New Pool Owner With High Iron

[mbar]

You should not be honored to hear from me, I am only a pool owner that has dealt with metals for 10 years! Thanks for the complement I would still use the aeration method since your alkalinity is so high. Just keep watch, and add muriatic acid to bring the ph back down as it rises until the alkalinity is in range. Sequestering agent also brings down ph, and using pucks in the skimmer basket will add cya and lower the ph. It just goes to show how everything you add to the water reacts against each other, that's why it is so important to put the least amount of chemicals in the water You will know that there is not anything growing in your water, or anything that needs to be broken down, when the chlorine remains steady overnight. Once you hit this milestone you can work more on what is going on with the stains. Do you have any calcium in your water? I know that vinyl liners don't need calcium, but I have found that in my pool some calcium works to keep the staining away. I am not sure if it would be the same in a vinyl liner (i have fiberglass). Once you are sure there is not any algae, we can move ahead from there. As for the sequestering agent, it seems that you have put a lot in your water already. You can try some more to see if it will do anything for the color now, but sequestering agent uses up chlorine too, so if you are dealing with algae (I think you are since the water cleared with the chlorine), I would just continue doing the chlorine until it holds steady overnight. I will check back later to see if you have any questions. Keep the faith - you will have a clear pool soon!

[labdi01]

Hi Marie - thanks again for sharing your experience/knowledge with me!

I took another sample to the pool store this am because my drop-kit is less than stellar (I ordered the Taylor kit this am).

He said all my chemicals were in check - pH was at 7.6, so I'll still get that down. My TA was 130 and my CL was 4 (he said that was a tiny-bit high and I forgot to ask for FC and CC). He advised no more CL (I remain confused about everything I read about shock levels to 15 and keeping it there...)

When you say staining are you referring to the water or to the liner. I have no liner/filter/ladder staining - just the water is brownish/yellow with maybe a teeny hint of green. It is clear - though there seems to be some 'interference' with the clarity, not sure if it's sediment or just the color - if any of that makes sense.

Pool-Store-Guy told me not to add more sequestrant, saying once metal reacted with the CL, the best way to get the color out is filtering using Sparkle Up - so I purchased a 10# bag of D.E. and put 1.5# through the skimmer and I'll monitor the pressure and backwash as needed.

Please advise if I should be doing something different.

[labdi01]

Correction: I put 3/4# of D.E. in - not 1.5#.

[labdi01]

I am now getting staining on the skimmer and light - and I forgot to mention that my metals level was at 0.5 this am as well. Presuming the bleach knocked metals out of suspension...

[aylad]

You need to stop listening to pool store guy. Marie is giving you solid advice, and can help you get it straightened out, but much of what she's going to advise you to do goes against standard pool-store advice. Remember, they're in the business to make money, and most of them don't own or maintain pools--they regurgitate what they've been told by the chemical reps. Marie knows her stuff!

One quick correction--in an earlier post she said to add baking soda if your pH goes down to 7.0 to raise it to 7.2--she meant Borax (which you caught already). Just wanted to eliminate any confusion. You don't want to add baking soda because it raises TA, and yours is already too high.

Janet

[labdi01]

I'm not doubting Marie at all. I was only relaying what I was told when I went to have my water tested. I was excited about the fact that I could actually swim in my pool based on chem levels - even though it doesn't look that great right now.

I was OK with getting the D.E. because I'd read several posts from other advisers in here that use it regularly with their sand filters and I wanted to try it.

I actually trust this pool guy - he doesn't try to push product on me. I know he actually owns a pool and his family owns the construction portion of this particular pool business. I just don't think he's as experienced with metals that the regular posters on this forum are. For example, he told me my pH was fine - and it is for a pool with no metals - but I'm still lowering it like Marie advised. I've done what Marie has instructed of me - and some of it matched what the pool guy told me to do (adding chlorine before color is gone, not adding more sequestrant, etc). I've even walked out of there without product - because he told me I didn't need anything.

My relaying what was said was in no way to contradict what anyone here has advised - I guess I wanted confirmation from the forum because I was happy about what I was told and maybe a part of me is 'testing' the pool guy - because it's always nice to hear that you haven't been bamboozled and there really are some honest people left in retail.

[CarlD]

OK,
Let's start again. Get us a full set of test numbers, including metal content. DO NOT ADD ANYTHING UNTIL THEN!

Your pool guy told you your FC was too high at 4ppm. In my judgement, that immediately disqualifies him to offer any advice. You cannot clear up a cloudy pool if you live by the rule that 3ppm is as high as you should go. 3-6ppm is normal FC for pool maintenance when your CYA (stabilizer) level is 30ppm.

You cannot pick and choose between contradicting advice. Either he's right or we are. You have to decide. MBar knows the metal problems better than anyone here with the possible exception of Chem_Geek or PoolDoc.

Tell the guy at the pool store you NOW need his help with the testing to monitor your water (after all you bought stuff from him--it's the least he can do) but don't buy ANYTHING ELSE until we see the results.

CarlD

[labdi01]

Hi Carl,

Thanks for you message.

Here are my numbers:

pH - 7.4
TA - 130
Cl - 4
FC - 4
CYA - 0
Iron - 0.5

I have had stabilizer in since last night when Marie advised I start the bleach - it's not completely dissolved yet (wondering if it takes a bit of time to register - ?). I haven't added anything else since last night (except D.E. in my sand filter).

The water looks a little darker brown to me and it remains pretty clear - but not sure if it looks darker because the sun is directly over the pool and out - and wasn't this am
(cloudy all am).

Thanks again to everyone for their time and help. I'm just new and anxious to swim.

[CarlD]

OK,
That's better.

I'm not the metal expert but I THINK an iron level of .5 isn't a problem. MBar knows better.

CYA takes DAYS to dissolve, and the older it is, the longer it takes! You may be a week before you get a good reading.

You STILL need to follow Mbar's advice and get your FC up to shock level (at least 10ppm) and keep it there to fight what you are growing. I would go as high as 15ppm because when your CYA begins to show, that will be the shock level. She said increase it slowly, and I would do so.

Please go back and re-read her post. I think it's still what you need with my few comments added.

Marie, if you could confirm my advice......Thanks!

[labdi01]

Thanks again, Carl!

Any advice on how much more bleach I should add today? I added 6 gallons yesterday, which brought me up to 4. (too fast? Not sure what 'slow' is and although anxious, I don't want to make things worse).