HELP with Green/Brown Water

[poolrookie]

Filled intex 16'x32'x52" pool with creek water,14,500 gallons. In Eastern ky, couldn't have it brought in and to far away for city water. Have a well,but couldn't use it to fill pool. Of course after getting water in, shocked before bed, brown the next morning. Took to pool "PRO", he said he could sell me a lot of chemicals but just to add 10lbs of iron out and it will clear up immediately. So we added it, and in 5 minutes it was pretty Caribbean Blue water, with a little cloudy to it, couldn't believe it. Had to fix chlorine level and ph level, but after 2 days all readings were perfect, but still cloudy. Went on Vacation for a week, parents tried to fix while i was gone...hahaha.. they added clarifier and blue sheen or something, didn't work, when i returned home it was a dark green again. Added 1 32 oz bottle of metal out. Vacuumed several times, let paper filter run, clean/changed filter, for a week...Now back to "PRO", said i need sand filter. So 2 days ago, got a 1hp 16" sand filter, been running for 2 days now. I can see the 3rd step on the ladder but the last one is another story. i've brushed and mixed it up hoping the sand filter would clear it up. I added another bottle of "metal out" last night. Had water tested, here are results, using Walmart/Lowes chemicals, baking soda and 3" chlorine tabs.
free chlorine 7.0
TC 7.0
ph 7.4
Hardness 330ppm
Alk 100 (it was 17, but added 12 lbs of baking soda to raise it)
CA 10
copper .25 ppm
IRON .42
i NEED SOME HELP, MY BOY WANTS TO DIVE FOR THINGS AND HE CAN'T SEE THEM TO DIVE FOR THEM... We have been swimming, but it's hard to invite people over to a green pool!

i have read a lot of your posts about needing more metal out so i ordered some last night, it should be here monday hopefully..i hope that is what i need to do... more metal out with high chlorine level, low ph, let new sand filter run....

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome!!

The brown that formed after the initial chlorine shock was metal that precipitated out. By adding the metal out, it re-suspended the metals into the water, which is why it cleared so quickly. However, now you're dealing with a situation where you not only have metals but also have algae, so just adding the metal out isn't going to fix the problem--you also are going to need to shock the pool. I'm assuming your CYA level is 10, although I'm not sure how you got that number, since the drop-based tests don't distinguish levels less than 30 ppm, so you're going to need to shock the pool to 12 ppm and hold it there, filtering 24/7, in order to clear the pool. However, having chlorine that high will also cause the metals to drop out again, so as you raise your chlorine level, you're going to need to add metal out as needed to keep the water from turning brown. It will probably help if you can add your chlorine into or very close to the skimmer, so that if the metals do drop out, they'll drop onto your filter instead of into the pool.

Hope this helps

[poolrookie]

Thanks for the reply, i think why the water cleared so quickly was the 10lbs of iron out, because all i did before that is shock it... i didn't add any metal stuff until i returned back from vacation and the water was back to dark green. I did have the water computer tested, that is where i came up with all the number.. my dad now tells me that while we were gone they tried something called, "Green to Blue" i guess it supposed to turn pitiful green water to pretty blue.. he put it in and let it run for 4 hours or so then turned the pool off and let it sit over night, pool is clear when we do that and all the brown is on the bottom until he tried to vacuum it up and then it just mixed the dust up and got all cloudy and green again. I guess that must be some kind of floc or something... So now that we have a sand filter, should i turn it off, it's only been running for 48 hours now and it's still light green... or will it be better to keep it running and let the filter work or try and vacuum it out in the morning? i have done both in the last week, but just don't know what to do next?? So you think ihave algae now??? how is that possible with shocking the pool so much, i know before i left on vacation i shocked it like 5 times, before i went with the iron out?? then took a reading and it was so high up the charts i thought there was no way to have any algae at all...it was dark red on the chlorine reading.. i have put 4 or so ounces of algaecide in yesterday and a couple of days ago and some a few days before that also... should i add anything else to the water???? metal free?? or just let the filter work for another day or so and check it out or shut it down and try to vacuum in the morning??? this has been so aggrevating... The chlorine is already high, because i shocked it this morning again, and i just went out and put 2 trichlor tabs in the skimmer just before the sand filter to maybe help get some iron out.... WHAT ELSE TO DO, JUST WAIT???

[poolrookie]

Hi, and welcome!!

However, now you're dealing with a situation where you not only have metals but also have algae, so just adding the metal out isn't going to fix the problem--you also are going to need to shock the pool. Hope this helps

If you still think i have algae, i noticed how the Bleach worked on the poolsolutions guide under your name above....would that be something i should try...i have tried everything else, but have pretty high chlorine levels right now, how much bleach should i add if this is something i should do?? just trying to find something that will work, thanks in advance..

