Hi,
Have learned so much that we've done wrong on our swim spa water balancing act since finding this fantastic forum with great moderators.
We have a swim/spa that started out with great clear blue water. The swim spa had a few issues that needed the pool company to come out and troubleshoot. We live in the mountains and have our own well which we know to be high in iron. We have 2 faucets to use for outdoor water, and unfortunately the pool company chose the wrong faucet to add more water to the spa. We have a highly filtered water faucet we use for these type of things (carbon + something that removes iron?). Immediately we had brown water in the spa, and eventually because we didn't know the swim and spa were still connected with the valves, the pool water turned green the spa remained a light brown. We use Bromine in our swim spa and have an ozonator for sanitation.
We were told the water must have algae even though it immediately turned colors with the new water addition and within days of the new swim/spa. So we began shocking the water, addiing more Bromine and basically bumbling along because we were told adding any other chemicals would ruin the ozonator.
We bought a tester (no not the Taylor brand, the TruTest digital), and had a variety of readings. What we seemed to understand is that the ph had to be right to adequately use anything we added to the water, otherwise it was wasted treatments. Eventually after weeks we gave up and bought some algaecide, ph increaser, ph decrease and something for the alkalinity. With the ph in range (not that you'd believe it with the digital tester after reading the posts), when we added the algaecide, there was an immediate deposition of rust colored staining above the water line of the pool and spa, and then massive pouring out of the same colored slime like substance that floated on the water. I had the bright idea it was brown algae (made sense to me).
This process of good ph and algaecide actually cleared the spa to blue again, but not the pool, it seemed to get darker green, but clear except for every time we added something trying to correct the ph. I was nervous adding the algaecide, so the total amount was put in over time, and again, with every addition, the same result. Eventually the water turned cloudy and we finally just drained the swim portion. It was then we realized there was a connection to the spa water, because the spa water dropped with the pool water. So we closed off the valve. We cleaned the filter that also had rust colored staining, that mainly rinsed out, but left some behind.
So we refilled the pool, beautiful crystal clear with a tint of blue. And then we started correcting the ph again, and within minutes watched our beautiful light blue turn to light-medium green, Also the brown/rust colored gunk was back along the sides, and floating in the water in lesser quantities, but still there. Now we had another problem- FOAM we could have taken a bubble bath.
We still added algaecide thinking it must be algae from in the pipes. The spa stayed blue but also had the rust colored coating and slight slime.
Now the pool has tamed down to mainly blue, but there is a ring around the pool and swim spa.
Our ph and alkalinity tests have mainly been in range, slightly above and below the normal ph range, the chorine level is very high and coming down, which I attribute to Bromine reserve and bleach.
So after that long explanation.. is it iron, copper or ? on the edges, and floating when we turn the blower on. It's getting less and less, but still there. And what do we do to get rid of it?
We've been wiping, netting the foam with the brown tinge etc, but before I go into the spa or pool I'd like to know what's up. Now that the pool is blue again, very little foam if any. The spa still is quite foamy and is now approaching the right ph.
thanks in advance for your help.
Have learned so much that we've done wrong on our swim spa water balancing act since finding this fantastic forum with great moderators.
We have a swim/spa that started out with great clear blue water. The swim spa had a few issues that needed the pool company to come out and troubleshoot. We live in the mountains and have our own well which we know to be high in iron. We have 2 faucets to use for outdoor water, and unfortunately the pool company chose the wrong faucet to add more water to the spa. We have a highly filtered water faucet we use for these type of things (carbon + something that removes iron?). Immediately we had brown water in the spa, and eventually because we didn't know the swim and spa were still connected with the valves, the pool water turned green the spa remained a light brown. We use Bromine in our swim spa and have an ozonator for sanitation.
We were told the water must have algae even though it immediately turned colors with the new water addition and within days of the new swim/spa. So we began shocking the water, addiing more Bromine and basically bumbling along because we were told adding any other chemicals would ruin the ozonator.
We bought a tester (no not the Taylor brand, the TruTest digital), and had a variety of readings. What we seemed to understand is that the ph had to be right to adequately use anything we added to the water, otherwise it was wasted treatments. Eventually after weeks we gave up and bought some algaecide, ph increaser, ph decrease and something for the alkalinity. With the ph in range (not that you'd believe it with the digital tester after reading the posts), when we added the algaecide, there was an immediate deposition of rust colored staining above the water line of the pool and spa, and then massive pouring out of the same colored slime like substance that floated on the water. I had the bright idea it was brown algae (made sense to me).
This process of good ph and algaecide actually cleared the spa to blue again, but not the pool, it seemed to get darker green, but clear except for every time we added something trying to correct the ph. I was nervous adding the algaecide, so the total amount was put in over time, and again, with every addition, the same result. Eventually the water turned cloudy and we finally just drained the swim portion. It was then we realized there was a connection to the spa water, because the spa water dropped with the pool water. So we closed off the valve. We cleaned the filter that also had rust colored staining, that mainly rinsed out, but left some behind.
So we refilled the pool, beautiful crystal clear with a tint of blue. And then we started correcting the ph again, and within minutes watched our beautiful light blue turn to light-medium green, Also the brown/rust colored gunk was back along the sides, and floating in the water in lesser quantities, but still there. Now we had another problem- FOAM we could have taken a bubble bath.
We still added algaecide thinking it must be algae from in the pipes. The spa stayed blue but also had the rust colored coating and slight slime.
Now the pool has tamed down to mainly blue, but there is a ring around the pool and swim spa.
Our ph and alkalinity tests have mainly been in range, slightly above and below the normal ph range, the chorine level is very high and coming down, which I attribute to Bromine reserve and bleach.
So after that long explanation.. is it iron, copper or ? on the edges, and floating when we turn the blower on. It's getting less and less, but still there. And what do we do to get rid of it?
We've been wiping, netting the foam with the brown tinge etc, but before I go into the spa or pool I'd like to know what's up. Now that the pool is blue again, very little foam if any. The spa still is quite foamy and is now approaching the right ph.
thanks in advance for your help.
