Looking for concise help with clearing up brown-metal rich pool water

[PoolDoc]

Oh, one more thing: when you get this stuff, do NOT just go dumping it in the pool. Most of those items are NOT "if a little is good, more is better" chemicals: too much will be BAD. It's very likely you'll have enough stuff to use during start up NEXT year, as well.

[PoolDoc]

Now, let me outline the process, assuming you start with fresh water.

1. Drain and clean the pool.
2. Place a plastic bucket in the pool, and put the fill hose IN the bucket. You do NOT want the water splashing and aerating -- that can convert the iron, two.
3. Add a small dose of HEDP, to keep the iron from converting, while you fill. (Dose depends on which you get.)
4. Add a dose of polyquat, once the pool is 1/2 full, to help filter and to prevent algae from getting started.
5. As soon as you can, put the Unicel filter in, and start your filter. Do NOT add chlorine!! Do NOT start SWCG (salt water system)
6. Once the pool is full, add a finishing dose of polyquat, and of HEDP. Circulate for 24 hours; do not swim; swap cartridges;
7. Add muriatic acid as needed, to lower pH to 7.0 - 7.2
8. Add 2 ppm of dichlor -- carefully. You should be able to swim at this point.
9. Check chlorine on exit; probably add 2 ppm more dichlor.
10. Use pool normally, but

(a) run pump 24/7
(b) add 2 ppm dichlor each PM, and before each swim, if chlorine is low
(c) add polyquat 2x per week.

11. Check filters regularly -- clean promptly; let us know if iron (red/brown) is showing up on the pool.
12. After at least 1 week, but after you have kinda got the routine down begin raising chlorine levels, and pH.

You'll need to keep us informed, and use the test history chart. There will almost certainly need to be some individual adjustments made, based on YOUR pool, YOUR water, and the way YOUR family uses it. Also, you'll have to work out a way to add water to the pool, without causing new problems.

There are some other possibilities. For example, in some cases, filling through several layers of old cotton socks can trap some of the iron BEFORE it goes into the pool.

[aylad]

How's it going with the pool?

Janet