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Thread: Green hue in clear water...

  1. #1
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    Default Green hue in clear water...

    Our fiberglass pool with an Aqua Rite salt cell system has a minor start up issue. We had some trouble with the cover at the end of last season. I'll spare you all the details, but due to some pool store issues, we ended up with pinstraw, leaves and other debris in pool over the winter...things that had been avoided the previous year. My thought is that we have a hint of algae. I ordered the TF-100 test kit and these are my current readings...
    FC--2
    CC--6.5 (our pool store is having us run the cell at 90% right now to "clear up the green after a couple weeks")
    TA--120
    CH--210 (as far as I could tell...seemed to turn purple rather than blue...put in a few extra drops after that reading just in case, but the shade of purple stayed the same)

    Salt strip showed about 2400---aqua rite recommends 2700-3400...this is my first try with a salt strip.

    Tried to test CYA, but the test tube was cracked on the bottom and all the liquid poured out. What was in the bottle seemed pretty clear to me, so I'm not sure what to make of that?

    I have no way of testing for metals and the pool place is very laid back and they don't seem to test for metals even when I've mentioned it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want to care for our investment to the best of my ability. I want to do what is best for the fiberglass and the salt cell. I love our store, but they seems to think close is good enough...I don't subscribe to that in any area of my life much less with a huge investment like and pool and salt system. I want to get as much life out of it as I can and I know that will require me to maintain proper levels.

    My gut is that we are just going to wear out our cell quickly running it like this. Should we simply turn the cell off and add household bleach to shock levels to see if the remaining green hue will finally disappear? Should I be concerned for the fiberglass finish if we do this? Will it cause the water to get cloudy? I've read everything I could find on this forum. I was afraid that if the problem is copper, we'd cause more trouble doing this. Oh, our pool is a sparkling "almost royal" blue. I've not noticed any staining, but it wouldn't be as easy to notice as on a white or light colored pool, I suppose.

    Thanks for any help/advice!!

    Btw, should I try to get the Alkalinity down any? It's at the top of the recommendation for the salt cell and, as you know, our pH will be increasing anyway.

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkle View Post
    I ordered the TF-100 test kit and these are my current readings...
    I don't mind your posting, and asking here, but you do realize that this is PoolForum.com, not TroubleFreePool.com? As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with the TF-100 -- it's a nearly identical copy of my PS-235, which I abandoned when I nearly went bankrupt several years ago. But that's their kit, not mine.

    What we do object to, is running two identical threads, one here, and one there. Please don't do that! They also teach my BBB method, and you'll get similar information there from what you would here.

    FC--2; CC--6.5 (our pool store is having us run the cell at 90% right now to "clear up the green after a couple weeks")
    Turn off the SWCG, and start bleaching! SWCG's aren't really optimal for pool clean up, and it wears them out more quickly. Your high CC level tells me something is wrong. Keep the pH between 7 and 7.8, while you're bleaching. If you have reason to think you might have metals in the water, keep your pH to the LOW end of that scale.

    What is your CYA level, now? And, what was it, last year?

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    You replied by email, indicating you could not reply online -- I'm not sure why. I replied to your email, but my reply was bounced as "SPAM".

    So, I'm replying here. I hope you'll see it, but if not it gives me a chance to answer questions others may have, as well.

    First, I'm not sure what to make of the first part of your response. I don't know anything about the other site you mentioned. I have yours bookmarked b/c I liked what I read. I knew I needed a chemical kit since my pool store is so laid back and doesn't always give me the numbers I request. I simply ordered what I found online that seemed to have what I needed. Sorry if I stepped on your toes. Had I known about your kit and your competition, I would not have mentioned the brand of test kit!

    Second, this is my first ever posting on ANY forum of any kind. There certainly won't be two identical threads and I'm rethinking my decision to ask for help on this one. I'd never put this on a public forum, but the initial part of your response seemed quite aggressive and hurtful! I'm simply trying to find someone who knows their stuff that I can trust with my pool.

