Freaking OUT! Brown stains on my gunite pool!

[dblomom]

PoolDoc,

I will order the K2006 today. (I wasn't sure what to order (or not) and was under the impression to do the bucket test)...also, when I did the bucket test, I did it w/ hose water that we use fill the pool. Are you saying I should also do it for the tap water as in in the house?
I will also order the CuLator. Is it probable that I have and algae problem AND a metal problem (even though the bucket test yielded no sediment)?
And when I shock the pool w/ bleach, do I just dump it right in to the pool water?

Thanks!!!
Amy

[dblomom]

Is this the K2006 I should get? (I couldn't view your signature, I don't think I have permission)
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Complet...rds=K2006+pool
Also, I got the metal levels from my water supply, are you interested in those at all? Or should we just go off the test kit results once I get it?
Thanks!!
Amy

[Watermom]

Your hose and tap water are the same thing, so you don't need to test both. Also, that is the correct kit. Not sure why you couldn't see the link in the signature. Not sure that it matters, but were you logged in or not when you tried to see the link? If you try again and still can't see it, let us know and we'll have to investigate to see why not. Obviously, we would prefer that you order through our Amazon link so the Pool Forum gets a little commission on the sale. That helps keep the forum online and able to help people.

The K-2006 does not test for metals, so yes, please post the metals report from your water supply.

EDIT: I logged out and tried to access the testkit page from the link in my signature and I was able to do so, so it doesn't matter whether you were logged in or not when you tried. But, try again and let us know if it works.

[dblomom]

Watermom,

I tried to view it on your page/signature and again, it says I don't have permission. I was logged in. I feel so dumb! But, here's what it's doing:
I click on your name, it takes me to a page and asks me to log in (again), when I log in for the 2nd time, the message says:

"vBulletin Message

dblomom, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation."


Regardless, I will order the test kit!

Here are the results given over the phone to me from my Rural Water Supply, I hope I spelled them correctly, I did only get a "C" in Chemistry:

sodium: 45.9 mg/Liter
THE REST ARE MEASURED IN PARTS/BILLION

Arsenic: Less than 2
Barium: 355
Beryllium: less than 2
Calcium: less than 2
Chromium: less than 10
Phylum: less than 1
Nickel: less than 10
Antimony: less than 2
Selenium: less than 10
Lead: none
Copper: none

I guess that's it for now, until my new test kit arrives...? If I should get more information/do anything else in the mean time, please advise.

As far as the bleach, do I just dump it in the pool? How long should I wait before swimming? What is the advantage of household bleach vs. chlorine shock?

THANKS!
Amy

[dblomom]

OH! I just figured out how to access the test kit through your signature. I was doing it incorrectly before! Ugh, I'm really not this "slow" when it comes to computers ~ just when it comes to pool maintenance! Thanks!!!!

Amy

[Watermom]

Glad you got it figured out.

You can add the bleach by pouring it slowly in front of a return jet. Wait 15 or 20 minutes before swimming to let it circulate. You don't want to swim into a 'hot pocket' of bleach!

The advantage of bleach is that it doesn't add any other stuff to your water like some other forms can. (Plus, it is available everywhere.) Sometimes, other forms of chlorine are appropriate depending on the situation. If a pool also needs calcium, using cal-hypo adds calcium as it chlorinates. if a pool needs CYA, then using either dichlor or trichlor adds CYA as well as chlorine. BUT.... you have to be careful when buying these types of chlorine because some manufacturers are starting to add a lot of unnecessary and often undesirable ingredients to them.

[PoolDoc]

If you fill with the hose, and bucket tested the hose water . . . then you tested the right thing. (Some homes have softeners, and the hose water does NOT go through the softener -- so you 'did good'!)

I'm not sure about the CuLator. If the expense is not a problem, and you can get both it, and the skimmer socks, you might want to do so. It will indicate (over time) if it's absorbing iron. If it does, that tells you (a) there was iron still in the pool, and (b) you may still have a problem. So, right now, I'd recommend it only as insurance AND as an indicator or 'test kit'.

What puzzles me is where you iron came from, if not the hose water. Wait -- I checked the chart -- you had water trucked in, right? It's ENTIRELY possible that you had iron in the water you purchases, EITHER from the source, OR from a rusty tanker!

If you will need to use trucked water in the future, that's definitely something to keep in mind, and something for which you should make preparations.

[Watermom]

If you fill with the hose, and bucket tested the hose water . . . then you tested the right thing. (Some homes have softeners, and the hose water does NOT go through the softener -- so you 'did good'!)

You are right. I hadn't thought about that possibility. I was just thinking the hose and tap are both municipal water, so it doesn't really matter which one you test. I guess that's why you are the PoolDoc and I am just the queen bee... er, I mean the Watermom!!

[dblomom]

The HIGHLY anticipated arrival of my K-2006 has occurred! I am now the proud owner. I just tested everything, I have no idea what it all means, but here's what I have:

FC: 4.0ppm
CC: 0.2 ppm
pH: 7.2
total alkalinity: 90ppm
Calcium hardness: 320
CYA: 90ppm

OK, so I posted the metal results from my local water supply in a previous post. Also to clarify, my water was from a hose and not trucked in. So, now what?

I think my thread has sort of been back and forth so just to paraphrase, I am dealing with:
1) brown stains, which btw have not gotten any bigger or smaller during this whole process over the last few weeks. Also, just b/c I could, I kept the water in my "white bucket test" for over a week and never had any sediment in the bottom, ever
2) algae, which I scrubbed w/ a brush off of the edge of the pool while I was in it yesterday
3)perfectly, crystal clear water that my whole family has been in during this process.

Slowly but surely, I a might be learning! I really don't want to hire out the maintenance of my pool, I just really want to know what I am doing.

I do still need to order my CuLator & skimmer socks. I got so hung up on this K-2006, that I let that purchase go to the back burner.

THANKS!!!!!

[dblomom]

Should I start a new thread to get some direction on where to go now that I have the results up from my K-2006 test kit?
THANKS!
Amy