I'm back! but with a different pool.

Greetings everyone! This year we have a different pool, a different pump, filled from a different water source (still well water though) so naturally, I have a whole new set of problems and need your expertise to figure it all out.

Taylor 2006K

FILL water test:
Ph 7.8
TA 180
hardness 50
CC 0
CYA 0 (added 1 lb stabilizer 7/11)

CURRENT am pool water test:
ph 7.5
TA 180
hardness 50
FC 9.5
CC .5
CYA (to soon to test again)

Things I've done, right or wrong:
Not wanting to strain the well, it took forever to fill (about 6 days). While waiting 5 days to attach the pump I added bleach each day, as well as a little algecide & metal sequestriant here and there. Water began filling with a brownish "tea" color, but quickly turned to pale green within 1 day. As soon as the pump was started, I tried my sock filter routine that I used to do with the old pool, but this year there isn't anything showing so I quit it. The filter is white..no brown goo. Maybe due to adding sequestriant while filling? Running pump 24/7. Anyway, the water is clear, I can see the pool bottom but it's a pale green color and so far I seem to be losing a lot of chlorine overnight. I shocked the pool two nights in a row with bleach, this am I had lost about 9ppm overnight. Yesterday, I added muriatic acid which lowered the ph to 160, but this am it's back to 180. What should I do next, my friends?

I put my pool info in my "signature" but I don't see it showing up in my post...

Intex donut, 18 x 48
Krystal Clear pump 635T, 1500 GPH
Well water filled

Hi Swamp Mistress, and welcome back!! I've been wondering about you......

You're doing things right so far, except that I hope you're using Polyquat algaecide and not any of the cheaper stuff. If you're using the cheap stuff, don't add any more!!

There's a possibility that you're not getting any result on the sock filter because of the sequestrant you added. Don't forget that last time you had to run the water over a chlorine source (I think it was a trichlor puck?) in order to drop the metals out on your sock filter. You can try that and see if it gets you any results.

This year, there's a new product out that we're testing--and there is some evidence that it is actually effective--it's called a Culator, and is a small packet that you put in the skimmer, and it's supposed to attract and trap the metals that are sequestered in water. I think that the sequestrant you have to use is HEDP--Pooldoc will chime in shortly, I know--but that might help you out, too. Here is a page that he wrote for someone else on the same topic.....

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...-my-city-water

You might check and see if that helps any. Also--as long as you're still losing chlorine overnight, you need to get that chlorine up to your shock level and hold it there until the chlorine holds, to eliminate any algae that might be contributing to the green color....

I've directed lots of folks to your thread from a couple of years ago when you first found us, so that experience has helped a good number of people. Glad to see you back!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aylad

I've directed lots of folks to your thread from a couple of years ago when you first found us, so that experience has helped a good number of people. Glad to see you back!

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...and I've lost count of the pool aisle customers I've directed to this site! I hope they followed through.


*update*
I had previously added 1/2 lb stablizer via a nylon sock, thinking it was 1 lb...so realizing my mistake I put another 1/2 lb in the sock this morning, then left to run errands...hehehe came home to brown swamp water!! Kids said they'd take a raincheck on getting in.. at least I'm used to dealing with brown water..the green stumps me. Sock filter here I come...

oh..and I would not have purposely purchased another easy up pool, this one was a gift!

Each year I learn something new, this year I learned I might as well let the water get to "swamp brown" color as fast as possible so I can filter it OUT rather than supressing it...it just delayed the inevitable (for me.) Obviously, I'm not concerned with staining a vinyl pool liner..i just want BLUE balanced water IN the pool, and I can do that quicker/better with the metals OUT. In just one hour the sock filter & the pump filter were dark brown and in need of changing. Hopefully, like in the past, the water will change from chocolate pudding, to light clear brown, to green, to pale green, to BLUE in less than 3 days. Once I achieve a better color, I'll post test results again to see if you can make further suggestions.

Aylad...(hanging head in shame) I've been using hth algaecide because hubby bought a GALLON of it last year by mistake. Now that I've been outed, I won't use anymore. I ordered Polyquat 60% (Nava) from Amazon today, just because they had it in stock.
Whew! That was so freeing!

