Help - Green clear water

[masspool]

Hi All
My pool was opened 6 days ago. Water was down three plus feet. so I filled it with town municipal water (known to be high in metals). The guy, who opened my pool, added liquid chlorine when he opened the pool. Pool opened green and now is more green but clear.

I have my chlorine feeder loaded with trichlor pucks. I also shocked with one bag of Leslies Power Powder Plus (Cal Hypo).

My total chlorine and free chlorine are above 6.

PH is 7.2 TA is 60

pool is inground 16 x 32. Vinyl liner. I estimate 18,000 gallons.

I have had metal problems in the past. The Municpal water is well known to have a lot of metal in it. Local Lesliies store says it sells more Metal Free out of this location than most other stores.

In the past I have added Metal Free and the problem has been solved. I have also had to do the ascorbic acid treatment in one past year to get stains off of the walls of my pool.

So this year, I have added 3 bottles of Metal Free (Natural Chemistry brand), with NO change.

I put some vitamin C tablets in a sock and rubbed the wall of the pool in one spot, but no change. Makes me think the metal is in the water but hasn't stained the liner yet?

I don't think it is algae, because the pool walls don't feel slimy, the water is clear, and I have been running with high chlorine for 6 days.

Anyway.......Help.......what do I do ??????

[masspool]

more readings from today
FC = 7.2
TC = 7.2
CC= 0.0
PH = 7.3
Hardness = 80
Alkalinity = 47 ppm
Cyanuric Acid = 10

[aylad]

Hi masspool,

It sounds to me like the stains are already there but yellowish--which combined with blue water will appear green. I don't know what to tell you to do, but am bumping this post up so that others may be able to help you.

How are you testing your water? I'm a little suspicious of your TA and CYA readings -- the only reliable test I know for CYA (the turbidity test) can't distinguish CYA levels less than 30 ppm.....and you report a drop in TA from 60 to 47 over a 12 hour period...

[masspool]

Update

Last night I added two quarts of ClearView brand "Mineral Magnet" I had read that Natural Chemistry had changed the formulation of its Metal Free product (and the new bottles are labeled "New and Improved"). So I wanted to try something else to get rid of metals.

Water is still green this morning- yet clear - not cloudy and not slimy. Sort of a lime color. At this point, I have spent too much on metal removers, so am going to shift my focus.


My idea now is to remove the Leslie Trichlor tabs from the feeder ( I want to isolate the problem and get everything else out of the equation). And to bring my pool up to shock level using bleach. Based on my low stabalizer levels I think I should bring the FC up to about 12.

Does this sound like a good plan?

I don't think I have stains on the pool liner, as I tried rubbing a sock of Vitamin C piils on the wall and it didn't do anything. Also, my pool stairs are white and they are not stained. The water above/over the stairs does look green, though.

[TheGoose]

How did you measure the CYA at 10? I think the kit I have only goes to about 20 ppm or so.

[masspool]

Hi TheGoose & aylad:

I'll re-check that CYA and TA measurements tonight

Thanks for the help. We've had this pool for nine years - and this is the first for me. Clear, Green and won't respond to the metal treatments

Maybe it really is some weird (non slimy and clear) algae?

[aylad]

Take a look at the ingredient label on your trichlor pucks--almost all of the pucks available around here also contain copper, which can stain walls green.

If the coloration is from metals precipitating, that usually happens when chlorine and TA levels are high. Your TA level is not, but shocking with any type of chlorine--trichlor, bleach, or anything else--will help the metals drop out. I would let the Cl stay low--in the 3-5 ppm range--and see if that makes a difference. It will also inhibit any algae from growing until Pooldoc or one of the other metals gurus around here can see this to offer advice.

[masspool]

Hi All:

UPDATE

It rained hard today here in Central Massachusetts (the rain is obviously acidic here)

It has been cold the last week or so (32 degrees at night to 55 as a high during the day).... the pool is not heated so the water is very cold.

I came home from work to find that, during the day, the pool has turned from Lime green to blue.

This is strange....don't know whether all of the metal-control chemicals finally kicked in? Or, something else changed (the PH and chlorine both did decrease from yesterday) Or was there something else at work here ?

using a Taylor K2006 test kit, I recorded the following readings:
FC=5.0
CC=0.5 (so TC is 4.5)
-
PH=7.0
TA= 40
CYA = 35 (halfway between 30 and 40)

Anyway, I suppose I should bring up the PH a little (to 7.2 or so) ?

BTW: The pucks are still in my in-line chlorine feeder - and I have not shocked the pool since Saturday - nor have I added any chlorine since saturday (no bleach, no powder) other than via the feeder

[aylad]

I would bring the pH up a little, since the trichlor is very acidic and will drive it downward.

[Watermom]

One correction on your chlorine readings. FC + CC = TC. So, it isn't possible for your numbers to be as you listed them above.