How to clean rust stains in pool

Rust fragments can also settle in a pool when building work, grinding or cutting of metals is done near the pool. These fragments will not be noticeable at first but will begin to rust a few days later and appear like small rust spots. Small rust spots can also be introduced to the pool from cheap pool salt containing small metal fragments.

The good news is that our treatments can remove rust stains completely within a few days without draining the pool or acid washing. Our process is very effective in treating and removing rust stains from concrete, vinyl lined and fibreglass pools. Our products sometimes completely remove mild rust spots in less than one hour!

If you suspect that your rust stain is from the pool reinforcing steel scroll to bottom of page…

Remove rust stains without draining your pool water

Almost all rust stains can be completely removed using our treatments on any pool finish. As the images show, we can remove stains from swimming pool surfaces without draining the pool water, blasting or acid washing. Our treatment is a fraction of the cost of an acid wash and a lot faster and a lot less hassle!

If you are unsure of the type of stain you have please feel free to speak with us. There is no cost or obligation.

What causes rust spots in pools

If your rust stain has not from an object that has fallen into the pool and is dark in colour and continues to get bigger, it may be coming from the reinforcing mesh used in the pool’s structural shell. Although this type of rust stain is very uncommon, it differs from normal rust stains because it continues to look worse over the life of the pool (see pictures below). This type of rust stain needs to be physically drilled out, plugged and sealed in order to stop the steel from reacting (rusting) with the water. To repair this problem coloured epoxy products which are designed for use in swimming pools are used to plug the hole.

Although our chemical treatments will improve the appearance of these types of stains, they may reappear after a few weeks or months if nothing is done to permanently isolate the rusting steel from the pool water. If you would like further information about how these types of stains can be repaired please call us.

NOTE: LESS THAN 5% OF RUST STAINS ARE CAUSED BY RUSTING REINFORCING MESH. CALL US TO CHECK.

Rust contaminates in the pebble mix

Less than 2% of rust stains are caused from small metal fragments, or contaminated pebbles within the aggregate in concrete pools. The metal fragments often come from the metal rollers that are used to crush the pebbles down to a particular uniform size.

Individual contaminated pebbles can have heavy mineral content and this mineral bleeds out over time. These stains may also leave a very small brown trail (only 1-2cm). These stains normally appear soon after the pool is newly built and may multiply in certain areas over time. Our treatment process rapidly accelerates the oxidization (rusting) process which will cause the rust stains to break down and dissolve permanently.