It only took about a month of enjoying the glistening sheen of my freshly gel-coated fiberglass pool surface before I began to notice a faint, dark ring subtly form around the water line. The optimist in me wanted to believe it was a shadow, an illusion cast by the angle of the sun. When I realized this darkening stain around my immaculate pool wasn’t going away, I was faced with guilt-ridden questions; What did I do wrong? How could this happen? How much dirt did these kids track into the pool? Ultimately I resolved to do everything in my power to make sure to remove this black mark on the pool’s history and vowed to become an expert in fiberglass pool stains! Fiberglass Pools will Stain: I really like the fiberglass pool surface. One of the advantages of a gel-coated fiberglass pool is that it isn’t porous like a plaster pool, and doesn’t become etched and rough. No pool toes, fiberglass is smooth and less susceptible to algae growth and stains because it’s super slick.

Nonetheless, gelcoat can stain easily – as I found out. Stains don’t just Happen: There are several causes of stains for a fiberglass surface just like any pool surface. Top of the list are imbalanced chemicals or minerals, high levels of metals or foreign objects can all stain the pool. In my pool, one of the main causes of the bathtub ring around my pool was oily swimmers and sunblock. Water Balance is Important: Daily testing can help maintain the optimal water balance. It is best to have a pH balance at 7.2-7.4 and the total alkalinity needs to be at 80-100 parts per million. Maintain your chlorine at or above 1 ppm and the calcium hardness at 200 to 400 ppm. If any of these numbers get out of line, stains can develop. Simply restoring balance to your pool water’s universe is the easy way to prevent pool stains. Water Line Stains: Before you ban your swimmers from applying sunblock; the bathtub ring can be removed with Clean & Perfect enzyme cleaner to dissolve it before your eyes, naturally.

To prevent bathtub rings, try Pool Magic, to remove oily gunk from the pool – it really works! You can also use Comet® cleanser and a kitchen sponge. I once spent several hours using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser® (actually I used about 20 of them) and scrubbed each smudge until the gel-coat glistened like it had been restored. It worked well but was very time consuming, and were my arms tired! Rust Stains: Directly scrubbing rusty or crusty stains with a Stain Eraser has worked several times for me, but this year I am going to attack the problem before it starts by adding Culator Metal Eliminator. It’s non-toxic and works on well water to actually remove metals from the water, like a sponge. Works with mineral purifiers and copper algaecides, too! Dirt Stains: If your fiberglass pool has an all-over dirty dullness, ascorbic acid is great way to safely acid wash your fiberglass surfaces, without draining the pool. Closely follow the instructions when using ascorbic acid as your pH and alkalinity may need adjustment.

Stain Free is an natural Vitamin C product (ascorbic acid) that gently cleans fiberglass pools. Organic Stains: Leaves, worms, branches. Running your filter system longer and more frequently during the early swim season while the air is heavy with pollen and tree debris will help to prevent stains from forming on a fiberglass pool surface. In addition to clean water, keep the pool as clean as possible. best way to clean dog urine on carpetAfter heavy storms, remove the big stuff carefully, so sticks don’t get dragged around by a pool cleaner. professional carpet cleaning perth pricesAgain, proper pool chemical balance and sufficient sanitizer is very important.car carpet cleaning orlando

You are not alone in the world of fiberglass surface pool stains, there is help out there. You don’t have to struggle alone! We’re behind you 100%. Identifying the source of the stain is the beginning of recovering your impeccably clean fiberglass pool surface. Once you know the cause there are many simple ways to prevent and remove fiberglass pool stains. Like these 20 different chemicals in our Pool Stain Removal section on our website. Ipool heat pump reviews 2012f you want to talk about your specific fiberglass pool stains ~ give us a call, we can swap stories!best vacuum cleaner for long pileIt’s hard to go wrong with fiberglass pools.  cat urine carpet cleaner machineThey’re easy to maintain, they use very little chemicals, and they have the lowest lifetime cost of any type of pool.

Notwithstanding, there is one way fiberglass pool owners can totally screw all that up:  By Draining the Pool without professional help. Every Year we hear accounts (not from our customers) of folks intentionally draining fiberglass pools for various reasons.  I’m here to tell you that’s a big no-no! 1.  Dirty, Nasty, Stanky Pool Water (yes, I used the word “stanky”) An ill-informed fiberglass pool owner may mistakenly believe that draining and refilling the pool is required, or simply easier, than cleaning the pool manually.  It’s a rare case indeed that a fiberglass pool needs to be drained for cleaning….possibly after a flood or other natural disaster…..or maybe after years and years of neglect.  But for the most part, a fiberglass pool will be crystal clear within a matter of 1-3 days of adding chemicals and vacuuming. 2.  Someone moves into a home with a fiberglass pool We take time to educate our customers of the importance of not draining the pool. 

However, we have had an instance or two when someone else purchased a home with one of our pools and the new homeowner drained the pool for some reason…..again, big no-no! (We’re now printing labels to put on filter systems to prevent this from occurring in the future). 3.  A foreclosure home that’s been abandoned for years When someone takes on the task of whipping one of these properties back into shape they have a major task on their hands.  Talk about a to-do list!  Imagine what a pool that’s been sitting for 2-3 years looks like:  it seems a no-brainer to simply drain and clean it…..wrong-o!  Don’t go there, not without professional assistance anyway. If your pool really needs to be drained, contact a local fiberglass pool professional to do it for you, or at least give you some assistance.  Some pools are perfectly fine to drain without any precaution, but only some.  A good percentage of fiberglass pools will incur some damage if the pool is drained without taking proper measures.

Two things:  first, it needs to be determined how much water is around the outside of the pool.  Some people mistakenly believe that because there was no water during their pools excavation, that the hole remains dry at all times.  This is far from the truth.  The hole around the outside of your pool is no different from any other hole in your yard….it fills with water.  Your type of soil will determine how long water remains in the cavity outside your pool.  Sandy soil is most permeable, clay is least. If there is water around the outside of the pool, the water either needs to be removed, or if this is not possible you will have to wait until a dryer part of the year when the hole is dry. The second thing to be sure that the pool is properly braced.  I won’t go into how to do this, but it’s good practice to brace fiberglass pools when draining them because they are engineered to remain full of water.  The design of the pool will determine where and how many braces to use.

Well, rumor has it that fiberglass pools pop up.  I’m not saying that’s an impossibility, but I can say that after over 600 installations over the past decade, we have yet to have that happen to one of our pools after the project is completed.  The damage that we have seen comes in the form of bulging side walls and floors, and splits in pool floors…..all of which can be repaired.   But my point is, why incur any unnecessary damage at all?  Leave the bloody thing full and we have nothing to worry about….right? I need to state here that these principles apply to all types of pools.  Concrete pools will actually float.  Vinyl liners bubble and float as well.  It’s necessary to take these precautions with any inground pool. So, whether you have a pool with nasty water, have just moved into a home with a fiberglass pool, or find yourself in a major renovation project with a fiberglass pool, just know that draining the pool without professional assistance is not an option.