A common mistake made by new and veteran pool owners alike: Assuming their tap or well water contains no dissolved metals. This mistake often results in the formation of ugly, hard to remove metal stains on pool water surfaces once chlorine shock gets added to the water.
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What happened?
Simply put, the metals ‘hooked up’ with chlorine molecules to form insoluble precipitates (solids) that dropped out of solution, landed on surfaces and took up permanent residency.
On an unrelated note, we never thought we’d get to use the term ‘hooked up’ to describe a chemical reaction, but alas, we most certainly just did. One point for us!
Getting rid of pool stains?
Definitely NOT a fun task! Often times getting rid of stains will require multiple applications of pool stain removal chemicals and a LOT of elbow grease. Therefore we suggest NOT getting pool stains in the first place and pool owners have several ways to prevent pool stains at their disposal.
Preventing pool stains caused by metals?
Step number one involves testing source water for dissolved metals with a product such as Water Metals Check. One COULD use a more sophisticated method such as a ‘wet kit’ from Taylor, but those kits require a bit more skill and certainly cost more money.
Don’t get us wrong, though. Taylor Test Kits have a definite place in the world of metals testing. If the Water Metals Check test strips indicate the presence of dissolved metals, some of the Taylor Test Kits will help determine which metal your source water contains.
Step number two involves adding a ‘sequestering compound‘ to your pool water BEFORE adding the initial dose of chlorine shock. The sequestering agent will, in the proper dosage, bind with all dissolved metals in the water and render them incapable of forming precipitates (insoluble solids) with chlorine molecules.
Oh no! I’ve already got stains! Now what?
You, my friend, FIRST need to figure out what insidious metal has invaded your precious pool water using a kit such as the Jack’s Magic Pool Stain ID Kit. Otherwise you may find yourself doing a whole lot more scrubbing than needed and buying far more Pool Stain Treatment Products than needed.
Once you’ve pinpointed the offending metal, select the correct treatment option. Jack’s Magic, an industry leader in the field of preventing and eliminating pool stains makes specialized products designed to remove stains in pools caused by pretty much any metal commonly found in water used to fill swimming pools.
And after the stains are gone?
After you’ve wiped out ugly pool stain caused by the intrusion of dissolved metals, you have NOT finished the job! Now you must figure out how metals got in your pool and eliminate those sources. Next, we suggest the use of something like Jack’s Magic Blue Stuff to help prevent future staining.
