New pool and new to pools - green but clear

[mlopes]

Hi all...there seems to be a wealth of information on here and I am so new to this whole thing that it's downright overwhelming.

We have a 16' x 48" pool (intex metal frame)over 5000 gallons. We're on a well here. got it all set up over the course of the last week and filled this last weekend. Took a water sample to the pool store and had it tested and my husband got what they suggested - something to raise the pH, a stabilizer and chlorine and some test strips. Did what they told us to do and tested etc and everything says it is okay on the strips but the water has a green tinge to it.

Any advice?

Thanks so much! (and if I have typos or anything please forgive, I am probably nursing my daughter while attempting to type).

[PoolDoc]

Hi MaryAnn;

We've had a rash of Intex pools on wells this season. It's not an ideal combination: well water often has various metals in it (the green may be iron) and Intex have filters and pumps that are barely up to the task of keeping up with the water when everything's going well. They're not so hot for cleanup, and with well water, clean up is often your first task. You'll be able to get it done, but you'll need some patience.

Some basics:

First, water without chlorine is not safe for swimming. Water with chlorine generally is -- it may still be irritating, or yucky, but it's relatively safe. High chlorine (> 10 ppm) is not dangerous to anything except swimwear, though it may irritate some people's skin. So, keep your chlorine above 2 ppm at all times.

Second, your pool store may well be an exception, but most pool stores will try to fix everything in your water at once. This is a very bad idea for all sorts of reasons. Poolstores also tend to sell products that are useless, or that are 'black magic' -- fast results, but with a terrible downside! Several folks are having to drain their Intex to get OUT the stuff the pool store had them put IN! So, don't put anything else from the store in, without asking here first.

Third, we'll need to know what you've put in so far. Please post back with test results AND an exact list of everything you've added. You'll need your own testkit, too. For now, a cheap Walmart chlroine / pH kit is ideal. The OTO (clear liquid turns yellow to brown with chlorine) is the best chlorine test product for this stage of things.

Fourth, do some investigating. Look in the back of your toilet: if it's brown to dark brown, you've got iron in your water. Then feel the sides of your pool, underwater. If they feel slimey or slippery, you've got algae and may also have iron. If they are NOT slimey, it's probably just iron.

Fifth, while you're working out what do to, add chlorine. If you don't have algae, you can add 1/4 gallon of 6% plain bleach each evening. If you DO have algae double or triple that. BUT, post your test results ASAP, and tell us what you've put in, and what you have on hand.

Sixth, AGAIN, do NOT put anymore stuff from the pool store in your pool.

Good luck!

Ben
"PoolDoc"

[mlopes]

Ben,

Thank you so much!

Okay, first off. The inside of the toilet tank is brown. Then I went out and felt down the sides of the pool...they do not feel slippery or slimey at all. Feel like new pool vinyl.
I did a test strip, which is all I have at this moment.

Total Hardness 100
Total Chloirine 1
Total Bromine 2
Free Chlorine 1
pH 7.2
Total Alkalinity 120
Cyanuric Acid 30-50 range

Yesterday we put in Blue Shield pH increase. The we put in the Blue Shield Conditioner and Stabilizer and the Blue Shield Shock Treatment (all these are the label names I have here in front of me). This morning I added a bit more of the pH Increase.

That's what I have so far.

[PoolDoc]

Ok, Maryann;

It doesn't sound like you have any urgent problems. The fact that the walls are not slippery makes it unlikely you have algae. With the other observations, it's most likely you do have iron.

You need to understand that FIRST, the iron is not a hazard in any way (after all, it's safe to drink!), but that SECOND, there's no quick and easy way to remove it.

The BEST way is to slowly remove it. But, the ONLY way to remove metals is to change them to a form that will filter out OR settle to the bottom. Settling is a mess, so I'd stay with filtering.

Chlorinating your pool will gradually convert the iron to the orange form that will filter or settle. If you keep your pH on the low end of things, and don't suddenly increase the chlorine, this conversion may happen slowly enough for your filter to keep up.

So . . .

1. Chlorinate 2x per day with bleach, just to maintain 2 ppm. Add the bleach via the skimmer (if you have one) or near the intake if you don't.
2. Buy some polyquat 60% algaecide and use small doses 2x weekly. It will help prevent algae while your chlorine is low AND it will help filter the debrit.
3. Run your filter 24/7, but do NOT clean it until your flow drops off. Cleaning too much will make it harder to filter the iron out.
4. Buy a small bag of DE powder, and put about 1 cup in the skimmer or intake after you clean the filter each time.
5. Use borax, 20 Mule Team white box, from the laundry section as needed to keep the pH at above 7.0. Don't use it otherwise.

Besides that, for now just enjoy and use the pool.

If you have any chems left over post what they are AND the technical chemical name on the package.

PoolDoc

[mlopes]

Will do. Thanks so much.

Couple of questions. When you say to add it to the skimmer...why? Just curious. I like to know why I do things. Helps me understand the greater process.

Also, I am assuming a larger, better pump would make a difference. If that is correct, any suggestions?

The polyquat algaecide and the DE...where do I find those. I have the Borax. Love that stuff - we cloth diaper and it's great for getting stuff clean.

[mlopes]

Pool actually looks better this morning to a good degree with having the pump running all the time. yay! Thanks so much.

[Watermom]

You either want to add bleach to the skimmer as Ben suggested or in front of a return jet. The idea is to get the bleach dispersed quickly into the water. Either way, pour slowly.

Polyquat 60% algaecide is the only one we recommend using. You may have to get that at a pool store and also the DE powder although I think maybe Home Depot may have DE. Not certain about that, though.

In regards to pumps --- this is a case where bigger is not always better. A pump that is too big for your filter will damage the filter and will blow water through it so fast that it will not do a good job filtering. Before you buy something, run it past our pump gurus here to make sure you have a pump and filter that are sized properly.

Glad things are looking better.

[CarlD]

I don't usually question Ben, but if you are using a cartridge filter (which is common with Intex pools), DE may not be a good idea...DE can clog up some cartridges (if not most). Plus, if you don't have a skimmer (and most Intex don't) it's VERY difficult to get it into the filter. You can safely skip the DE until we figure it out, so don't worry about that.

PolyQuat is usually only available at pool stores or pool sections of places like Wal-Mart. It's called algaecide, black algaecide, yellow algae algaecide, or other stuff, but the important part is that there is only ONE active ingredient:
Poly...<something long and unpronounceable>... 60%
Anything else is the wrong stuff. "Small amounts" means 1 to 2 ounces--and with a small pool stick to 1 ounce.

[mlopes]

Thanks Carl and Watermom. I was figuring thats why I should add things through the skimmer (which this pool does have) but wanted to ask to be sure. Since I'm so new to this whole thing I figure asking more questions is better. We are loving having the pool so we want to make sure we know how to care for it in the best way possible. I'll prinbt this out and take it with me tomorrow when I go to get stuff.

I'll ask in the pumps section for advice on size etc.

[aylad]

One other reason for adding the chlorine at the skimmer is that high chlorine concentrations often cause the iron to precipitate out of the water and stain. If you add the chlorine at the skimmer, then any stain that happens from chlorine addition will happen on your filter, not in the pool itself.

Janet