I have searched this forum and gleaned a lot of information regarding PoolRX. Had I done my homework here first I would not be posting this now.
I had my 20 by 40 foot pool installed in 1992. It is in ground with an attached spa and hold 24,000 gallons of water. I had it refinished in Pebble Tec in 2003 and added a salt water system in 2002. My wife and I take care of the maintenance and chemicals. Every 6 weeks or so we'll go to the local pool store and have our water tested to ensure we're on the right track.
In May I noticed some black allege on the shaded part of the pool. This has happened in the past but is not a ongoing issue. When I went to the pool store to get some chemicals to address it the manager suggested PoolRX. He highly recommended it and the sales pitch on the box looked convincing. About 6 weeks after installing it I noticed stains on the pools Pebble Tec. In some areas it was dense, clustered and stood out, However, it covers the entire surface to one extent.
After several unanswered emails to Fred Schweer, VP of Sales, PoolRx Worldwide, Inc. Irvine CA he finally got back to me and asked that I us "Jack's Magic Stain IDentificaiton Kit" to identify the stains. In his email he stated,
"I understand your frustration, and I’m trying to help you.
We’ve been in business since 1994.
We are in hundreds of thousands of pools worldwide.
A large percentage of those pools are Pebble Tec finish.
With all due respect, your initial assumptions about PoolRx and Pebble Tec are not accurate.
When used as directed, PoolRx has no adverse interactions with ANY surface. Including the very popular Pebble Tec.
Keep in mind, PoolRx is an EPA Registered Algaecide. It eliminates and prevents all types of algae.
By doing this, it free’s up chlorine to be more active and available in the water…so you can use less.
Now, the highly active and available chlorine can, potentially, exacerbate existing issues in your water.
Issues that can build up over time, that you might not be aware of if you don’t test your water. i.e. High iron content in the water, etc, etc.
Again, iron is very sensitive to oxidation / high chlorine levels. This oxidation could just as easily happen without PoolRx in the water.
Out of balance Water Chemistry and excessive non chelated metals in the water, with high chlorine levels, is usually the cause of the issue you are explaining.
In the short term, I would recommend you get your water chemistry tested and also have them test for iron.
(To be double sure, you may want to get it tested from two different local pool stores in your area…as test equipment varies)
To get an accurate assessment, we have to start with Jack’s stain kit. My belief is that you have high iron content in the water that has oxidized out from over chlorination.
The Jack Magic Iron and Cobalt product, will likely solve your issue. But before you do that treatment, it would be wise to double check with the free stain ID kit we’d like to send you.
If you would like to skip the stain kit, you would need 2pounds of Jacks Magic Iron and Colbalt per 12,000 gallons of water.
Before adding to the pool, get your pH below 7.2 and Alkalinity below 80. Within 24-48 hours the iron oxidation will be gone."
I tried the Jack's Magic and my result were inconclusive. It did not remove any stains. Also, several test have confirmed that there is no measurable copper or iron in the water.
I believe the only way for me to remove the stains is going to be to drain and acid wash the pool. I did this once before myself in the 1990's when we had plain white plaster. Not a huge job. But at 65 I hate to tackle it again.
Does anyone here have another idea how to address these stains? And, does the suggestion of adding 4 pounds of Jack's Magic Iron and Colbalt make any sense?
Sorry for the long rambling post. I don't imagine coming here with such a long post for ones first post is appreciated. But, I appreciate any advice. TIA
I had my 20 by 40 foot pool installed in 1992. It is in ground with an attached spa and hold 24,000 gallons of water. I had it refinished in Pebble Tec in 2003 and added a salt water system in 2002. My wife and I take care of the maintenance and chemicals. Every 6 weeks or so we'll go to the local pool store and have our water tested to ensure we're on the right track.
In May I noticed some black allege on the shaded part of the pool. This has happened in the past but is not a ongoing issue. When I went to the pool store to get some chemicals to address it the manager suggested PoolRX. He highly recommended it and the sales pitch on the box looked convincing. About 6 weeks after installing it I noticed stains on the pools Pebble Tec. In some areas it was dense, clustered and stood out, However, it covers the entire surface to one extent.
After several unanswered emails to Fred Schweer, VP of Sales, PoolRx Worldwide, Inc. Irvine CA he finally got back to me and asked that I us "Jack's Magic Stain IDentificaiton Kit" to identify the stains. In his email he stated,
"I understand your frustration, and I’m trying to help you.
We’ve been in business since 1994.
We are in hundreds of thousands of pools worldwide.
A large percentage of those pools are Pebble Tec finish.
With all due respect, your initial assumptions about PoolRx and Pebble Tec are not accurate.
When used as directed, PoolRx has no adverse interactions with ANY surface. Including the very popular Pebble Tec.
Keep in mind, PoolRx is an EPA Registered Algaecide. It eliminates and prevents all types of algae.
By doing this, it free’s up chlorine to be more active and available in the water…so you can use less.
Now, the highly active and available chlorine can, potentially, exacerbate existing issues in your water.
Issues that can build up over time, that you might not be aware of if you don’t test your water. i.e. High iron content in the water, etc, etc.
Again, iron is very sensitive to oxidation / high chlorine levels. This oxidation could just as easily happen without PoolRx in the water.
Out of balance Water Chemistry and excessive non chelated metals in the water, with high chlorine levels, is usually the cause of the issue you are explaining.
In the short term, I would recommend you get your water chemistry tested and also have them test for iron.
(To be double sure, you may want to get it tested from two different local pool stores in your area…as test equipment varies)
To get an accurate assessment, we have to start with Jack’s stain kit. My belief is that you have high iron content in the water that has oxidized out from over chlorination.
The Jack Magic Iron and Cobalt product, will likely solve your issue. But before you do that treatment, it would be wise to double check with the free stain ID kit we’d like to send you.
If you would like to skip the stain kit, you would need 2pounds of Jacks Magic Iron and Colbalt per 12,000 gallons of water.
Before adding to the pool, get your pH below 7.2 and Alkalinity below 80. Within 24-48 hours the iron oxidation will be gone."
I tried the Jack's Magic and my result were inconclusive. It did not remove any stains. Also, several test have confirmed that there is no measurable copper or iron in the water.
I believe the only way for me to remove the stains is going to be to drain and acid wash the pool. I did this once before myself in the 1990's when we had plain white plaster. Not a huge job. But at 65 I hate to tackle it again.
Does anyone here have another idea how to address these stains? And, does the suggestion of adding 4 pounds of Jack's Magic Iron and Colbalt make any sense?
Sorry for the long rambling post. I don't imagine coming here with such a long post for ones first post is appreciated. But, I appreciate any advice. TIA
