green pool

[poolhelp101]

i just opened. no chlorine, cya 40. the pool looks like a lake, very green.
i added bleach, do i add polyquat now too? thanks

[JohnT]

i just opened. no chlorine, cya 40. the pool looks like a lake, very green.
i added bleach, do i add polyquat now too? thanks

I wouldn't. Mostly an algae preventative and it can consume chlorine. Chlorine only until it's clean is what I would do. Check the level of chlorine at least three times a day.

[Ohm_Boy]

Might want to take a check of the PH and get it in range pretty quickly.

[poolhelp101]

the green is getting better but now i am noticing a brown ring in some areas of the pool. what can i do to fix that? thanks

[poolhelp101]

i just realized that the brown stains are on the liner floor also. how can i get that off? thanks

[poolhelp101]

i just realized what has caused this is the pool fill water. i use well water to fill with and i have just learned that the water used was from the facuet that is not on my water softener and iron has probably gone into the pool. should i start treating for metals now and try to get these stains off before they settle anymore? also i just added 2 gallons of bleach this morning, do i need to stop adding bleach and treat for the metals? i have been keeping the cl at 15 due to the alage problem. ph is around 7.6-7.8, cya is 50 and ta is 150. pool is still a little green too.

please advise as to how i am to proceed now...do i continue high levels of chlorine, do i treat for metals now, and if i do treat for metals now, do have to get the chlorine level lower before i do that and stop the bleach while treating for metals? please help. thank you.

[NWMNMom]

When we had high metal we treated for that while not letting the chlorine fall too far or we would be right back in the green again. I would treat for the metals as soon as you can - we use well water too so will treat for the metals immediately as we top off each year so that we can stay ahead of the chocolate brown we end up with if we don't. We have to get the chlorine level up there and keep it that way or the algae gets out of control - its a delicate balance!

[poolhelp101]

thank you for responding and i done as you instructed. but i need more help.
i had 2 quart bottles of bioguard brand pool magnet plus that is for metals and put it in the pool last night. i tried brushing this morning and some of the stains did appear to be coming off. however the label said to add 2 to 3 quarts depending on the severity of the stains. the stains are bad enough for 3 quarts and i feel i need to add the additional quart, my question is should i add the third quart now and if so does it need to be the same brand that i added last night or can i go to walmart and buy the metal out and put a quart of that in?

second question, i haven't added any bleach since midday yesterday, cl is 6.0 ph is between 6.8 and 7.2, ta is 150 cya 50 and i have a 21,000 gallon inground pool. the pool is a hint of green. the pool magnet plus said to not superchlorinate after adding this product for seven days. so since the pool is just a hint of green do i still continue with high levels of chlorine and is it okay to do that since i added the pool magnet plus or do i just need to now keep my chlorine levels at 6.0 now and just add bleach as needed and keep trying to brush off the stains? thank you so much for all your help!

[ChuckD]

I say to stop and just take a breath.

I have a 17x33 ig vinyl liner and when I need to, I add water from my highly ironized (ferric?) well water. And I've learned an important lesson about this that I think doesn't get enough 'airtime' on these forums.

What kind of filter do you have? You don't say and that's important information. Because if you have a DE, or sand filter, there's a good chance the iron will filter out. And right now I'm sensing a need to throw chemicals at this which may only compound your problem. My DE filter will filter it out. If you have a sand filter, you need to add a little DE to it to get the same benefits (see other posts on how this is done).

If you have a cartridge-type filter, this advice doesn't pertain (but I'd strongly suggest getting a sand or DE). Cartidges are second-best. In either case, know this:

One important lesson I learned about iron, is that adding a lot of chlorine to it, and a healthy dose of sunshine, will turn your water a beautiful pond green and you'll be thinking it's algae. There are other posts around here that actually document this in pictures, and let me say that I've seen it with my own eyes...a lot, in fact, until I understood what was happening. My pool used to have a couple small leaks. I'd return from being away and put the hose in before going to bed to add water. Next morning I'd add some Chlorine and pull back the solar blanket, and in ten minutes the pool would go from crystal clear to that stagnant pond yuck. TEN MINUTES! Kinda sucked when you only had the weekend to enjoy the pool before heading out again. But I also found that if I left the filter running, it'd be clear again in 24 hours.

So, now if I need to add water, I put the hose right into the skimmer so the water first passes through the DE. A lot of water added turns the DE reddish and a backwash is called for. No big deal. But the important concept here is that a DE based filter medium will filter it out.

Anyway, I suggest stopping any of the pool magnet plus, or algecides, or anything else for a day and just let it circulate.

Chuck

[huskerfan]

Your ph level is jumping from high to low - first of all get it adjusted between 7.2-7.6, preferably on a pool with iron problems on the lower end between 7.2-7.4.

I have to deal with iron every year in my pool when I fill, so I've got it down pretty good. You should have enough of the Bioguard pool magnet in your pool. That's the same kind I use and it works well. Do not add any more chlorine until you know you have the iron out of your pool. I actually let my pool filter for at least 2 days after using the pool magnet to let my filter do it's job. Then take a sample of your pool water to a pool store and have them test the iron level. When you know the iron is gone - then add chlorine slowly and get it back up to shock level until it clears up. I do treat with the poly 60 right away too, and use a maintenance dose every week just as a precaution. There's just a small percent of us who have to deal with iron in our water on this forum, and it does make you follow a little different game plan. Also - like said before, use some POP - Pool owner's patience. Been there, done that - just relax it'll all clear up.