I have an inground pool that is 17 years old. In June of 2015 I had it re-surfaced with diamond brite. Now I am getting yellow stains on the bottom of the pool. The stains started in September of 2017. At first I thought it was mustard algae and treated it accordingly along with much brushing. We maintain the pool ourselves and have the water tested every other week. The ph levels and chlorine levels are properly maintained. I had the re-surfacing company have a look. They have not offered an opinion but based on the attitude of the person who inspected it I am expecting them to exempt themselves of any obligation to make things right. I am in the 33904 area code, Cape Coral, Florida and would like a recommendation of hiring an expert who can properly analyze the problem. I've been striking out using Google to find an expert that has the proper credentials and experience to give a professional opinion. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Yellow Pool Stains
- Thread starter fremic
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DeanP66
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Could you take a picture of the pool and the stains? That would definitely help. Also, this site is a proponent of doing your own testing with a quality test kit. We only recommend two. The TF-100 or the Taylor K2006C. Most other kits don't have the coveted FAS-DPD chlorine test which is essential when trying to clean up a pool that has gotten away from you. It's very accurate and it can test up to 50 PPM for chlorine.
The stains may be metal, like iron, which can be treated quite easily with Ascorbic Acid. You can test a spot to see if it's iron by crushing some vitamin c tablets in a sock and putting it on the stain and leaving it there for 5-10 minutes. If the stain lightens, it's definitely metal (iron) and a full AA treatment can clear it right up.
The stains may be metal, like iron, which can be treated quite easily with Ascorbic Acid. You can test a spot to see if it's iron by crushing some vitamin c tablets in a sock and putting it on the stain and leaving it there for 5-10 minutes. If the stain lightens, it's definitely metal (iron) and a full AA treatment can clear it right up.
Here are some photos. Hope they help. they will not brush off and do not respond to mustard algae treatment or shocking.
Attachments
I tried a "metals remover" product last Sunday and it had no effect whatsoever. Pinch-a Penny pool told me to add a gallon of acetic acid first and wait a few hours for it to circulate. Then, add the product. Not results.
DeanP66
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Did you try the vitamin C trick on a small area? That will give you a definitive answer.
I finally found a solution. I treated my pool with United Chemicals Super Stain Treatment. I purchased it online and it cost $42 with the shipping. First I had to reduce the chlorine level and did that with a chlorine reducer. I pre-mixed the stain remover with water and distributed it around the pool. It took two weeks to work. I added a non-chlorine sanitizer to keep the algae down and ran the pump continuously. After two weeks ...Voila! 95% of the stain was gone. It did leave some nasty brown-green deposits of algae. I brushed the pool to suspend the algae then had the water checked at the pool supply store. They said to add 3 gals of chlorine and 4 cups of acid. The following day I vacuumed the pool then cleaned to filter. I couldn't be happier. I might treat it again to see if I can remove the last 5% remaining. However, it looks great!
It's probably ascorbic acid or citric acid. Which means you likely have iron stains. You'll probably need to use a sequestrant periodically to prevent the stains from recurring.
More here, Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
More here, Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
DeanP66
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I agree with pooldv, definitely add some sequesterant because the treatment you did lifted the stains, but guess what, they are still in the water, just in solution. You need the sequesterant to keep them there so they don't go right back onto your pool floor and walls. I recommend ProTeam Metal Magic. It works very well. Add one bottle for every 10,000 gallons of water and then put it a maintenance dose monthly (1/2 of a bottle) to keep the stains away.
I buy mine at Amazon. There's a guy there that sells it for 4 bottles for $62. That should last you 3 or 4 months.
https://www.amazon.com/ProTeam-Proteam-Metal-Magic-Pack/dp/B01MYHDJNZ/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528830312&sr=sr-1&keywords=metal+magic
I buy mine at Amazon. There's a guy there that sells it for 4 bottles for $62. That should last you 3 or 4 months.
https://www.amazon.com/ProTeam-Proteam-Metal-Magic-Pack/dp/B01MYHDJNZ/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528830312&sr=sr-1&keywords=metal+magic
I know I'm a little late on this post, just found this site. Anyway, I had the same problem with the yellowish stains (not algae) and the Ascorbic acid treatment worked for me. Just to let other people know, cause the original poster didnt seem to respond well to that idea. Maybe Vitamin C sounds like a dumb idea? I dont know but it works, got mine at Leslie's pool supplies years ago. Used it twice in the last 10 years and it works...takes about 3 days after treatment. (water gets a little cloudy at first, dont freak out).