Here are some frequently asked questions (with our answers):
- What exactly is CuLator Metal Eliminator? CuLator is a patented non-toxic polymer which binds ionized metals out water and does not release it back into the water. CuLator is manufactured in the USA in Fort Lauderdale. CuLator products are 100% patented polymer.
- What is the 4.0 Power Pack? CuLator Ultra 4.0 is exactly the same as the PowerPak 1.0 BUT it has 4 times the amount of polymer, lasts a lot longer, and comes with a protective GatorEgg which allows it to be placed in the PUMP basket. The 1.0 can ONLY be placed into the SKIMMER basket. The 4.0 is great for people on well water, large pools, startups, filling after resurfacing, problem pools, heater blow outs, and people who don’t want to place anything into the skimmer basket. Most people start with a 1.0 and then move to the 4.0. Also, the 4.0 can be used in professional pools and you can string them together for very large pools and securely place them into a surge tank. The 4.0 saves money and is a great product for the entire summer season. It usually lasts 4-6 months depending on the quality of the pool water.
- What’s the difference? The PowerPak 1.0 is mainly used for smaller pools or people who are just starting to have some staining or water discoloration. If the problem is larger or the metal levels are higher, then they should use the 4.0. The main difference is the amount of CuLator polymer and the Ultra 4.0 has the protective GatorEgg which allows placement into the pump basket.
- How does it work? CuLator works because the polymers have a negative charge on them and “claws” that act like a sequestering agent and GRAB positively charged metals out of the pool water. CuLator does not dissolve in water. Once metals are removed or ELIMINATED from the water, they will not be release back into the water. So, CuLator is a chelator which binds stain-causing metals out of water for removal and elimination.
- How does one little pouch help 20K gallons of pool water? Metal ions in the pool water are very attracted to the patented CuLator polymers inside the pouch. The attraction is like a magnet and works at lightning speed. The binding action is a chemical bond and is difficult to break. Because the CuLator polymers have a very high binding capacity, it doesn’t take much to treat a big body of water. This is great for reducing waste, shipping, and plastic bottles and helps protect the pool surface and the environment.
- What are some benefits/advantages in using CuLator over other products (ie: Natural Chemistry’s Stain Free or ITS Stain Away – Metal Sequestering)? Metal sequestering agents are temporary solutions while CuLator is a more permanent one. When you pour a sequestering agent into the water, it lasts about 3 weeks and is broken down by chlorine, sun, and time. The sequestering agent doesn’t really REMOVE the metals, but rather holds them in solution temporarily until they break down and release the metal ions again (unless you are using CuLator). If the sequestering agent is made with phosphonic acid, it breaks down into…phosphate! So, you don’t want to use a phosphonic acid based sequestering agent. CuLator is 100% polymer and NO PHOSPHATES. With all that said, sequestering agents work great for temporary solutions, like when you are filling with well water, or at start-up. For people on well water, we recommend a regular dose of sequestering agent (non-phosphate based) and a CuLator Ultra 4.0. That combo seems to work great for most people. CuLator, if used regularly, allows someone to reduce the over-use of sequestering agents and all those problems with TDS and phosphates that come with them. Plus, CuLator is non-toxic and doesn’t dissolve in the water, so you aren’t swimming in it like you are a sequestering agent.
- How do I determine if CuLator is the right product for me? If you have ANY metals, then CuLator is right for your swimming pool. If you are using a sequestering agent, then you should a CuLator. If you are on well water or have a heater blow out then you need CuLator. If you are using a copper algaecide you should treat with CuLator after. If you have faux stone features, travertine (or any real stone) or bricks around the pool, you need CuLator. If you have plantings or grass near the pool, then CuLator is a must. If you have a salt generator or a salt system, use CuLator. Salt water systems are very bad for staining because ALL salt has some iron mined with it. If you look at the salt, there is always a yellowish tinge…that is iron and a lot gets into the pool. Look at the bag…99% salt 1 % other. So, if you dump 100 lbs of salt into your pool water…you can get up to a pound of other things including iron! Usually, that is enough to stain a pool. The other issue with salt pools is the pH always creeps up. When the pH gets above 7.4-7.6, then there is a much great chance of staining. CuLator helps prevent metal staining in all types of pools even if the pH goes up too high. Metal staining begins at .3 ppm…yep! So, if you have anything above a .2, use CuLator. However, to PREVENT staining from occurring, I recommend a 4.0 to EVERY pool owner every season as an insurance– just in case. Metals come from everywhere (above), so why bother with staining if you can really prevent it with CuLator!
