The most difficult pool stains occur in in-ground plaster pools. The best way to get rid of them is to not get them in the first place. Some stains come from leaves, sticks, and other organic materials. However, the greatest percentage and the most difficult ones are from decaying worms. Worms get into your in-ground pool, and they can’t escape due to the slick tile and walls. They end up at the bottom of the pool where it’s dark and warm, but unfortunately for them and you, they cannot breathe. Eventually, the worms die and release an iron-based chemical that permeates the plaster and is nearly impossible to remove without spending a lot of time and money. And if you’ve ever opened your pool in the spring to find a pile of dead worms sitting at the bottom, you know how gross it is.
That’s just what the pool stores and suppliers are hoping for. They want to sell you hundreds of dollars of stain remover every year or send someone to your home to remove those stains, charging you upwards of $250-$300 for a service call. Every year two quarts of powdered stain remover will run about $100 and if you need an extra 10 – 25 pounds of shock that will run you another $75-$150. Over 10 years, that’s over $2,000… Not to mention all the hours you’ll spend hovering over the stain.
What you can do instead is purchase a WORM STAIN SHIELD for about $140 one time and use it for years. It’s a durable, high-density plastic shield that sinks in water and rests over your drain, where most stains form. Since the worms settle in the deepest part of the pool, they collect right around the drain, which is exactly where the shield sits. It covers the drain and almost 2 feet of the surrounding plaster, so the worms settle on top of the shield instead of on your plaster. It also keeps worms and debris out of your drain, so they don’t clog your drain line over the winter.
Place it there when you close your pool in the fall and forget about it until spring. When it’s time to open the pool, use the ropes and handles to lift it out and skim or vacuum up all those worms and debris. No sock, no shock, and no service call. You’ll be able to use your pool sooner and not have to look at all those ugly stains. Compared to $2,000 over 10 years, a one-time $140 shield is cheap insurance for your plaster and your drain.
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