First, I want to say how helpful this site has been! We just put up our 14'x42' pool this weekend and all of the info that I am reading on the HTH products is confusing! I know it's a small pool, but I really want to make it nice! I know of a couple of things I am doing wrong right off the bat... I am using test strips and I am using chlorine granuals. My water is green, but not from algae because it has been like that since fill up. The reading with no chemicals was: FC:0 pH:7.2 TA:180. We added the reccomended amount of chlorine last night and it made my FC go to maybe a 1 and my TA went down to 120 (probably from the pump?). My water color has not changed.
My questions are.... (I plan on doing the BBB method and getting a better testing kit)....
1. Should I add my stabalizer & conditioner?
2. I just added more chlorine, how long before I test again?
3. If anyone is experienced in well water, are there special challenges with it?
4. If I add liquid bleach per the pool calculator (which is awesome by the way) how long before my VER ANXIOUS KIDS can swim in it?

what-the-heck-happened-t47458.html will likely sound familiar... you'll need to buy some sequestrant.

Yes, you need to get some stabilizer in there, ASAP. Or the sun will degrade all your chlorine before it can do its job.

Your pH is in range, plenty of circulation and your high TA will raise that quick enough. So will kids splashing.

Pour the chlorine in front of a return so it mixes fast, a quick lap around the pool with the brush, and let the kids in.

Thanks! I ended up taking the filter out, that has only been in since last night and it was FULL and I mean full of orange (iron). I rinsed the filter and put it back in only because I didn't have a new one on hand. My FC is now up to a 2-3, I know you said to get a sequestrant, but will bleach work for now? Also, they say a safe level for entry is FC 1-4, is that the same when using liquid bleach?

A sequestrant and bleach are two very different products and used for very different things. Safe FC for swimming is entirely dependent upon your CYA level.

read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. Then read all you can in Pool School....there's a lot up there and you need to get some basics out of the way.

Ok I have alittle bigger pool but had the same problem. I'll share what we did!! I now have crystal clear water!! We let the chlorine get to zero. We then added HTH "metal control". They recommended 13 oz for our pool. Call them and they will tell you exactly how much to add. We then had to wait 3 days before adding any chemicals or chlorine. Before this, we tried many different products and nothing worked. Seriously, I went from iron to beautiful water in 3 days!! HTH was very helpful and I owe them!

Great! I just got some of that today! I did a shock tonight but will try that next! I finally was able to test my CYA level and it didn't even register, which is probably why I keep having to add bleach. My pH and alkaline have stayed balanced though! I also saw someone else did the paper towel method on the skimmer and I cannot believe the amount of iron that I get in a short amount of time and I have already seen improvement! I'm just glad to hear someone has used the product and it worked!!

I tried everything to get the iron out. After speaking with HTH they instructed me to not add it for at least 24 to 36 hours .... Cause I had chlorine and shock in my water. They said it would not work effectively with tons of chemicals. Following their recommendations an doing what they said 100% improved my water. It took time but was well worth it!!! We were to the point of draining our pool and having ALL new eater brought in!!

Okay, so I finally got a better kit... the one from Wal-Mart... all our budget will allow for right now. The first thing I checked was the CYA, and it didn't register. Next, I tested the CL & pH. CL:2 pH:7.5. I added bleach per reccomendation of pool calculator (16oz). The pool was used all day yesterday and in the evening the CL was zero. I added stabalizer and after that disolved I shocked using shock and swim (HTH) since I already bought it. I get up this AM and the reading is off the charts for CL... if you have used the HTH test kit, the color was almost orange and the test only goes to 5. pH was still normal, and CYA still isnt reading at all. I either didn't add enough stabalizer OR I have a faulty test. This kit only has enough to test CYA twice though and again, I really can't put more money into testing at the moment. Was I wrong to swith to HTH chemicals after using bleach for the last 2 days? How high do you think my chlorine levels are? Is there anything i can do right now, or just wait? The pool is getting clearer, but I keep rinsing the iron sludge off of my filter... haven't added my metal control yet. PLEASE HELP!!

We need to know how much of each thing you've added.

Don't test the CYA again for a week after adding it. Just assume it's in there and raise your FC levels accordingly.

I would stop adding chemicals. That's what HTH told me. Each different chemical will react different with the iron. They told me it doesn't matter what my chemical levels are at, until I get the iron problem under control it's a waste. As mentioned above I stopped ALL chemicals and followed the recommendations from HTH and my problem is solved. We stressed for weeks over the iron and and chemicals, but the metal control helped so much and it's been 5 days and no iron and ALL my chemicals are perfect!! I'm not kidding when I say HTH saved our pool. We swore we were done, we were sick of this. But now looking back I wish I would have called them and used their product to begin with!!

I added 7.5 oz of shock n swim last night at 8pm. 6 ounces of the stabalizer/conditioner... I wasn't really clear on how much to add because I was at 0. My initial tests this am were at about 8, no direct sunlight until about 10. I testsed an hour ago 12:30 and my FC dropped dramatically (5)since the sun has been on it. The kids are glad it's swimmable since it's 95 degrees out but I am wondering if that means I still dont have enough CYA since it went down so quickly.

StephS, I saw your comment too late last night and had already shocked it, but i am going to follow your reccomendation! I have the metal control ready to go once the FC goes down!! Thanks so much!

Okay, so I think that the iron is under control and I could see the bottom today! Yay! HOWEVER, I went from a FC of 4.5 to 0 today. i have no idea what my CYA level is because I don't have anymore tests, but it read 0 2 days ago. Should I just keep adding my bleach everyday per the calc or add more stabalizer?

Your local hardware store or pool/spa center will generally test your water for free. HTH has a great instant messaging thing on their website that I use often. I too have a well with a LOT of iron and extremely high alkalinity, so I know your struggle, and also know that this site & pool school helped me a lot! I started with the metal control, as my pool was yellow/orange when I first filled, then moved on to stabilizer and chlorine granules. I went from the funky color, to crystal clear in two days. I have been battling high alkalinity, and HTH told me to keep adding pH minus until it was in range, then worry about the pH, and that was a HUGE mistake. Now thanks to the help of this site, I am back on track and testing in range everyday! I am happy that I chose to use HTH products, their simple instant message service, and this site! I wish you luck, and hope you can enjoy a trouble free pool soon!!

Do i assume it's there if my test read zero?

If it reads zero after about a week then you have to assume it's not there. If it read zero the next day don't worry about that and go ahead and assume it's in there.

Okay! Thanks so much!

If you couldn't see the bottom before, that was not due to metals. Metals tint the water, but you can still see through it to the bottom.

I do know we have an iron problem because we are constantly rinsing it out of the filter... it is getting better and the water is ble, it's just not crystal.
My big issue right now is that I will put enough bleach to raise to a FC:10 (per the pool calculator), check in the morning at a level 6 and end the day at a zero. I know that I have been given the advice of waiting on CYA until its been a week, but I'm losing chlorone so fast. Is the iron interferring? My PH is still at a 7.5

My pool has officially been open for a month, I used metal control and the full test at the hardware store shows that I have no metals of any kind in my water, but I still have to rinse out my filter daily (sometimes twice daily) and it is always rust brown! No idea why, but since I have crystal clear water now, I'm not going to be concerned I guess! My CYA is within range (thanks to conditioner and stabilizer) but I still have to add chlorine everyday as the sun burns it all out. I don't know if that is similar to the problem your having or not? There are many awesome people on here that can help you more than me as I'm just learning myself, but just wanted to let you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel!