Please critique my iron staining plan of attack

[Momma4]

I haven't used this much bleach since I was a teenager in the 80s and my friends and I bleached our jeans

 

[markayash]

I haven't used this much bleach since I was a teenager in the 80s and my friends and I bleached our jeans

Now you can take torn jeans out and instead of using them for grease rags sell them for $200

 

[Momma4]

afternoon update -- i feel like the water is clearing -- I can see Tank (our robot cleaner) when he's at the bottom of the pool now. Here's hoping for an FC that held during the day and a lower CC number when the Assistant to the CPA tests tonight.

I am an actual licensed CPA in real life, so no legal worries about calling myself the Chief Pool Administrator

 

[markayash]

afternoon update -- i feel like the water is clearing -- I can see Tank (our robot cleaner) when he's at the bottom of the pool now. Here's hoping for an FC that held during the day and a lower CC number when the Assistant to the CPA tests tonight.

I am an actual licensed CPA in real life, so no legal worries about calling myself the Chief Pool Administrator

Do you have an excel spreadsheet to track your chemicals ?
My wife is also a CPA and probably would

 

[Momma4]

Do you have an excel spreadsheet to track your chemicals ?
My wife is also a CPA and probably would

ummmmmmm.......mayyyyybeeeeeee

 

[Momma4]

I feel like there may be a disproportionate amount of engineers and accountants on this forum.

 

[markayash]

I feel like there may be a disproportionate amount of engineers and accountants on this forum.

Yes!! We all tend to over think things
I used the example of salt, most vendors seem to say between 3000 and 4500 but we measure and tweak it

 

[Kenai]

Be sure to take end caps off the ladder if possible....ours allows water (and algae!) to flow freely inside the poles. We found nasty stuff in ours when we first bought the house.

 

[Momma4]

Evening test
FC 4.5
CC 3.5
pH 7.1
CYA 80

saw some staining tonight so added another 16 oz of purple stuff

Polyfil is in the skimmers, but haven’t really seen any staining on it

 

[Momma4]

well, this is no bueno.

Morning report:

pool is cloudier than yesterday
FC 1.5
CC 6.5
pH 7.2

So, I'm guessing that the sequestrant I added last night (16 oz. purple stuff) is causing the drop in FC and the rise in CC and the cloudiness? It didn't really get rid of the staining, but there's no further staining.

I do realize that I'm flying blind about the algae since I didn't have a TFP to start with.

I'm gonna head to WalMart and get some more bleach to add.

Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

I'm afraid a SLAM Process may be in your future. For today, I would take the FC up to about 7 and keep it in that range all day. Do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test starting this evening before bed, but I suspect it may fail tomorrow morning only confirming the requirement to SLAM.

 

[Momma4]

Will do. I think you’re right.

Im adding 2 jugs (162 oz) of this stuff. I should read this as 7.13% bleach in pool math?

I will test after adding, but I don't think that will get me up to 7, so we'll go on another WalMart run to get some more.

 

[markayash]

Does your Walmart have the pool essentials liquid chlorine? Its 12% and usually in the pool section.

 

[Momma4]

Does your Walmart have the pool essentials liquid chlorine? Its 12% and usually in the pool section.

Normally they do, but they were out.

 

[Momma4]

I’m certain that I need to SLAM.
FC 2.0
CC 6.5
pH 7.1

I fell asleep last night before I could do the OCLT, but if my SWG is on 90% and I start the day with only 2ppm chlorine, then something is wrong.
Plus the staining is coming back. So, I’m thinking even after I slam, I clearly have a very stubborn iron staining problem that is currently taking 1 qt/week of purple stuff.


I’m thinking about doing a partial drain of the pool (it’s so sad, that seems like giving up) to try and get rid of at least some of this iron.
The poly fill is in the skimmer, but I really haven’t seen any staining there.

