Swimming pool treatment

Stains and scales in swimming pools are caused by the oxides, hydroxides and carbonates of metals. Dequest phosphonates to control staining and scaling are an alternative to the tedious and disagreeable task of acid cleaning. Dequest phosphonates operate by forming water-soluble complexes with metals ; they are particularly effective in stain removal because they prefer to bind the heavy metals which cause staining.

There is a mechanism for Dequest phosphonates and their metal complexes to be removed from the pool. Dequest phosphonates degrade slowly in the presence of pool oxidizing biocides, especially in bright sunlight. As the soluble metal complex is degraded by oxidizing biocides and sunlight, re-precipitation of the metal and consequent re-staining is a danger. Well-equipped pools, however, have filtration rates 3-4 times the rate of degradation, so any precipitates should be picked up on the filter as they are formed. This is the best way to deal with heavy metal stains as the metal is actually removed from the pool.