Brown sediment and Green Water after Metal Treatment

[mariella]

How low should the pH be, mbar? And, should the chlorine also be low?

I have to tell you, I am terrified about adding the new water! We finally have all of the stuff vacuumed, and the pool is BLUE!!

I don't want to go back to where I was, but we seriously have to add water.

[mbar]

Just keep your ph at 7.2, and add the water through the skimmer. You should be fine. If you see any stain start to form, just add more sequestering agent with the ph at 7.2 and it will take it away. Your chlorine can stay where it is. I remember how scared I was to get the stains back too - but now that you know to keep the ph low, and keep the sequestering agent in the water, you should be fine.

[tammyncook]

Mariella,
I too have been fighting an iron problem in my pool since we filled it at the end of May. I have had MAYBE 2 days of clear water. I CONSTANTLY have fine brown sediment on the bottom of my pool. I am getting REALLY tired of the whole process- I feel I'm fighting a never ending battle since I vacuum to waste, then have to put more water in the pool to make up for it which introduces MORE iron to the party. YIKES!
Anyway, you mentioned that you ordered a filter to attach to the hose to take the iron out of the water. Would you mind sharing what it's called and where you got it from? I feel if I could stop the iron from getting in the pool, I could end this frustrating cycle!
Thanks!
Tammy

[mariella]

Hi Tammy,

I haven't received the filter yet, but I am hoping it will be waiting for me when I get home from work I will definitely post more information, and the results, after trying it out.

Since we vacuumed to waste so much, I had to bite the bullet, and add water to my pool from the well, only about half an inch of water. Just so we could run the filter. We still need about 3 more inches. I just followed mbar's instructions, and added the stain remover before I added the water. My ph was already about 7.2.

We still do have a little brown sediment at the bottom that gets stirred up when we swim, but I want to wait until we get the filter before vacuuming again, and then adding more water.

It is kind of frustrating when we wake up in the morning, and the pool is SO clear. Then it gets all cloudy when we swim, but I know that will be taken care of soon. I just keep repeating......POP.........POP........POP........

On the plus side, since the water level is so low, my 5-year old thinks he is king-of-the-pool, since his head is so far above the water.

[mariella]

Just an update....

The hose filter that I bought did NOT work. Caveat emptor, indeed.

So, now I have lovely green water again, and I have to start the whole process over again

I have lowered the chlorine, and will start the metal treatment again today.

By the way, when I went to the pool store to get the metal treatment, the lady there was insisting that my ph was fine, and that the higher it was, the better for the metal treatment?? (my ph is 7.5, by the way)

I tried arguing with her, and telling her that the ph should be 7.2, but she was quite nasty and rude, so I just left. Time to find a new supplier, I think

[mbar]

Some metal removers need the ph to be high - I am currantly waiting for "Metal Magic" by Proteam, that Waterbear told me about. It is really supposed to "remove" metal from the water by turning the metal into crystals so they can be removed by the filter. I don't know if this really works or not - I will post when I try it. There is also something by "Jack's Magic" that is supposed to be used after the sequestering agent - I have to call there and speak to someone there today. I am still trying to find something that removes metals instead of just sequesterering them. I will post the info I get.

I still have gotten the best results taking down the ph and adding the sequestering agent then the other way around. That's my experience. Hope this helps, and really hope we can find something that will get the metals out once and for all!

[mariella]

Marie,

The stuff that I use is SuperErace, made by Phoenix. I did q quick search on the internet, and this is all that I could find:

Metal Out and Erace are metal sequesterers. {they block the metals from staining but do not take them out of the water} Super Erace and Metal Magic are actual metal removers. {they change the chemical composition of the metal to a crystal so that it can be filtered}

I do know that, after I use the SuperErace, I get all that fine brown powder in the bottom of the pool. I am guessing that this powder is the "crystals"? My DE filter used to filter it out, but the cartridge filter does not, so that is why we have to vacuum to waste. (Have I mentioned that I hate the cartridge filter?)

So, just in case this is one of those chemicals that needs a higher ph, I will keep the ph at 7.5. I am still mad at the pool store people, though. Rudeness is just not good customer service.

[mbar]

Yes, there is no excuse for rudeness! I understand your frustration with having to vacuum to waste - I hate when I have to do that too. Thanks for the info on super erase!