Well....at least it looks better than the mess you described for us a couple of years ago!! :)

The metal out products are broken down by chlorine, so as you know you have to keep adding them on a regular basis if you plan to use them. However, I can still link you to your first thread a couple of years ago, in case you need a refresher regarding where to go from here....

Janet

Thanks Aylad, I've already been back to my original post and laughed at myself! I swear! the water then was bubbling like crude oil... : ) So I pulled up the picture of how our water CAN look...and that's what I'm aiming for again.

You know how to get there....;)

Janet

Glad to see you back around the forum this season, Swamp Mistress!

I considered changing my forum name...but after looking at my water again this year, it still fits.

The good news, I didn't lose much chlorine last night.

To reiterate, when our well water was tested, we were told we have Tanins (decomposed tree bark) in our water..so not exactly sure what I'm fighting with, but the sock method seems to extract it. It's labor intensive and I have to be careful because it's like dealing with haircolor..stains everything it touches. Luckily, ascorbic acid removes the stains and I can buy vitamin c crystals @ Trader Joes.

Here is what the filters looked like this am:

Yuk.....at least you know you're making progress!! :)

Janet

update on progress:

You're getting to be a pro at this.....I think a new username is in order!! :)

Great job!!

Janet

Oh please! I spend the first 30 days each year with my nose in this forum to see if I can get clear water quicker...I'm seriously wanting to try the Culator I saw mentioned, I also watched a YouTube video of it..but realistically I have about 45 days left in our pool season (we got a late start because we had to build a retaining wall to hold the bigger pool) and now I've got the worst behind me, so it's on my list of must haves for next year, that and Jack's Magic pink stuff. I should be getting my order of polyquat soon too. This pool is sooo much bigger than our 15fter that I found the sock method irritating and it has worn me out, I'm hoping the Culator removes our brown goop. I'll be reading other threads to see if anyone reports good news.

In the meantime, I'm leaving for a few days and will start posting test results when I get back, by then I should have a CYA number to post for ya to look over.

Hey Swamp Mistress!
Welcome back...and PLEASE don't change such a really cool name!

Swamp Mistress is a great name. You kick the stuffing out of the brown water, and you are the Mistress in control!

Saw a lot of tannin colored streams in Northern Ontario that ran through swamps and would come out various shades of brown from the tannic acid that leached out from the rotting vegetation. I never thought about that happening with well water. Great job.


http://www.exploringthenorth.com/tahqua/falls2a.gif

CarlD & Spensar..thank you. It's not the name I like so much, it's the little green swamp creature avatar I've come to love....that's how I felt when I first came to this forum and logged in!

Spensar, that photo is awesome. I just wish it wasn't the type of water I'm filling my pool with!

I think I forgot to mention...I DID pre-filter the pool water with a Metaltrap hose filter and still got the dark brown goo..this makes me wonder if CuLator will work on tannins. Also, there's a sticky feel to it on the filter, like touching tree sap.

All this experimentation has helped me inside the home, I found a little ascorbic acid is cheaper at cleaning the inside of the dishwasher than the special packets I was ordering online which contain, you guessed it, ascorbic acid. About once a month I have to run it thru a treated cycle to clear up staining, and from our white dishware. We didn't know about the water when we bought our home, we just found a phone book sized packet of information on a old chlorinating system on the kithen counter the day we took possession. The house had been vacant for many months so we assumed it had been sitting and would get better with use, it didn't so we called a water "expert" to test it. He sold us a filtration system for tannins @ $2,500. It made a little difference at first, but not enough to keep up long term. We have a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink for drinking/cooking. The well water tests say that it's drinkable without filtration..it's just not appealing to look at. Hubby has made a few inquiries, I think he's going to send samples to an agency through the college.

am test results:

FC 5ppm (coming down from shock)
CC .5
PH 7.2
TA 150
Hard 50
CYA 40

Re: CuLator, I contacted Periodicproducts. Todd DeJesus, Director of Operations response was, "CuLator only removes metals (iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, etc.) but will not help with the removal of tannins, as they are organic."
Received my order of Nava Polyquat 60, added this am. : )

Quote:

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CuLator, I contacted Perioicproducts. Todd DeJesus, Director of Operations response was, "CuLator only removals metals (iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, etc.)

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Nice to get an honest straight forward answer that their product would not help.

From this....to this, with a lot of filtering inbetween!

Beautiful! Great job!

That's crazy. Great job.