Is there anything that can be done about vinyl plague- black fungus- underdeath the vinyl liner in an inground pool?

Answer 1

I believe I have this problem too. I thought it was algae at first...treated with half gallon of algaecide 60..nothing....tried Statin, a stain remover...nothing....tried PhosFree...no help either...am now trying a regimen of green out ,6 pounds of shock, and some stuff called no more problems...will have to wait till tommorrow to check for any results.....I did try placing 3 chlorime tablets on a surface skimmer net and laying it directly on top of one of the worst spots for 6 minutes...the spot disapeared....but the pool store does not recomend placing tablets directly on the vinyl pool store for ANY lenght of time...just a test to see if it was indeed liner plague...have you had any luck with anything?

I asked this question on June 21. I corrected our problem with the "vinyl plague or vinyl fungus". We put 5 3" cholrine pucs in a row spaced about 1 1/2" apart over the brown spots for no more than 10 minutes. It may take less time. It will not discolor your liner if you don't go past 10 minutes. We kept moving the pucs till all the brown spots disappeared. It worked and they have not reappeared for now. One pool company told us to keep our PH at 8.0 and our free cholrine at 3.0 and this problem will not reoccur. Another pool place said not to do this unless absolutely necessary because our water will turn cloudy. So we're staying with our regular maintenance for now and hope the brown spots don't reappear.

I have this problem ever since they replaced my liner 3 years ago. The same area gets that blackish stuff that you really can't rub out. I usually do 6 to 8 lbs of super shock dropping most of it in that area and then brishing it into the main drain. It dissapears for a few weeks and reappears if my chlorine level drops too low. Since I run a mineral frog set up, I tend to keep my chlorine level low to begin with. Heavy shock makes it go away but like an old friend, usually returns at some point to remind you they are still around.

Answer 2

www.polarpools.com/pool_care_maintenance/bacteria-fungus-stains.html Some types of bacteria and fungus found in the soil can actually penetrate through a vinyl liner and cause stains to appear on the liner. Usually they will start off as spotted or cloud-like formations on the liner. Algaecides used in the pool water have little if any effect on the stains caused from bacteria, since it doesn't get to the source of the bacteria in the soil. If a pool is known to have a problem with bacteria staining the liner, the ground underneath the liner may be treated with a solution of one half household chlorine bleach and one half water. Mix the bleach in the water and mist the floor of the pool with a small garden sprayer three or four times prior to dropping the new liner in the pool. After the last application of bleach solution, wait several hours before dropping the liner; making sure the solution has been absorbed into the ground.

If the liner has been recently replaced, one method which has been used several times is the use of Copper Iron Sulfate (FeSO4) to change the pH of the soil around the pool, therefore killing off the source of the bacteria or fungus. This is not a guaranteed cure in all cases but in the last few years it has had some astonishing results for some of our customers. Best of all, this can be tried without having to drain the pool and replace the liner! Copperas Iron Sulfate is a chemical used by tree nurseries for treating the pH of soil for some iron deficiencies in plants. For an average size pool, say an 18 x 36 rectangle, you need about twelve to fifteen pounds of this powered chemical. Sprinkle it on the ground next to the pool deck on as many sides of the pool as possible. Then turn a lawn sprinkler on the ground for two or three days, long enough to get the ground around the pool thoroughly saturated with water. The idea is to get the powder to soak deep into the ground so it can change the pH of the soil and hopefully kill off the source of the bacteria. Usually results are not seen for a week or two since it has to get deep in the ground to have any effect on the bacteria. The Copper Iron Sulfate has not been known to have any harsh effects on grass and care should be taken when using around delicate flowers.

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