I’m also not certain that it’s not our fill water that isn’t causing the iron stains. We have lived in this house for 3 years, and this is the first year that we’ve struggled with the staining. So I don’t think it is, but I’m not sure.

so, my new plan of attack is to drain the pool to 12” at the shallow end, refill, SLAM, then probably do the AA treatment again.

texassplash and Mark and others — I appreciate SO much your help, thank you! Any further words of wisdom will be appreciated.

 

[markayash]

I’m certain that I need to SLAM.
FC 2.0
CC 6.5
pH 7.1

I fell asleep last night before I could do the OCLT, but if my SWG is on 90% and I start the day with only 2ppm chlorine, then something is wrong.
Plus the staining is coming back. So, I’m thinking even after I slam, I clearly have a very stubborn iron staining problem that is currently taking 1 qt/week of purple stuff.


I’m thinking about doing a partial drain of the pool (it’s so sad, that seems like giving up) to try and get rid of at least some of this iron.
The poly fill is in the skimmer, but I really haven’t seen any staining there.

I’m also not certain that it’s not our fill water that isn’t causing the iron stains. We have lived in this house for 3 years, and this is the first year that we’ve struggled with the staining. So I don’t think it is, but I’m not sure.

so, my new plan of attack is to drain the pool to 12” at the shallow end, refill, SLAM, then probably do the AA treatment again.

texassplash and Mark and others — I appreciate SO much your help, thank you! Any further words of wisdom will be appreciated.

What county are you in? I started having iron issues 2 years ago and thought it was off the new stone coping but maybe not.

How much AA did you use? I went to kill mode and use 10pds and got 90% of mine up.
May do another one in the spring before the water get hot

 

[Texas Splash]

Sorry to hear the staining has returned. The CC level has really grown quite high and is alarming as well. I think a healthy water exchange is a good idea. Hopefully the new water will be iron-free or have much less of it. You might still run the hose through a container with polyfill just in case.

But if you are going to do a water exchange, do that first before the SLAM. Then with new water, you can do the SLAM to address any potential residual algae that was in the pool and hopefully that won't take long. Then if you need to do another AA treatment, you know the water will be algae-free and you can use everything you learned from the first AA for this one. Or, if the staining isn't to terribly bad, you can always wait until the water gets cold again to do the next AA treatment. So you have options.

 

[Momma4]

@markayash -- I'm actually in Fayette -- I just use the Atlanta, GA location because I don't want to be too specific on the internet. I've asked on my local Facebook town page if anyone else has iron staining issues.

Oh wow, 10 lbs? I used 3 lbs of AA, and that got all of the staining up, it's just that it keeps coming back. I've added 2.5 qts of purple stuff at the initial treatment, and then three days later added another 1/2 qt, and then if I wasn't about to SLAM, then I'd add another 1/2 qt today. I read on another post here how someone had to do 8 qts of purple stuff, so maybe mine isn't so bad, it just feels that way.

Just talked to the husband about it, and he votes to drain the pool after the season is over. So, I'm headed for a SLAM today. We've had the ladder out of the pool to get it good and clean, but if I'm going to SLAM, then I'm gonna put that sucker back in so that all the nooks and crannies get clean for sure.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[Texas Splash]

Kim, since you are going to do a SLAM Process, remember that's the perfect time to try and filter iron. You probably weren't seeing much iron lately because your FC level has been so low. The elevated SLAM FC level should pull iron out of a water solution and make it easier to capture, so take full advantage of polyfill filtration if you can. Good luck!

From brown to 😍😍. Thank you polyfil!

We filled our pool from our well. We knew the risks and knew we would have a battle when the water was 12" deep as it looked green from the metals. Our fears were confirmed when we added chlorine and the water turned brown almost immediately. Enter 5 gallon polyfil filter. It worked...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Momma4]

will do!!

I'll let you know of the progress. I may be able to convince husband that a partial drain is better now anyway.

Which would you do? partial drain now, SLAM, and then AA if needed or SLAM then AA and then see how it goes?