Want to get the chemicals right ...

[PoolDoc]

• Dichlor (from the sources I recommended) is 55% avail Cl2
• Trichlor (from Sams Club) is 90% available Cl2
• 6% bleach is approximately 0.5 lbs Cl2 per gallon
• Your PF is 2.7

So

1 lb dichlor => 0.55 x 2.7 = ~1.5ppm
1 lb trichlor => 0.90 x 2.7 = ~2.4 ppm
1 gal 6% bleach => 0.5 x 2.7 = ~1.4 ppm

[Debits26]

PoolDoc,
Thanks for all your help earlier this month! My pool has been looking good. I did the ascorbic acid treatment last weekend and most of the stains are gone. Thank you all for that great trick! My pool has really never looked better. The only problem is that while the acid was working, I had the filter on Recirculate, and lost about 5 inches of water depth. I had to add a lot of water the next day (adding some more metal into the mix).

Since then, I've been adding about 1 lb. of dichlor a day over the last week and now the water is white cloudy. We are unable to see the main drain through the water and I fear I'm on the verge of an algae bloom. After the acid treatment, I put 64 oz. sequestrant, and the filter has been running 24/7.
Here are my numbers today:
FC: 0
TC: .5
pH: 7.4
TA: 125
CH: 300
CYA: 35
Obviously, I need to get the chlorine levels up. I have added 5 bags of dichlor this week, and I added 85 oz. of polyquat. I'm planning to bring the chlorine up to shock level tonight (15ppm). If there's anything else I should do, or if any of this sounds off, please let me know.

Thanks again for all your help.

[Watermom]

When you shock the pool, you may get staining again. Whenever you have metal-contaminated water, it is critical that you never let your chlorine level get lower than the minimum advised in the Best Guess Chlorine Chart. That way, you won't have to shock for an impending algae bloom. Otherwise, you just have a repeating cycle. If you have algae, you have to get the chlorine level up enough to kill it and then, if you have staining, you'll have to do another ascorbic acid treatment.

[PoolDoc]

The only problem is that while the acid was working, I had the filter on Recirculate, and lost about 5 inches of water depth. I had to add a lot of water the next day (adding some more metal into the mix).

You may need to look into repairing or replacing your multiport -- you shouldn't have lost any more water than normal, while on recirculate.

Follow Watermom's caution - it's best if you can avoid having to shock a pool with metal problems. You can add dichlor or bleach via the skimmer, which will tend to drop out metals onto the filter.

Also, you need to keep HEDP on hand, and add a small (maybe 1/8 normal) dose TOGETHER with the fill water, when ever you add water. If you have a CuLator bag, it would be good if you can put it back in, for at least a couple of days after each water addition.