Shocked pool and it turned green/brown

Jump to latest Follow Reply
E

eddyspaghetti

0
Aug 8, 2016
7
Pittsburgh PA
I just recently set up a pool and didn't educate myself first on pool chemistry. I added shock to the pool thinking I'd be 'ahead' of the curve. Obviously I didn't need to do that. I have a floating tab dispenser. My pump is a Krystal Clear 635t that came with my 16' ultra frame intex pool. I let the filter run overnight and I woke up to a slightly less green pool. The filter is trashed (gonna get new ones today). I washed it off a bit and I'm letting it run all day as well. I have read that it is mostly due to metals in my water since its well water and my shock was a copper algecide. Is there anything I can do to quicken the process of clearing the water? I read on pool school that lowering the ph slightly can help but I dont wanna start adding anything right away. Also, i plan on getting metal sequestrate today too but i'm unsure if that works readily.

Kids haven't seen pool yet and don't want them to be underwhelmed by the green. Any help is appreciated.
 
Hello Eddy and welcome to TFP! :wave: You have a few challenges right now........ a relatively small Intex pump/filter and using the wrong products to clear the water. First thing we need is to confirm your water test results and how you are testing. If you don't have a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C then anything else being used is hurting you. You must have one of those recommended test kits. Don't assume it's metals in your water just yet. It may just be algae. Yes, algaecides don't help all that often and they can add copper, but we need to see all of your test results first to get a better idea. Make sure to remove any 3" chlorine tabs and use only regular liquid bleach to sanitize your water and maintain the proper FC level each day.

Let's focus on the testing and water results and we'll go from there. Nice to have you with us.
 
Welcome aboard....As Texas wrote, you need an accurate test kit to keep your pool clear and safe. Once you get that a lot of people here can help you get it crystal clear.
 
Okay. Well, the strips aren't much help, but seeing as how the water reacted so quickly to your addition of shock, it very-well could be metals. Especially if the green you see is more of a transparent/clear green and not the typical hazy/cloudy green that comes with algae. I guess one thing you'll need to ask yourself is if that suspected metals is only from the algaecide or if your local water source also has metals. If it was just the algaecide, then you might consider some water exchange to replace with non-metal water. But if your local water has metals (iron for example), it will always be a battle between chlorine and metal - finding that balance to maintain sanitation without changing green or brown like ice tea. It would also help us if you could later update your location to show the state, and if you are on a well, add that to your signature for future reference along with your equipment.

You can add your pool info to your signature by going to the top of the TFP web page (just under the Pool School button) and select "SETTINGS". On the next page look to the left for a menu bar that says, “MY SETTINGS” and go to "EDIT SIGNATURE" to enter your pool and equipment info there. Or you can click EDIT YOUR SIGNATURE. It will help us later. This link may also help you: Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post. Don’t forget to include your test kit in the signature. :)

Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
 
Ok i updated that info for you guys. It is a clear greenish/browning hue and it did change instantly after adding it. I have well water that is high in sulfur and iron. I did read the pool school. Is there anything to do to clear it up post haste? Going to order the TF test kits but they wont be here for a few days. The sequestrate i'm sure will help but does it help clear the existing hue up?
Like i posted originally, it has started to clear up but its going very slow.
 
As long as your water is algae-free, then there are a couple chemical things you can do ..... keep the FC on the low side for now (about 3-4 ppm) and also keep pH low (about 7.2 and no more than 7.4). You should be able to test those low levels with a simple HTH drop test kit from Wal-Mart until your good kit arrives. Don't add anymore algaecides. I suspect the water change is more due to the iron really. Yes, you'll want to use a sequestrant for continued use to help "bind/contain" that metal in the water. Your best and most reliable method of metals management is to add sequestrant to the water and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Sequestrant breaks down slowly, so you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find other brands with similar products, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.

Ordering the proper test kit is especially critical for you because you must avoid algae. If you get algae, you need to increase FC levels to kill the algae which then eliminates the sequestrant from the water and you have to start all over with the metals management. But for now just keep the FC and pH slightly lower as noted above and post a full set of results when you receive your test kit (TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C).

- - - Updated - - -

You might also try adding some paper towels and/or cotton material to the skimmer to try and catch as much of the metal as possible as it flows to your skimmer. Manual pre-filtering can be quite helpful.
 
It should help to reduce the tinted hue on the water as it binds the metal. Just follow the directions carefully. Sequestrants wear-off, so you'll need to add it periodically over time depending upon the changes in your water. Metals in water is very common in some parts, so if you do some searches on the forum you'll see many others who deal with the same situation everyday. Here's another example:
Sequestrant HEDP Photodegradation, Iron Copper Scale Removal
Bright green pool, metal?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thank you both! You guys are super helpful. Hoping my pool city has this chemical cause my walmart doesn't carry it.
Should I upgrade my filter pump to the 2500gph pump? (box actually reads 1900gph)
This is a temporary pool (maybe two years) until we put in a bigger one. Is it worth upgrading for now or just save my money for the good pool in a year or two?
 
If you're going to upgrade to a pool where you might use the larger pump/filter with it later, then you could do that now. But if you think your new pool might have a completely different pump/filter system later you might just wait. The filter won't have any bearing on the metals issues anyways. Use your current set-up as a learning tool before investing in the larger pool so you have time to work-out all the kinks in your water chemistry and stuff. :)
 
That could vary based on pool volume, amount of iron in the water, etc. Seeing improvement is definitely a good thing. At least you're moving in the right direction. Just make sure to watch your FC level based on your CYA to avoid algae and continue to keep the pH on the low side. When using sequestrants you don't want to have to elevated to a SLAM/Shock level or else it will consume the sequestrant. As we know, metals don't leave the water unless you change the water, so you'll have to continue to use a sequestrant periodically as much as needed to keep the metal contained.
 
I have high iron in my well water as well. Every year, we would spend the first few days waiting for the water to clear up while running the filter continuously and changing cartridges twice a day.
I found a U-Tube video of someone making a higher capacity filter out of a 5 gal bucket and some teddy bear stuffing.
I have used this 'red-neck' filter several years now on my smaller pools as well as with friends pools (all well water).
I have extra Intex pumps/filters from old pools that I ran one this bucket filter, in parallel with the main cartridge filter.
These smaller 3-5k gallon pools cleared up in a day or so.

This year I put in an 18'x54" pool (7k gallon) and have a sand filter which cleared it up after 2 days.
Now I have crystal clear water regardless of the FC level as the iron has been oxidized and filtered out (best I can tell).

I would suggest upgrading to a sand filter (I have the intex 3k size). This will help you out immensely.
If not, try the bucket method.
Here's a link How to get rust out of pool water - The easy way - No more brown water! - YouTube
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply