SWCG Pool Opening - green water - brown stains - chemical fixes?

[Watermom]

We'll need some current water testing results taken with a drops-based kit to be able to help you. What kind of shock did you use -- meaning ingredients. Your best bet is to kill the algae and not use other products at this point. Do you know the volume of the pool?

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[PoolDoc]

Martin,

It sounds like your ready to get your pool fixed up, RIGHT NOW. If we were a pool store, our eyeballs would have made the cartoon K'CHING sound! Pool stores LOVE customers like that -- you can sell them something to do something RIGHT NOW, and then a week later, something else RIGHT THEN.

We don't do that -- managing metal is not that easy. It's not that hard, either, AFTER you've got your routine. But getting there takes a methodical and careful process, or you pretty much waste all your work. (Of course, pool stores don't mind: if you waste one batch of chemicals, they are just delighted to sell you another one!)

Watermom's point is, we can't give reasonable advice until we have some info about your pool and water. Among other things, your use of the "blue to green" (ammonium chloride) complicates things, at least till it's gone. It will take time and care on your part, to help us, help you, figure out how to manage your pool.

The good news is -- you will be able to swim during most of that period, at least, once the ammonia is gone.

Also, we need to know what pool equipment (pump / filter / etc) you have. Vitamin C and other products simply redissolve the iron in your water; they don't take it out of the pool. You either have to filter it out, or settle it and then vacuum it out.

Finally, in order to have a solution, we have to figure out how it's getting IN your pool in the first place, and take steps to minimize the entry, and to handle what does get in ASAP.

If you have a Walmart nearby, you can use check this link -- HTH 6-Way Test Kit -- to see if this kit's available to you. It's not a Taylor K2006, but it's made by Taylor, and is the next best thing. Also, if you'd read the test kit info page in my signature, and see about getting a K2006, you'll need one.

And, if you'd log your pool info here:

Pool Chart Entry Form
Pool Chart Results

that will help us all take the next step.