Hi. I just filled up our 15x48 pool yesterday, added shock and floated a clearer tab. This morning I tested it and the water is muddy looking and the PH and Alkalinity are high. We filled it from the well. What do I need to do now??? Thanks!
Well water in a new pool
- Thread starter shellnd
- Start date
This is what I do, but not what other's recommend as it can stain your pool, but I think as your metals are already out of solution it's a moot point:
Maintain shock levels of chlorine for 2 days whilst overfilling the pool and add Muriatic acid to get your pH to around 7.5 (Use The Pool Calculator to work out how much acid to add and read pool school). The water will stay brown; this is basically rust(s) of metals that were dissolved in the water and have been "oxidised" out by the chlorine. After maybe 48 hours, set up your vacuum/pool cleaner and check it's working fine, and then add flocculant to the pool (aluminium sulphate based). Let the flocculant circulate for an hour or so and then turn off the pump. Leave the pump off for at least 36 hours and watch as all the brown stuff first clumps together and then drops down to collect on the floor in huge "drifts". Once the water looks clear except for the rust on the bottom, set your filter to "waste", turn on the pumps and slowly and carefully (so as to not disturb the rust too much) suck out all the rust to waste. Don't waste any time as you need to preserve some extra water for your second (or even 3rd) session. Once you've done this once you'll probably have some rust still in the pool that was disturbed, so add another standard dose of flocculant, let circulate for an hour and then let settle again,to be cleaned out to waste again.
Once your water level gets down to it's normal level, stop the treatment as if you add too much water in one go again, you'll have to start again. You should now have "reasonably" clear water which will get clearer over the next couple of weeks. You can speed up this process by adding "D.E." to your filter as a quick search will teach you to do.
Maintain shock levels of chlorine for 2 days whilst overfilling the pool and add Muriatic acid to get your pH to around 7.5 (Use The Pool Calculator to work out how much acid to add and read pool school). The water will stay brown; this is basically rust(s) of metals that were dissolved in the water and have been "oxidised" out by the chlorine. After maybe 48 hours, set up your vacuum/pool cleaner and check it's working fine, and then add flocculant to the pool (aluminium sulphate based). Let the flocculant circulate for an hour or so and then turn off the pump. Leave the pump off for at least 36 hours and watch as all the brown stuff first clumps together and then drops down to collect on the floor in huge "drifts". Once the water looks clear except for the rust on the bottom, set your filter to "waste", turn on the pumps and slowly and carefully (so as to not disturb the rust too much) suck out all the rust to waste. Don't waste any time as you need to preserve some extra water for your second (or even 3rd) session. Once you've done this once you'll probably have some rust still in the pool that was disturbed, so add another standard dose of flocculant, let circulate for an hour and then let settle again,to be cleaned out to waste again.
Once your water level gets down to it's normal level, stop the treatment as if you add too much water in one go again, you'll have to start again. You should now have "reasonably" clear water which will get clearer over the next couple of weeks. You can speed up this process by adding "D.E." to your filter as a quick search will teach you to do.
Welcome to TFP!
It would be a big help if you could post a full set of water test results. Once you do that we can give you much more specific advice.
I suspect that the "muddy" water is from iron in the water, as solarboy does. The other approach to dealing with metals in the water is to use sequestrant, which is noticeably more expensive and much less work.
It would be a big help if you could post a full set of water test results. Once you do that we can give you much more specific advice.
I suspect that the "muddy" water is from iron in the water, as solarboy does. The other approach to dealing with metals in the water is to use sequestrant, which is noticeably more expensive and much less work.
I have test strips, all the others were on the higher end of the normal zone... JasonLion, can you give me more detail? Thanks too Solarboy!
I went to the pool store & was pointed in the right direction! Will post again if I need more help. Thanks!
Help!!! The stuff you told me to add (which was the same that pool store told me), didnt work on clearing the minerals out.... Now what!?
First, we need to make sure it's metals and not something else.
Start by posting your pool and equipment info. Putting it in your sig is a good idea.
Then post a set of test results and how you go them.
Then tell us what you've added to the water. Be specific with the ingredients and/or brand names.
Then tell us what the water looks like now.
Start by posting your pool and equipment info. Putting it in your sig is a good idea.
Then post a set of test results and how you go them.
Then tell us what you've added to the water. Be specific with the ingredients and/or brand names.
Then tell us what the water looks like now.