Algae or Metal

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twosocks90

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Jul 24, 2013
33
Blair, Nebraska
We have well water with iron in it. I'm having a tough time knowing whether I'm still fighting algae or if I have metal staining going on. I've been SLAMing, keeping FC > 14.

Current results:
FC 18
CC 2.0
CYA 35
TA 150
PH 7.2 when I started

I vac the bottom once a day and always get some brown, though I'm vacuuming blind and can't really see what's going on there. I sort of wonder if there's a hole in the liner in one certain spot that always seems to generate dirt.

Am I still fighting algae or could this be metal staining?
 

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With CC at 2, I'd say it's still algae.

Maybe you should recheck the CYA. Maybe the FC isn't high enough. It's a tough test. There's no shame in pouring the sample back into the mixing bottle and taking a dozen readings if necessary until you start to see the same number come up enough to notice.

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With CC at 2, I'd say it's still algae.

Maybe you should recheck the CYA. Maybe the FC isn't high enough. It's a tough test. There's no shame in pouring the sample back into the mixing bottle and taking a dozen readings if necessary until you start to see the same number come up enough to notice.

PS: that grit you find is probably iron precipitating out. Vacuum it up and flush it out and be rid of it! If the water is still greenish when the FC holds overnight and the CC is low and the water is otherwise crystal clear, then it's metals and a sequestrant with clear it up in very short order.
 
Well, things aren't working out so well. Last year I used Jack's Pink Stuff and had clear water. This year I tried Robelle Mineral Out and had no success. After dumping two bottles, I called Robelle and they suggested two more. That didn't help.

I ordered four bottles of Pink Stuff and put two in. No change, so per the label I added two more. I still have green water.

FC 4.0
CC 0.5
TA 50
CYA 50
PH 6.8

Here's a pic. Any suggestions?
rsz_img_5869.jpg
 

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I've been slamming. The water is less bright green, slightly more grey. Not much change in color but there definitely is a change.

I am concerned that the filter might not be working properly. I put two nylon knee-highs over the skimmer basket and that caught some fine debris. Since the nylon seemed to help, I added a piece of an old white T-shirt under the nylon in the skimmer basket. Within a couple hours, the shirt material was completely clogged with green slime and the pump was starving for water. I pulled the shirt out and just have the nylon in now.

Should I try something different to try to improve filtering, or am I on the right track? The pool has not been clear at all this year. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

PH is up to 7.2 now.
 
Are you backwashing when the pressure rises 25% above clean filter pressure?

Have you deep cleaned the filter: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/73192-Deep-Cleaning-a-Sand-Filter

Confirm the filter is working properly and then you could try adding DE: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/133-add-de-to-a-sand-filter

What size/pounds is the filter? Add info to sig :wink:

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ooh, wait. Your pool is still green :cry: Don't add DE yet.

What FC level are you maintaining?

Can you confirm the CYA level?

The best thing to do is keep SLAMing. :hammer: You are on the right road.
 
I have been keeping FC above 18. It's been getting a gallon of bleach every morning and evening.

Current results:
FC 18 (right before I added another gallon)
CC 0 (finally!)
CYA 50

The filter is 22" diameter and takes 150lbs of sand. I put new sand in this spring. I'm backwashing about every day.
 
Eventually I will be done with SLAM (hopefully!). Remember I already put in four of Robelle Mineral-Out and four Jack's Pink Stuff. I've had to add a couple inches of water twice to replace what's being lost to backwashing so there is un-sequestered water :) or whatever you want to call it in there.

Should I order more sequestrant now so I'm ready when the time comes?

I ordered refill chems for my test kit and will be able to post full test results tonight.
 
Success.

The water is clear. We can see the bottom! It still has enough dirt on it that even vacuuming like I was, blind, I missed a lot. Now that the bottom is visible, we'll just have to vac to waste a couple of times to get it cleaned up.

And... the water is barely tinted green any more! I guess the previous sequestrant wasn't wasted after all!
 
No, I haven't finished the SLAM yet. I was just pleased that we are making progress. There is still a bunch of dirt and debris in the bottom of the pool... we vac to waste until the water level is too low, add water and bleach, then let it settle overnight and do it again. Today might be the last day of that. Once we're done adding water daily, I'll try an OCLT and see where we stand.

I think all this started when we didn't cover the pool for the winter. There are no trees around but still a lot of dirt and debris made its way into the pool. I learned to turn the pump off overnight to let it all settle down, otherwise the water was just too stirred up to know what was going on.

Either way, it's getting there! Thanks for the help so far.
 

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