Purple water in swimming pooĺ

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maccastime
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Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

I have a chlorine pool.it has developed a purple colour mainly On the floor of the pool in the grouted areas.it is not too bad but I have vaccuumed back washed etc.but no joy.pool shops are no help as yet.someone says Maybe too much copper in the water.tried a stain remover at 1,800 baht but no joy.
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Bristolian
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Bristolian »

There is plenty of information online. Iron or steel or copper present may give a red to brown discoloration whilst magnesium will give a purple discoloration, apparently, is the water mains supplied or from a well? The contamination can bel local from pumps, piping etc or may be in the actual water supply. There are some very good pool companies locally, get one of them to check water supply and if that is good and minimal metal content your problem is local and should be easily identified.
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maccastime
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

Thanks for your reply.the water is from the mains.been getting it from there for a few years.never any problems. Never seen this purple colour before.I have been to 4 pool shops but they have no idea.just want to sell me algaecide.which will not sort this issue.
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Khundon1975
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Khundon1975 »

maccastime It's Purple Rain, blame Prince. :wink:

The only certain way to determine what is causing it, is to get a sample of the water tested.
At least that way, you will know if it is safe to swim in.

:cheers:
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Dieter78 »

You can send a water sample for testing to swimmingpoolsthailand.com
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

Thanks to those that replied.I will get a sample of the water tested.hopefully they will have some type of chemical to sort it.
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Bristolian
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Bristolian »

They will need to check your "fresh" water supply and water in the pool. If there is a significant difference in metallic content the problem can be isolated to your local pool system.
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maccastime
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

Thanks Bristolian will do as u suggest.Internet say i may have to partially drain pool.or shock pool.if anything i have topped up the water in the pool a day or so ago,and the purple fluid on the bottom seems a bit better? not sure why.
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Bluesky »

It sounds like you are on the way to getting it sorted I don't know if you are using a stabilized chlorine
(Often used to prevent the breakdown of chlorine as a result of sunlight and temperature) or if there has been stabilizer added. Both these products use cyanuric acid which is ok by itself but becomes residual in the water and the levels build up over time. If the pool has copper or brass fittings the cyanuric acid will react and will cause the cyan (purple discoloration of the water. Another source of copper will be commercial algecide which one again contains copper and again if you have been using an algecide during warmer weather this will react with cyanuric acid and give you anything from a purple tinge to a full Thai international purple. Excess cyanuric acid will also tend to lock up chlorine and reduce the sanitation process. Perhaps when you get the water tested you may request ppm cyanuric acid and ppm copper. Normally the pool has to be drained 60 to 70 percent and refilled. There are a number of proprietary products claiming to reduce cyanuric acid however I have not used them.
I have attached a link for one such product.
http://www.biowishtechnologies.com/bio- ... d-reducer/
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maccastime
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

Thanks for this info blue sky. The chlorine I am using I am also using in another pool.this other pool is all okay. Brand name poolchlor it has cyan uric acid in it.algaecide brand is swimtrine. I have not had to use this for some time..had the water tested magnesium level was a bit high.but the pool people said not too bad.they said it will goblins away after more fresh water.and chlorine. They also advised me to shock the water.
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PeteC
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by PeteC »

I saw the below while looking for some other pool info. Maybe a clue if you have stainless ladders or other fittings in contact with the water. Pete :cheers:

"Purple staining or even crystal-clear purple water can occur, due to the presence of manganese. Corrosion of stainless steel (contains manganese) can lead to purple discolorations."
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Dieter78 »

prcscct wrote:I saw the below while looking for some other pool info. Maybe a clue if you have stainless ladders or other fittings in contact with the water. Pete :cheers:

"Purple staining or even crystal-clear purple water can occur, due to the presence of manganese. Corrosion of stainless steel (contains manganese) can lead to purple discolorations."
Good to know! My ladder started rusting because I was out of the country and the pool guy didn't manage alkalinity.

If your alkalinty is way off (which it probably is if you have a thai pool guy) then your equipment will rust quicker.

All under control here now :)
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by maccastime »

Yes I have a stainless ladder and yes it rusts up all the time. Not good quality stainless.
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Bristolian »

^^ Sometimes if stainless steel is showing signs of corrosion, it can be galvanic corrosion caused by different metals being present in the pool creating a low voltage 24/7 battery. The different metals can be fixing bolts screws etc. This is often a bigger problem in salt water pools and the simple solution is to fix a sacrificial plate, usually zinc that will then corrode instead of the Stainless.
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Re: Purple water in swimming pooĺ

Post by Nereus »

maccastime wrote:Yes I have a stainless ladder and yes it rusts up all the time. Not good quality stainless.
"Stainless Steel" is an alloy, and like all alloys it is manufactured in many different grades, for many different applications. The most common grade found here is 304, but that may still not comply with international standards.

The following link lists some of the variables:

http://www.bssa.org.uk/
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