[poolrookie]

Just found this stuff from your forum: CuLator Metal Remover.... does this work better than metal out?? want to find something, this is killing me??

[poolrookie]

vacuumed and backwashed this morning, still green! 2 bags of aqua shock, chlorine is probably through the roof...will be taking it computer checked in a couple hours, will post new numbers to see what i need to do, i have to be missing something.. should have a green pool with all the shock and trichlor that is in this thing..but what do i know???

[Watermom]

You need a good test kit so you can test for yourself and not relying on a pool store. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want. If Amato isn't listed, wait a day or two and try again. They seem to restock pretty quickly when they sell out.

But, in the meantime, go to Walmart and pick up an OTO/Phenol Red kit (yellow and red drops) and use it until you can order a good kit. Hopefully you can find one that reads chlorine levels up to 5ppm but some only go the 3. Either way won't be high enough but you can force it to go higher by using a dilution method described here: Testing Without a Good Kit

While at Walmart get a jug of distilled water and more bleach.

Post with some current numbers and somebody here can help you go from there.

Regarding the Culator --- the jury's still out on that. A few members are trying it but no definite conclusions yet.

[poolrookie]

I will have to get a better kit, i just have cl and ph one right now... had results from computer test:
Free Chlorine 4.8 (this is after trichlor tabs in skimmer all night, and shocking with 2 bags of aquachem shock this morning)
TC 4.8
ph 7.3 At least i got this right and it stays their..
hardness 390
Alk 27 it was 10 last week and i added 12 lbs of arm/hammer, probably need 12 more lbs
CyA 10 Hasn't moved from last week, with all the trichlor i'm surprised....
COPPER .42 WENT UP FROM .25 LAST WEEK, MAYBE FROM THE 3% IN THE ALGAECIDE???
Iron .43 Still high (will this still show even if it is sequestored??) just wondering??? i have more metal out but don't know if i should put it in????

i have 3 gallons of bleach and don't know if i should use it or metal out first or both??? HELP!!!!! Ugly green water is horrible......

[PoolDoc]

Hi Poolrookie;

You've got more questions than we've got good answers. Once you've treated a pool with all that goop from your pool store, it becomes very hard to predict what will happen next.

What's worse, you are in the worst of all possible pool worlds: you have both algae (which needs chlorine) and metals (which will stain if you add as much chlorine as you need) AND you've got poolstore goop in your pool, which essentially means that all the rules about what will happen next evaporate, because we can't predict how the goop will affect things.

Anything I, or anyone else here, tells you to do will be a guess at best. It might be a good guess, but that's all. For example, your last question, about 'bleach or metal out', I can't answer. And if you do both, well bleach tends to break metal out (if it's HEDP) down.

So here's what I think:
+ It's good you've got the sand filter; that will help.
+ You're getting a good test kit; that will be essential.
+ You have 'free' water, so dumping and draining won't cost anything.
+ If you'd started the pool the right way, you'd probably be all clear now.
+ But if you keep working with what you got, you may not get it clear before school starts back!

So, (you can probably see where I'm going with this!) do this;

+ Use the pool as best you can, now.
+ Add some more algaecide, till the pool looks like a suds bath -- it will eventually kill the algae and it won't make the iron worse.
+ Use the trichlor, but not the bleach
AND
+ Order your kit
+ Send me the EXACT name and brand of the "metal out", and any other chemicals you have.
+ Purchase or order 2 quarts of polyquat and 2 quarts of HEDP, if you don't already have those
+ Purchase 5# of stabilizer for your pool
+ Test your creek water, once your kit arrives, and give use the results.
+ Have your creek water tested at your pool store, and give us the iron results.
+ Get other chemicals (acid, borax, washing soda) once we've seen the fill water results.


THEN, drain and refill your pool.

+ Do NOT add bleach while refilling.
+ Instead, add a full dose of polyquat -- 1/4 quart as soon as you start filling -- to control algae and help filter out goo, including iron
+ Fill THROUGH your circulation system, if at all possible, by putting the fill hose in your skimmer and starting the pump.
+ Add stabilizer via a sock (you'll be cleaning your filter too much to add it via the filter).

You'll also need to:
+ Add HEDP (metal out, maybe, depending on brand) based on test results.
+ Once you have the circulation system going, add a trichlor tab
+ Gradually raise pH
but how and when will depend on fill and test results.

My guess would be -- and I'll be able to tell more once you tested your fill water -- that you can be clear and blue in just a few days -- with minimal added expense.

[poolrookie]

thanks! Will probably do the best we can for another month or so and then close it up anyways....will restart from scratch next march or april....will have all the stuff to get ready for the iron and copper in the water next year definitely! will get water tested from creek, soon...will order kit too!