My water needs help

[Bosch232]

I'll keep this brief.

1. Last weekend I vacuumed the brown winter algae to waste and topped off the pool. Water clarity was decent. I could clearly see the bottom liner. Started the filter. See Photo 1.
2. This weekend (Fri) I lowered pH to 6.8 for a treatment of Robelle Metal Out using muriatic acid.
3. Sat morning I added 6 cups of Dichlor. By noon my readings were pH-6.8, TA-90, FC-12.5, CYA-80.
4. Water clarity deteriorated and is now aquamarine/milky, vis = 16 inches. See Photo 2. All brown algae seems to be gone.
5. Filter running 24/7. Visibility not improving.

Is someone tells me how to post photos, I have some to show.

[PoolDoc]

1. http://pool9.net/postpix

2. Do the DE test on your filter: http://pool9.net/de-test/

3. Use borax -- NOT soda ash -- to raise your pH back to 7.2 or more.

4. Post exact quantity of Metal Out used. (Why did you use it? Brown algae is not associated with metals; "Metal Out" does NOT remove metals from your pool, except as a part of a complex process they do NOT explain!)

[Bosch232]

Thank you for the reply.
36 oz of Metal Out. (32 oz / 10,0000= gal, I have 12,000 gal)
The metal out is just to stop the oxidizing of the iron before adding chlorine for the fist time of the year.

Apologies for the big image sizes.

1 week ago. Nothing added, this was the winter condition. pH was 8.0+






Now, a week later with 36 oz Metal Out, muriatic acid (pH = 6.8) and dichlor.






My current test are in yellow results so far. (Ignore the 2013 entries.)

[Bosch232]

I haven't seen that DE test thread.
I'll look into that and report back.

[PoolDoc]

The fact that the water was clear, but became cloudy after vacuuming, is pretty strong evidence of under-performing filtration.

This problem is very, very, VERY common on above-ground pools, since AG pool kits almost always match an undersized filter with an oversized pump. This causes a variety of problems, but with sand filters, it usually results in the loss of sand with each backwash.

Unfortunately, since sand filters sold with AG pools are almost always top mount valve, rather than side mound valve, adding more sand is a PITA.

[Bosch232]

I vacuumed all that algae to waste, so it shouldn't have gone through the silica sand. But...

I'll look into the filter. I think I replaced it (and the sand) 3 yrs ago. Maybe 4.

I'll report back.