Identifying and Removing Pool Stains
Swimming pool stains are a fact of life for pool owners. However, having a stained pool is not only embarrassing; it can ruin your whole backyard experience.
If you own a pool, you know firsthand how difficult it can be to remove those unsightly stains. Removing pool stains takes a lot more than just scrubbing, and that is why you are better off having professionals do the dirty work for you.
What Causes Pool Stains?
Determining the cause is essential to removing pool stains. Many factors can contribute to stains forming in your pool. An example of these culprits are the acidity and alkalinity of the water, leaves and branches, food stains, and metal objects left in the pool.
Identifying the cause of the stain can be difficult, as it is usually due to a combination of factors. Therefore, the first step to get your pool back to its original splendor is understanding what causes these stains.
Most pool stains fall into three categories:
Metal or Mineral Stains
Rust Stains
Organic Stains
The color of the stain can help us identify which substance created it.
Organic Stains
Green and Brown Stains
Leaves, branches, and other plant matter that falls into the water are to blame for the unsightly green or brown stains in your pool
Red and Blue Stains
Probably caused by berries. Trim your berry bushes around the swimming pool to avoid the fruit from falling into it.
Metal or Rust Based Stains
Blue, Green, and Black Stains
If the stain in your pool is a mixture of dark blue, green, and black, and you can’t find any evidence of organic contaminants, then the stain is most likely caused by copper.
Dark Red or Brown Stains
Dark red blotches in your pool are the result of iron contamination.
Black or Purple Stains
The presence of manganese causes this color combination.
How We Remove Pesky Pool Stains
We have perfected the art of pool stain removal. Our experts know how to identify and remove all stain types. Give us a call if you notice any hard to remove pool stains, and we will identify and clean them for you.
Removing Organic Stains
Organic stains seem almost inevitable when you consider that anything from leaves to dirt and even oils from our body and sunscreen can over time cause them. The good news is, they are the easiest to remove.
We follow a series of steps to remove organic stains, including:
1. Test the Water
We test the water to ensure the Ph level and alkalinity are balanced. Ph levels should be between 7.4 and 7.6, while the optimal alkalinity is between 100 and 150ppm (parts per million).
2. We Shock the Pool
The best way to address organic stains is with super chlorinated water. In cases where we are dealing with multiple or overly large stains, we may need to shock the pool more than once.
3. We give it a Thorough Cleaning
After the pool has been shocked, we put a lot of elbow grease into scrubbing the area where the stain is. We then let the pool circulate for at least 8 hours.
Removing Metal Based Stains
Metal pool stains are a little trickier to deal with than organic ones as they only respond to certain chemicals, and chlorine is not one of them.
Steps to Remove a Metal Stain
1. Determine Which Metals are Present in The Water
First, we take a water sample and have it tested to determine what kinds and levels of metals are present in your pool.
2. Apply a Metal Reducer
We deactivate excess metals in the water with the use of an appropriate metal reducer.
3. Apply the Right Chemical Treatment
Once we know which metal is causing the staining, we can proceed with applying the appropriate chemical treatment to remove it.
Ascorbic acid works best to remove iron-based stains
Citric acid is more effective for treating copper-based stains
4. We Do a Lot of Scrubbing
For tough stains, we may need to apply ascorbic acid or citric acid directly onto the stain while we scrub the area.
5. Prevent Future Build-Up
To prevent future metal stains, we add a metal eliminator pack to your skimmer basket.
Keeping your pool looking its best is easy when you hire professionals to remove stains. If you see a stain in your pool and are unsure of how to deal with it, all you need to do is give us a call, and we will provide you with a free estimate.
Each pool stain is unique, we will take the time to examine yours closely and find the best course of action to get it clean and keep it safe and beautiful!
If you have any doubts on what to do about making your pool safer, make sure to call Crocodile Pools, we are the experts in keeping your Pool Safe & Clean.
Schedule a Free Estimate Today!
Let us take the Bite Out of Your Pool.
Quality Pool Maintenance Solutions that ARE Affordable!
A lot of homeowners are concerned with the cost of properly maintaining a pool, but they really shouldn’t be. At Crocodile Pools, we can provide you with superb pool cleaning and maintenance services at a reasonable price.
Contact Us to schedule a free evaluation and to set up weekly maintenance so your pool is always safe, beautiful and ready for your family and friends to enjoy!
Join our many other happy customers that now enjoy a beautiful safe, clean pool year-round. Best of all, we’ll save you money!
Crocodile Pools provides Southeast Texas with the highest quality pool maintenance services at the best prices.