My 6-year old is dying to swim and I've got green water even with high FC levels

[Watermom]

I just looked back and saw that you filled from a well. Wondering if part of this could be a metals issue, too. I'm gonna ask Ben to jump in on this thread to see if he has any ideas. Sit tight.

[rox29160]

I think I do have some iron in my well water, but it has never caused much of a problem. I left the pool full over the winter so this is the same water that was in there for the past four years, with the exception of water that was added with the Intex venturi vacuum.

The green gunk in my hoses is a very thin layer and is dark green when wet. It isn't slimy. You almost have to scrape it off. When it is dry, it is a light green with a chaulky consistency. Before installing the hoses, I bent them around and shook them to break some of it loose. It looks like large green dandruff flakes.

BTW, Thanks Watermom for the high chlorine OTO color chart. Once I figured out what colors to expect by testing both ways a few times, it has saved me lots of reagent.

[BigDave]

Not slimy, light green when dry, chalky.
Is it the color of the Statue of Liberty?
Have you used any pool chemicals containing copper - algecide, chlorine booster, etc?
Does the Intex Krystal Clear have a copper ionizer unit?

I think Watermom may be onto something regarding metals. I'm thinking that maybe dead algae or some other precipitate is stained with copper giving you a light green cloud. I recall PoolDoc has also metioned Iron staining green in some circumstances.

[rox29160]

29 May 2014

The dry form of the green stuff is very close to the color of the statue of liberty. I don't remember ever adding anything other than Bleach, Salt, Borax, Baking soda, and PH Minus.

My SWCG does have the 2 little copper bars sticking down into the flow, which I am assuming is the ionizer unit you are talking about. It also has about 4 or 5 thin silver plates that I think is what produces the chlorine. I have been reading about disconnecting the cord that goes to the copper bars to prevent it from releasing copper into the pool, but have not done that yet.

With exception of a couple of days when I first started this process, I have not been using the SWCG this year.

Like I said, the hoses have been gradually getting darker and darker the last couple of years though so this may be an old issue just now rearing its ugly green head. I have tried cleaning them on several occasions over this time, but have never found a way to clean them effectively. I have never had problems getting clear water until now so the "dirty" hoses have just been eye sores up to this point. As I stated previously, I took the SWCG out of the loop completely last night. I pulled the ladder out of storage last night as well. It also had a thin film of this same chaulky green stuff all over it. When you brush it, the green stuff comes off like powdery green sawdust.

If this is copper in the water, would my FC levels be dropping so much overnight or does this still indicate algae?

[BigDave]

Is the hose downstream from the ionizer darker than the one upstream? Do they get swapped around?

I'm guessing that the overnight chlorine demand may be from the dead algae stained green from copper.

Did the ladder have the green chalky on it from last year?

[rox29160]

I don't think they get darker downstream of the ionizer. The hose that I notice the most is actually the one from the bottom of the skimmer basket to the pool outlet since it is visible from inside the pool. It is also a "clear" pipe that you can see through. The others are pretty and white on the outside, but when you look into the end of one, it is pretty disturbing. I had at least one end of all 3 exterior hoses disconnected last night while taking the SWCG offline and I think they all looked equally bad inside. The hoses on the outside of the pool usually don't get swapped around during the season. They may get put in a different location when hooking everything up at the beginning of the season though.

Dead algae still uses chlorine? I must have misunderstood. I thought you only had overnight chlorine demand with live algae and once it was dead, it stopped eating up the FC b/c you aren't fighting it anymore. Then you just had to wait on the filter to get all the dead algae out.

Yes the ladder's green chalky stuff was leftover from last year. It has been in my shop all winter to keep it out of the weather so it hasn't even been in the pool this year.

Again, I appreciate all your help.

[BigDave]

Once the algae is dead, it can usually be filtered. I think in this case, the dead algae just passes through the filter. Chlorine will oxidise any organic material in the pool and will be consumed in the process. The dead algae is plenty of organic material. Hopefully the new filter carts will help clear the dead algae.

Is the pool water the same color green as the hose deposits?

What's the CH level?