Sticky Pool Algaecide On Vinyl Liner
by Jeff
How Do I Get Sticky Substance Out Of Pool After Using Algaecide?I added some algaecide to my pool and as soon as it hit the water it turned into a sticky gel. I then used my brush and it attached itself to the brush and will not come clean. Now the liner is sticky and grainy. Questions: 1. Why did this happen? Does algaecide "expire"? 2. How can I remove this substance? Thank you for your help. Thanks for the question Jeff Not too often I get a question that I really need to think about. I kept saying to myself, "Where did I hear this?" Then it hit me. It happened only once when I was doing pools in Arizona. I took over a couple of pools from another pool guy who was fired. He put some algaecide in the pool and the same thing happened. I think this is your problem. You might have what is known as "pool goo" or "pool tar". This attaches itself to vinyl liners after a certain kind of pool algaecide is used. Vinyl manufacturers use a substance called "plasticisers". They keep the vinyl flexible and stable. They get kicked up during sweeping/opening of the pool. This normally happens the 1st or 2nd opening of the pool with a new vinyl liner. Many pool algaecides use what is called a "Quat-humate". Humates is the decomposition of organic matter such as leaves, grass, soil, etc...It sometimes happens with algaecide products like Back Up. You can remove the quat-humate by brushing with BioGuard Surface Cleaner. This helps dissolve any oils. Allow the filtration system to get rid of it. As the water heats up it will be easier to do this. If you have a heater I would encourage you to use it to help speed up the process. The way I did it required a few steps: 1. You need to stop using quaternary algaecides. No algaecides with metals or copper. 2. Get your pool pH between 7.0 - 7.2 and keep it there until the problem is solved. Go back to 7.6 - 7.8ppm after that. 3. Shock the pool to 6.0 - 8.0 ppm. Use a liquid chlorine if you have hard fill water. Swimming Pool Chlorine Pool Shock 4. Filter 24/7. Keep an eye on the filter pressure 5. Backwash filter once per day 6. Be sure to keep the pool water level between 1/3 - 1/2 up from the skimmer. Water level that's too low will draw in air. 7. Brush and vacuum Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out for you. Robert Follow Up Comment By: Jeff Date: April 28,2011 Robert, Thanks for the response. After looking at the bottle, this algaecide did have copper, so I'm sure this is my issue. You mentioned using the BioGuard Surface Cleaner...can this be used "subsurface"? My entire liner is covered with this. I am beginning the process and will let you know how it goes. Thanks again. Follow Up From Robert Date: April 28,2011 Thanks for the follow up Jeff I believe the new name for the product is BioGuard Off The Wall Surface Cleaner. My understanding is that it's used only at the water line. I used a similar product, but I can't think of the name at the moment. This was about 10 years ago. You shouldn't allow this product on the surface for more than 30 minutes and it's not to be used on copper, brass, marble or galvanized surfaces. Let me know how it turns out for you. Robert |
