new liner, well water filled, rust stains + high total alkalinity

First, thank you for all the valuable information. Have been following this method for 5 years. Just installed new vinyl liner, filled with well water, used 5 gal bucket filled with batting. Have only added poly 60, brushing & filtering 24/7. Filtered loose rust out but stains wherever there are angles. Just tested with Taylor kit:
FC 0
PH 8
TA 330
CYA 0

Now I don't which to address first: start ascorbic acid treatment or lower ph & aerate to lower TA. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

16x36 ig vinyl
Hayward 300# sand filter

oh my gawd. I'll be in your same boat in a couple months. Am researching new liners and DREADING starting over with well water because I remember too well the coca cola brown stage and all the cleaning I had to do to get things in check: gallons and gallons of muriatic acid, etc.

I'm sure you've got this figured out by now, but curious how it went. My answer to you would have been to address the TA first because that will wreck your equipment in a heartbeat. It ruined our heater in a matter of two weeks before I knew what I was doing and the pool company was CLUELESS.

Last season I had problems with stains on my liner from time to time when the pH got too high (from the SWG). I bought a couple of packets of Culator to test towards the end of the swimming season. It worked great for me. In fact, I just ordered several packets today for this season. One note though, once the stains are on the liner, I found that I needed to treat with ascorbic acid to release the stains. The culator worked well enough that the stains never came back (even when I let the chlorine and/or pH get too high). I only make this comment because you might save yourself a lot of work by putting 1 or more culator packets in the pool when first filling with the well water to prevent the metal stains in the first place.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sspine

First, thank you for all the valuable information. Have been following this method for 5 years. Just installed new vinyl liner, filled with well water, used 5 gal bucket filled with batting. Have only added poly 60, brushing & filtering 24/7. Filtered loose rust out but stains wherever there are angles. Just tested with Taylor kit:
FC 0
PH 8
TA 330
CYA 0

Now I don't which to address first: start ascorbic acid treatment or lower ph & aerate to lower TA. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

16x36 ig vinyl
Hayward 300# sand filter

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1. Lower the pH ASAP to below 7.2 (not much below)
2. Hold it there -- it will rise on it's own, as your TA gasses off as CO2
3. Add a single dose of HEDP (Jacks Magic Pink, Purple or Blue Stuff is 100% HEDP -- if you can't find that, let me know.)
4. Buy some chlorine tabs, put them in the skimmer, and leave the pump on 24/7.
5. If you have a two speed pump or can throttle flow to 1/2 via a valve do so. Slowing the flow across the filter will help remove the iron.
(#4 & #5 will tend to drop the iron out ON the filter.)

- - - not finished, but gotta go. You can do those things listed now. Will add a list of HEDP sources later.