    As I stated, I couldn't get a reading on the CYA because the tube is cracked (was delivered to me cracked, it that helps you with the competition factor) and I have to get a new one. I don't know what it ran last year, b/c the pool store just said, "It's good...don't worry about it." As you can imagine, that is not sitting well with me.

    I read your table for shock levels compared to CYA levels...that is another reason I knew I had to get a chemical kit. SO I guess I'm still stuck with a green hue. I'll lower my pH a little more and see if I can get the pool store to tell me a true reading on the CYA until I have a replacement tube. I'm in one of the two busiest weeks of my year with a couple hundred mathematics final exams to grade and final grades to turn in within 48 hours of test time. Really wasn't expecting all of this.

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    Sorry; I was trying not to be aggressive. Honestly, it never occurred to me that anyone would buy the TF100, without having come from TroubleFreePools.com (TFP). And we've had a problem several times this year with people trying to run threads at both places, when there aren't enough experts to go around as it is, much less to handle two copies of the same question.

    To give you a very brief version of the 'back story', I had a variety of problems that came to a head at the end of 2006 and resulted in my abandoning kit sales and the PoolForum site for 4 years. During that time, PoolForum members could use the forum, but no one new could join. TroubleFreePool was started during that time by people from here, to create an open forum. Also one of the guys began selling a copy of my kit as the TF100. I can't really complain since I'm no longer selling the my kits, but I don't promote it either.

    Anyhow, the TF100 is a functional clone of my (discontinued) kit, and TFP is a pool forum that also teaches the ideas I first published on PoolSolutions. There's not exactly competition, since they are also teaching the "BBB Method", and since there are WAY more pool owners than there are people who can explain 'BBB'. Still, I do feel kinda weird about TFP.

    I have no problem with you having one; I just assumed that since you'd bought one, you were active at TFP -- usually (but apparently not always!) that's true.

    Regarding CYA levels, take the little sample bottle for the CYA test, and do the 50:50 mix of pool water and CYA reagent. Then set a clear OTO test block on a piece of white paper with a 1/8" round black dot on it. Align it, so you can see the dot THROUGH the block. Mix the 50:50 dropper bottle, wait 1 minute, mix again, wait 1 minute and then add the mix to the OTO block till you can no longer distinguish the dot from the white paper. Check the depth of soluion. If you've filled the block full, and the solution is clear, you have 0 CYA. If the solution is hazy, but you can still see the dot, you have 10 - 20 ppm. If the dot disappears, with 2" of water, you have around 40 ppm. If the dot disappears with 1" of water you have 60 - 90 ppm. If the dot disappears with less than 1/2" of water, you have over 100 ppm of CYA.

    Again, I'm sorry that I came across aggressively; that was not my intention.

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    @ Pool Doc...very grateful and glad you are back and active. You and the other very active posters have really helped me get my head on straight on how to maintain my pool without signing over my life savings to companies like NAMCO.

    Much appreciated.

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    Thank you for your reply! *I certainly didn't intend to upset you in any way with my first posting. *I was going to reply on the thread, but it is closed and like I mentioned, I'm new to all of this forum stuff. *I know I'm not "registered+" so I assume I can't start a new thread???

    I survived the craziness of the end of the semester, so I'm very focused on getting this pool in order. *I'll give you pool store readings from a couple hours ago and personal readings from my test kit that I just finished...
    TYPE * * * *STORE * * * *ME
    FC * * * * * *0.2 * * * * * *0.5 (as close as I can get)
    CC * * * * * *0.1 * * * * * *0.5 (again, as close as I can get)
    pH * * * * * *7.2 * * * * * *7.2
    Hardness * * * *170 * * * * * *180
    TA * * * * * *34 * * * * * *80 (to go completely red--70 took it to purple)
    CYA * * * * * *55 * * * * * *55
    Salt * * * * * *3100 * * * *2400-2600 (sticks with line that changes color when finished)

    Their alkalinity reading says, "w/ stabilizer correction." *I have no idea what that means or who's numbers I should go by. *They want me to add 15 lbs of baking soda that they sold my husband when he took in the water to be tested. *If my number is correct, I want to keep it there. *Btw, these are the same numbers the store and I got, respectively, on Wednesday.

