Technical Support

These stains are usually caused by copper. (NOTE: copper can stain brown on vinyl and fiberglass, and can be very difficult to remove). Copper stains come from copper-based algicides, lawn and garden sprays, ionizers, copper plumbing and heaters, and fill water. Use Pool Stain Treat? ~ for removal and prevention, or use a No Dran Acid Wash ? for clean-up. Follow the Hamilton Index to minimize future staining.

Water in this condition is an indication or excessive metal content, most commonly copper or iron. The treatment for this condition is to first add a metal-shielding chemical such as Pool Stain Treat?. Then adjust the pH to 7.8 - 8.2 in order to minimize metal corrosion inside your filtering system. Warning! A chlorine shock will only aggravate the metals and probably stain the walls of your pool or spa.

Yellow wall stains, especially if they are primarily on the shady side of the pool and can mostly be brushed off. They are a sign of mustard algae (also referred to as yellow or brown algae). The recommended treatment for this problem Is to adjust your pH to 7.8 - 8.2; then give the pool a shock with chlorine and Yellow Treat? according to the instructions on the Yellow Treat? bottle.

Brown stains that are found in all parts of the pool are usually a sign of iron staining. A low pH, even temporarily low, will pull iron into the water. Then chlorine can then force it back out of solution and on to the pool walls. Be sure that your alkalinity is balanced as recommended for your Total Hardness level by the chart in the Hamilton Index. High alkalinity is a major cause of staining in swimming pools and spas. Adjust your pH to 7.8 - 8.2 and minimize any chlorine shocking. Maintain the chlorine level at 2.0 or lower. Use Pool Stain Treat? as a preventative for any possible future stains. A No Dran Acid Wash? will usually remove iron and copper stains without draining the pool.

Evident by the formation of dime-to-quarter-size black (or blue-green) spots, tenaciously adhering to the pool's surfaces. Black algae forms a layered structure where the first layers, which may be killed by chlorine, to protect underlayers from further destruction. Black algae, like mustard algae, is also chlorlne-resistant.

If your pool has sufficient chlorine and other sanitizer, but the water stays cloudy, the most probable cause of the cloudiness is high alkalinity. Adjust the total alkalinity using the Hamilton Index as your guide. NOTE: if you keep your pool covered for any reason, it is very important that for at least 24 hours each week the cover be removed from the pool. The water needs to "breathe" or ventilate for at least that long. Keeping the pool covered for more than a week is a common cause of cloudy water.

High total hardness and high total alkalinity in the water are common causes of chronically high pH. Balance the total alkalinity with respect to the total hardness according to the Hamilton Index. Or the chlorine type that you are using could have a high pH and therefore affect the pH of the water. These types are sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine) or calcium hypochlorite. One other cause of constantly high pH could be that the fill water from the tap has a high pH.

You could be over-treating your pool or spa with too much acid. Follow the Acid Demand test recommendations more closely when adding acid. Or, you could be using a tablet form or chlorine (or even gas chlorine) that has a high acid content, which keeps the pH dropping. Make a Base Demand test more frequently, and follow the recommended dosage from that test for the rebalance of your pH. One other possible cause of a continually low pH is that the fill water from the tap has a low pH. Again, follow the Base Demand recommendations.

Green cloudy water is an indication that algae is present in the pool or spa. Since algae grows better in low pH conditions, adjust your pH to 7.8 - 8.2. A chlorine shock combination with an additive such as Yellow treat? or Green Treat?(added according to instructions) is the best way to get the water clear again.