should I be worried about staining when I open this year

[MattB]

Last year when I opened the pool there were these light brown stains along the waterline and some on the steps. I scrubbed them off eventually but it took forever. The pool is plaster with a pebble finish, about 6 years old.

Is there something I should be doing differently when I close or open to prevent this? My buddy said its from metals in the fill water but I never had this problem the first few years we had the pool. We are on well water if that matters.

Planning to open in about 2 weeks once it warms up a bit more.

 

[nroberts]

Its worth keeping an eye on for sure. If you had metals in the water last season and didnt use a sequestrant before closing, the pH swing during opening can cause them to drop out of solution and stain the surface. Id add a metal sequestrant before you shock this year just to be safe. Way easier to prevent stains than remove them.

 

[Rob]

I had light brown staining along the steps last spring and it ended up being iron from my well water. Nroberts is right about adding a sequestrant early before you shock. Adding shock first basically oxidizes the metals and they drop right out of solution onto your surfaces.

This year I am planning to add a stain and scale product right after I get the cover off and before any other chemicals go in. I used the aquadoc stain and scale control last fall before closing and the waterline stayed pretty clean over winter. Going to do the same thing at opening. Give it a few hours to work before you start messing with pH or adding shock.

 

[NC_Nick]

yeah staining during opening is super common, especially if youre on well water or your source water has any kind of metal content. The key is getting a metal sequestrant in the water before you do anything else chemistry wise. If you shock first all that oxidizer basically locks the metals onto your surfaces and then youre stuck scrubbing or doing an acid wash.

I started using a stain and scale product from aquadoc last year and its been pretty solid for keeping metals in solution during opening. Just dump it in right after you get the pump going and before you add any shock or chlorine. Give it a few hours to circulate first. Prevention is way easier than removal with stains.

 

[D Hartley]

Staining when you open usually happens when metals in the water oxidize as soon as chlorine hits them. Iron and copper from your fill water or aging equipment are common culprits. A few things help: add a metal sequestrant before you shock, keep pH from spiking when you first add chemicals, and test for metals if you haven't already. I've been using the aquadoc stain and scale stuff for a few years now as a preventive and haven't had the rust spots I used to get every spring. Adding it right when you fill before anything else is the key.

 

[MattB]

After the staining situation I had last year I started adding a sequestrant early in the opening process before I even shock. That seems to grab the metals before they get a chance to oxidize and deposit on the surface. The stain and scale control product I have been using is the aquadoc one, I got it because it was affordable and got decent reviews. Used it right at opening this year and the steps stayed clean compared to last spring.

 

[jdawg]

had a staining situation my second year and it was such a pain. now I just automatically add a sequestrant before I do anything else when opening. takes maybe 5 minutes and it has saved me from that headache every year since.

if you have well water or older pipes I would definitely not skip that step. your water can look totally clear and still have enough iron in it to cause problems the second chlorine hits it.

 

[poolmom_sarah]

coming in late but same thing happened to me last spring. brown marks along the waterline that took ages to scrub off. the advice above about sequestrant is right on. I started adding it as the very first step in my opening routine before I even shock, let it circulate overnight. staining problem basically went away after that. if you are on city water you might only need a half dose but if you have any well water in the mix I would do the full amount.