    The only things I've done since our last correspondence is bleach like recommended, then I did the math on the CYA. *The store didn't want me to put in the 8 lbs that I thought I needed, so they sold me 4--end of last week. *I put two slowly in the skimmer and 2 in a sock (tied in the skimmer so it wouldn't block flow). *The sock was dissolved and dispersed in 2 days. *This wednesday when the store tested, the alkalinity had plummeted from 94 to 34 by their test (not by mine). *The CYA did exactly as I had figured and gone up from 20 to 45 ppm. *They sold me the other 4 lbs of CYA and I used the same process. *By last night all CYA in the sock has dissolved and dispersed. *My husband took in another sample today (readings above). *I expected the CYA to climb to the 70 ppm range? *Does it take longer for the CYA in the sand filter to dissolve?

    Oh, I also cleaned the cell in vinegar (as per the pool store). *It didn't appear to have any build up, but some dirt came out when I rinsed with high water pressure from my tub faucet. *I did this because the cell is not producing adequate chlorine (It's an Aqua Rite T-Cell 15---for up to 40,000 gal. pools). *It has only been in operation one full season and about a month the year before that. *Cleaning made no noticeable change in the chlorine output---even when I decided to run it at 100% for 8 hours yesterday. *I hesitate to do the baking soda until I get more information, because last year, my alkalinity stayed high. *This was bothersome to me, but the store didn't seem to mind. *I fought to try to keep my pH at 7.8 or slightly below...often going higher, which again didn't seem to concern the pool store. *I feel that much of the advice I get is specific to liner pools or pools without salt systems. *I've even been given information completely contrary to Aqua Rite's recommendations. *

    Someone is supposed to come this evening to check the cell...but that was supposed to happen Wednesday evening as well.

    Sorry this is soooo long! *Basically...
    1. *What is the difference between my TA and their "adjusted alkalinity?"
    2. *Which reading will give me the numbers that indicate what is best for my salt cell in a fiberglass pool?
    3. *Should I add any of this baking soda?
    4. *Is there a way to do that without raising the pH very much since it will start rising when we have a fully functional salt cell anyway?
    5. *Is the sock method a decent indicator of the CYA dissolving in the sand filter?

    Oh, the best I can estimate, our pool is about 22,000 gal. *Our water temp is about 83 right now.

    Thanks for your patience with a forum idiot like me!!!
    Sincerely,

    Sparkle : )
    Sent from my iPad

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    ? 1. => TA is all alkalinity; Adj Alk is TA - alkalinity from cyanuric acid. (You also have alkalinity from borates, phosphates, and carbonates. CA is carbonate alkalinity.

    ? 2. => In one sense, the reading that matters is the one on your chlorinator cell. But, try doing the Aquachek again, but soaking the strip longer.

    ? 3. => If it's a concrete pool, yes. Otherwise, no.

    ? 4. => No, adding carbonate alkalinity will increase your pH; you'll have to add acid.

    ? 5. => I don't know that it's an INDICATOR of anything; it's a decent -- if slow -- method of dissolving CYA.

    Regarding your pH -- learn to use muriatic acid. It's cheap, effective, and better for your pool. (But it has nasty fumes!) Here's the muriatic acid guide page.

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    It's a fiberglass pool. I used muratic acid most of last summer and pretty much got the hang of it. They keep trying to sell me some powder to lower pH so I don't have to worry about the fumes and chemical burn, etc.

    Which alkalinity reading should I use...my TA from the test kit or their "alkalinity w/stabilizer correction?" The numbers are vastly different and I don't want to damage the fiberglass clear coat or the salt cell.

    Ugh! :-)

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    Default Re: Green hue in clear water...

    Low alkalinity isn't going to damage either one -- don't worry about them, yet.

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