Then add ascorbic acid at a rate of 1
pound/10,000 gallons of water.  Add the ascorbic acid
directly over the stains.  They will disappear almost
immediately.  If you only have small stains from bobby pins,
or other metal objects, you may be able to use the tablets to
remove the stain.  In the future you should add 4 to 6 ounces
of stain preventative per 10,000 gallons of water every 10 to
14 days and when you top off the pool.

MEAN AND GREEN

     Your blond haired daughters hair keeps turning green.
You just know it is that damn chlorine.  Guess again.  It is
copper.  When you have green water that will not clear up no
matter what you do it is time to check for copper in the
water.  Sometimes you may get copper through the make-up
water added to the pool.  The most likely source is the pool
heater combined with improper water maintenance.

     If the pH of the water falls below 7.0 then it is said
to be acid or corrosive.  Corrosive water is a water heaters
worst enemy.  As the water is forced through the heater it
dissolves copper from the heat exchanger (which is made of
copper tubes) into the water.  Over time two very important
things take place:  the level of copper in the water rises
and your heat exchanger erodes.  The copper is oxidized in
the water by the chlorine and the result is pool water with a
greenish tint and green hair and pool staining.  Also, you
will be replacing that heat exchanger to the tune of $300 or
more.  That underscores the importance of keeping your water
balanced at all times.  Neglect costs money.

     How do you get rid of the copper?  First you could
drain the pool.  But that is rather drastic.  Actually,
copper is an effective algacide.  But in too high of a
concentration it causes the above problems.  You could keep
people out of the water until the level comes down.  It may
take a while but that beats wasting water.  Also, add 1 qt of
stain preventative per 20,000 gallons of pool water to help
decrease staining.  Consult your local pool store for
products and information.

CONCLUSION

     If you are not sure that you have a metal problem in
your pool, take a sample of water to your local pool supply
dealer and ask him to test it.  There are chemical tests
available to check for metals in the water.  They take 5 to
10 minutes to perform.

     Don't go out and buy ascorbic acid right away if you
think you have a stain.  Use the vitamin C method of testing.
The reason is that ascorbic acid costs about $12 per pound,
so treating a 20,000 gallon or larger pool can get expensive.

     Remember for assistance talk to your local pool
professional or call 1-800-LESLIES for advice or products for
you pool.

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