- Does the pool operator have to do anything else before/after they use CuLator? Not really! CuLator works in all types of water and in a wide range of pH. The operator only has to place the CuLator in the skimmer (1.0) or the pump basket (4.0) and make sure the pump is on for at least an hour to hydrate the polymers. After that, they just have to check the bag once a week, or so, to make sure everything is good and to see if there is any color change inside the bag (that means the metals are trapped inside).
- How long does CuLator last? The PowerPak 1.0 lasts for a month or longer depending on how much metal is in the water. Let’s say you have .5 iron in the water and the CuLator pulls that all out…you still have .5 capacity left. So, the 1.0 could last another month or two depending on if there was more iron getting into the pool. There is no way to test if the CuLator is done other than doing a total metal test to see if the levels are increasing. The Ultra 4.0 can last for an entire summer season. Just think of the 1.0=1 month and the 4.0=4 months. Many people just get a new 1.0 and keep the old one in the skimmer until they are sure the old one is done working. If the bag tears or breaks, no worries, the polymers are non-toxic and will get stuck on the filter media and keep working until they backwash or rinse. The 4.0 often expands to fill the GatorEgg completely. A good rule of thumb is when the 4.0 shrinks to half its expanded size, or when it feels squishy or sandy inside the bag, then it is time to replace.
- Are there chemicals or situations that would affect the performance of CuLator? Sort of… if you use lanthanides (phosphate removers), the CuLator will bind them out of the water; so, it can diminish the working capacity of both products , but only by a small amount. However, the liquid would have to be poured directly onto the CuLator, which is not easy to do. If you are using an algaecide, then I would take the CuLator out for a few days and then place it back into the pool water after the treatment is complete and the CuLator will pick up all the used up copper and prevent staining. CuLator can be used, dried out and reused. When dried, the polymers will turn hard like plastic, but will re-hydrate and continue to work as soon as they hit the water. Also, if the pH goes below 7 (the bags are a double layer of a special cotton) the low acidic pH will begin to slowly eat away at the bag. If you place the CuLator bag directly in a chlorine tab, the CuLator will still work fine, but the bag will be weakened by the tab (think bleach on a T-shirt). Usually, if the CuLator is on a tab, it will last at least three months before starting to show signs of weakness. It is best not to place them on a tab, but then again, the tab should be in a floater…not in the skimmer.
21 Comments
Hello,
I am a newbie to having a spa. We have too much copper in the water.
I ordered your CuLator and have questions.
I am not using my spa as I live in Texas and it is way too hot so I don’t run the jets often. Can I leave the packet in the skimmer?
Also we will turn the spa off for a trip soon.
Should I take out the packet or leave it in?
Thank you!
Sandy,
Do not leave the CuLator in the Spa if it is turned off. If you do, the bag can get a bit gooey. The best thing to do is to take the CuLator SpaPak out of the skimmer, rinse it, and air dry it. Then, when you come back, you can place it into your skimmer again. The contents may feel crunchy, but that is OK…the polymers will hydrate and start to work again when you place it into the skimmer. Feel free to call us with any additional questions. 954-764-7654. Thanks!
I have treated my pool water with Stain Free then followed up with Metal Free per instructions. The pool looked great after treatment but as soon as I started adding chlorine, the water turned dark green with a foul odor. I assumed it was algae and added Algae Guard which cleared up the water but again as soon as I started bring up chlorine level the water started to turn green again. I had my water tested at a popular pool service store and discussed problems with them. They said it was actually metals in my water causing problem and recommended PowerPak Cu Lator. Cu Lator seems to be working where water has cleared up but has a very slight green tint however as the water moves from Jacuzzi into pool there is patches of foam forming. The foam clears up but is this normal and why the foam. Thanks!
Hello,
The CuLator works to pull out all the stain-causing metals like copper and iron/rust. Sometimes foam means your have some biologics in the water. Just keep your pool and spa chlorinated properly and that should help with the foaming. If you can’t get the green tint out of the water, add some Mega Maintain Sequester and that will clear it up and the CuLator will remove all the metals. Thanks!
I have a fiberglass pool and have metal stains on all the pool surfaces that come into contact with the pool water. Can I use a citric acid stain remover while keeping the culator in the skimmer? Is there any specific order I should introduce these 2 products into the pool?
Hello Richard,
Yes, the Citric Acid Stain Remover should work well, but you must lower your chlorine below 1 (zero is better) so that the stain remover works. This will lift the stain, but then you need some Mega Maintain to keep the metals in suspension and then you need some CuLator Metal Eliminator to get the metals out of the water. I recommend the Metal Stain Eliminator Kit, which has all the products and the instructions for a stain treatment. Since you already have a CuLator in the skimmer, take it out, do the stain remover, add the Mega Maintain, then check pH (make sure it is above 7) and add the CuLator back into the skimmer. Call us at 954-764-7654 if you have additional questions. I hope this helps!
