Trying to Swim More and do less work

[mbar]

Hi, sorry to not replying sooner, but I was away. I think you are on the right track! You should now put in some of your pucks - they will keep your ph low (you don't want to go over 7.2 now). I would not add any ascorbic acid yet. Just put in some more sequestering agent. This may take your ph and chlorine down. The additional sequestering agent should take the stains away, since they are just new. I have used a new metal sequester that I really liked this year called Doheny's Water Warehouse Extra-Strength Metal Out. I had some staining from the high chlorine levels at the beginning of the season, and this took them away. It did cloud the water a little, but it is clearing. Just keep track of the ph. Metal sequesters often bring the ph down, and so do the trichlor pucks. The thing is that you do want your ph low - it will lift the metals off - so it is a delicate balancing act until the water is sanitized and the stains are gone . In my opinion you were right to do the sanitizing of the water first. The metal problem is really a pain - but it is much more important to have a clean pool. I have found that waiting a while for the sequestering agent to work is best (it may take a couple of days) before having to do the ascorbic acid treatment, because it is hard to get the water rebalanced after the treatment, and much easier to do it with the metal sequestering agent. Once you get your water balanced and stain free - you should not have to shock your water if you keep the chlorine levels steady. If you do have to shock, then always make sure your ph is down at least 7.2 before shocking, and if you see any stains start to form, then add more sequestering agent. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions you have

[szampino]

Pool Forum Masters - Thank you.

I'm feeling pretty good right now - (hope I just didn't set myself up!)

Yesterday, I let my FC drop to about .5 - 1, made sure my PH was about 7.0, vacumed the bottom of the pool (which lifted some of the brown) then I shut the filter, cleaned it, and added about 26oz of a Metal Treatment solution all around the inside perimeter of the pool (basic stuff - HTH-Metal Control). I left the filter off for about 40 minutes then turned it back on for the rest of the evening. Overnight I added 1 (One Inch) HTH Stabalized chlorine puck to the pool to keep the chlorine low but also begin adding some CYA.

This morning the pool looks pretty good. There is definatley some staining on the pool floor but I can deal with that through vacuming and I'm not expecting perfection from this type of pool.

My readings are as follows:
FC= 1
CC= 0
TC= 1
PH= 7.2
ALK= 100
Cal = 80
CYA= 0

Here is my plan: Keep the Chlorine level at between 1-3 while my CYA is still at 0. As it increases I will maintain my FC accordingly. I'm going to try and keep my PH between 7.0 and 7.2.

Q1. Filter/Pump Questions
How often should I run my filter/pump?
How long should I let it run for when on?
When should I run it? (Morning/Afternoon/Evening)

[mbar]

very good I am so happy to hear it!! You sound like you have a great plan. The stains will probably lift as the metal out does it's job with the lower ph. Just keeping the pucks in will keep your ph under control, as they tend to bring the ph down, and will give you enough stabilized chlorine to keep the pool sanitized. Just make sure you keep testing so that the ph doesn't go too low and damage the pool. Keep us informed.

[szampino]

My pool hates me and I hate it!

Yesterday, the water was crystal clear, Most of the staining on the bottom of the pool was gone except in the corners and I really thought I had everything under control.

All chemicals were in check.

I began floating a Trichlor-Chlorine tab in the pool to introduce CYA. Checked all the levels before I went to bed:
FC - 1.5
CC - 0
TC - 1.5
PH - 7.2
Alk - 100
Cal - 80
CYA - 0

I woke up this morning to a pool that looks greenish (Can't be algea) I actually think the water is pretty clear but I'm guessing my metals came out in the water again which is causing my Blue & White liner to make the water look green (yellow metal and Blue/white liner). This also happened 2 years ago.

Here are my readings:
FC - 2.5
CC - 0
TC - 2.5
PH - 7.3
Alk - 100
Cal - 80
CYA - 0

Now I could really use a shoulder to lean on!

Here is my plan: I'm going to lower the PH to about 7.0, and try to keep the FC around 1.5 (hoping some of the Chlorine will burn off during the day) and then take another water test around 3pm.

[mbar]

Hmmm - I'm thinking the chlorine is reacting more quickly to precipitate metals with the low cya. I have tried running my pool with a low cya, and did have more staining. This year I am trying to run a higher cya and see what happens. Maybe you can try getting some cya, and adding a little, this way you can use regular bleach so you can control the amount you are putting in. this way the chlorine can be raised gradually. I know how you feel about hating the pool I feel that way too sometimes, it is all a learning experience, and the stupid water doesn't always react the way it is supposed to . The only thing I know for sure is that high ph with high chlorine allows metals to fall out. The rest is trial and error. Even the amounts that are needed for the sequestering agent, and ph and chlorine can vary. I do find that using bleach does make staining less likely than using pucks or calhypo. I don't have any scientific proof, just my experiments that I have been trying from year to year. Don't get discouraged, you will find what works for your pool - I would also suggest adding more sequestering agent. Sometimes the water needs more than the directions on the bottle say. If you need more metal out, try a different one this time. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions you have, and keep us informed. It is always a learning experience and we can learn from each other so we can post different ways of fighting those rotten stains

[szampino]

I want to run a theory by everyone.

Last night, I put a small 1" Triclor tab into my skimmer and additionally had floated a 3" Trichlor tab (in a floater holder) in the path of my return flow.

Keep in mind that since my pool only has one skimmer and it is a direct pull to my pump/filter the draw is very strong.

Could the Trichlor tab in the skimmer disolved so rapidly due to the water flow that it created a 'High' chlorine level flow at the filter which in turn casued the metals to 'Fall out' and be pushed back into the pool at the return. And the fact that I also floated another tab in the return flow gave the metals in the return another chance to live as they entered the water?

Let me know what you think?

[aylad]

I think it's more possible that the 3" puck in the return flow chlorinated the water enough to let the metals fall back out of suspension. Actually, I've heard of instances where the practice of putting a puck in the skimmer is used sometimes to force the metals to "fall out" onto the filter, preventing it from returning to the pool.

Janet