Quote Originally Posted by dxdodger View Post
In the beginning of the season, we were low on PH and I added soda ash (which I normally don't use) and it stained my liner green and we had to buy a $50 bottle of stain remover to get it out!
Soda ash didn't stain your pool; almost certainly, it was copper that was ALREADY in the pool water. Lowering the pH (with soda ash) caused the copper to come out as a stain.

And, using the "stain remover" did not remove the copper -- it just redissolved the copper. Unless you are seeing greenish-blue discharge from your filter when you clean it it, all the copper is still there.


at any rate, our pool water is now cloudy - so cloudy that you cant see the bottom of the pool, you can barely see your hand in front of your face.
Cloudy green? cloudy white or gray? or?

If it's cloudy white, the soda ash may ALSO have dropped out calcium hardness, as calcium carbonate (limestone) dust.


We keep shocking the pool and the test strips are registering very low or no chlorine at all - which we also have several chlorine pucks in it. The PH is low- I keep adding PH Increase and it does nothing.
Get a cheap local OTO/phenol red drops (yellow/red) kit, and report chlorine and pH levels.
Buy some 60% polyquat locally if you can get it: www.poolsolutions.com/gd/polyquat.html‎

Using it will (a) prevent algae, (b) help filter copper and calcium particles, (c) NOT drop out the copper. Run your filter 24/7 after adding it.

If your pH is low get it UP, but use borax NOT baking soda and NOT soda ash. Given your other problems, you want to avoid adding carbonates till you have a handle on your chemistry.

Also add SMALL doses of PLAIN 6% household bleach each EVENING, via the skimmer. This will also help prevent algae AND bring the copper out on your filter. Large chlorine doses are likely to drop out the copper.

We never really had too many pool problems until we started shopping at Leslies, but now there are no more pool stores in the area. HELP!!
You can shop at Leslies -- just do NOT trust their chemical advice and do NOT trust their testing. Get a K2006 and let us help you learn to it the right way -- easier, cheaper AND better!