Thank you David for the information. I would like to purchase the Metal Stain Eliminator Kit, however I am located in Canada and I believe you do not ship outside of the US. Would you be able to direct me to a retailer in Canada?
Richard,
You can call Lawrason’s or Dazzle Pool Products (Backyard Brands) to see if they can help you in Canada. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks!
Can the CuLator record a false positive on a copper test? My pool has been at 1 ppm for over a month and hasn’t went down any after 3 single 1 ppm bags and an ultra 4 ppm in the pump basket. During this time I have also added 7 qts of metal free with no success. Two days ago I removed all CuLators and today my copper level is finally 0.2 ppm when it was 1 ppm during test two days prior. Just inquiring.
When can I shock my pool after using culator metal remover?
For best results, wait 3 weeks to a month before going back to shocking the pool. Now, that does not mean you don’t use chlorine. When doing a stain treatment, you can start to bring the chlorine back up immediately, but just do it slowly. The goal is 1-2 ppm just to be safe. If you SHOCK the pool, it can force the metals back out onto the wall. If you don’t have any chlorine, you will get algae.
I’ve been having problems with metal in my pool for months and when I add a quart of metal out, it removes the stains until the next time I shock it with chlorine. Sometimes it takes a couple of quarts of metal out. I finally had enough and found out about your PowerPak CuLator and bought some of them. I added one to my skimmer basket and overnight the pool brown stains were gone. However, the pool turned milky. I continued running the pump 24 hours a day for a couple of days with no improvement. I shocked the pool with liquid chlorine and for the first time in a while, the brown stains didn’t come back (fiberglass pool). However, the pool remains milky to the point I can’t see the bottom. I flock’ed it and recirculated the water for a few hours, then turned off the pump for 24 hours for everything to drop. No difference. The pool is still so milky I can’t see the bottom. As I said, this milky problem didn’t happen until I added the CuLator to the skimmer basket. Please advise.
Brent,
Thank you for the comment. This milky look can be caused by adding chlorine to the water when extra stain treatment is in the pool water. Usually, this goes away in a few days. The other issue which causes cloudiness is pH and alkalinity. If one or the other is too high, then you can get cloudy water. Lastly, sometimes, when doing a stain treatment, you will get some calcium particulate in the water. If this doesn’t filter out, then you can use a filter aid. My recommendation for problems like these is wait a few days and see what happens, then as a last resort, try a filter aid.
Please keep us posted on your pool.
Hi. I developed copper issues this weekend, and researched the issue. I have purchased a metal sequestrant to use in tandem with CuLator 1.0 for now, but will likely upgrade to 4.0 in a month.
May I use the CuLabor 1.0 in the skimmer basket with a skimmer sock, which I customarily use, or do I need to remove the skimmer sock?
Thanks in advance for responding — BMK
Using a sequestering agent in tandem with a CuLator always works great! CuLator can be used in the skimmer with a skimmer sock. No, you do not need to remove the sock. As long as CuLator has water flowing over it, then it will remove stain-causing metals like rust, iron, copper, and manganese from your swimming pool.
Can I put CuLator 1.0 in my pump basket? I have Chlorine tablets in my skimmer basket and need to keep them in there to try to keep a minimal amount of chlorine in the water while trying to remove the copper/metals?
Yes, you can place the CuLator 1.0 in with the chlorine tab, but it will eat away at the bag faster. It should be fine for at least a month or longer.
I have a question. I have high amount of copper in my water. I have the 4.0 culator there for the past 4 days . I checked on it today and it is hard as a rock. There is no water or air. is that normal. Do I have to replace it already?
I have an intex metal pool approx 5000 gals
Hello,
Your CuLator Ultra 4.0 is going to get hard and look a bit like a grenade. That is normal. No, you do not need to replace the Ultra. Since your Intex pool is 5000 gallons, you should be able to use the Ultra 4.0 for a at least 6 months before needing a new one. Just remember that if you are filling your pool with well water to add a bit of metal sequestering agent to the water when you are topping off. Thanks!
I used your stain eliminator kit. Pool became a little cloudy but was clearing. Then we had a power failure (36 hours) and extreme heat. Algae!!
I understand I can’t shock for 3 weeks and need to keep chlorine level at 1 ppm. How can I eliminate the algae?
Believe it or not, you can use copper-based algaecide to get rid of the algae. Just take the CuLator out while treating. Put the CuLator back in after the algae is gone but don’t shock. Try to keep your chlorine at 1-2. Call us at (954) 764-7654 with any questions. Thanks!