Green clear water.

[Derb22]

Been here a while. Follow TFP. SPARKLING CLEAR water until yesterday when I opened the pool.
first. I am out of 871 and had to order. The water temp is 70.
salt was low. now in range 3500
free chlorine was low. Barely made pink but without 871 couldn’t count drops.
cya was almost non existent.
ph was a little high. Now 7.8.
I assumed algae,
proactively added 4 gallons of liquid Chlorine
now 870 turns deep red ( can’t measure exact.). I know……
I turned off the pump…. My water is crystal clear to the bottom drains but has a green tint to it.
is it metal in the water? cleaned paper filter yesterday. Pump ran all night with. SWG on super chlorine setting.
algae and keep slamming or metals in the water and what?
never dealt with metals. City water.
I also added 4 Lbs stabilizer today with the 4 gallons but haven’t measured yet to see results.

 

[mknauss]

Best to stop and wait until you can test your water chemistry.

Green and clear typically means copper. Have you used copper containing products in the pool recently?

 

[Derb22]

 

[Derb22]

Best to stop and wait until you can test your water chemistry.

Green and clear typically means copper. Have you used copper containing products in the pool recently?

I only use SWG and TFP method. Liquid stabilizer.
I’ve been doing the pool myself for 4 years. I dI’d have a 5 gallon bucket of pucks that I occasionally throw in just to use them but only when my stabilizer was reading low.

 

[Derb22]

Before 4 years no telling what was in pool.
I switched to the SWG. Been spot on ever since. Opened pool about a month and a half later than normal. So I assumed with 70 degree water and no chlorine it was algae. However now with pump off I can see clear details in the deep end of the pool. How do you get rid of copper?

 

[mknauss]

How do you get rid of copper?

Drain and refill.

Let's hope it goes away when you get the chemistry balanced.

 

[Derb22]

How does copper suddenly appear if nothing has been added to the water in the last 4 years?
of course no one in Atlanta area has 871 right now

 

[mknauss]

It is just a possibility. Not for sure.

Order from TFTestkits.net. Should get it pretty quickly.

 

[Derb22]

It is just a possibility. Not for sure.

Order from TFTestkits.net. Should get it pretty quickly.

I did. It’s where I get everything from if I have enough time.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Leslie's can test for metals.

 

[Derb22]

5:45 pm. Proactively, until tomorrow when I receive the 871, I am going to continue to Slam the pool with liquid chlorine. What’s the harm? Initial add was a Guestimate with pool math app.
I added an initial 4 gallons and have added 2 more over the last couple of hours. CA reading 30ish 3 hours after adding 4lbs of dry stabilizer this afternoon. ( it didn’t read on the test tube at 30, I could still clearly see the dot. so I added the 4 Lbs). I will add one more gallon of chlorine tonight before bed. Then tomorrow start again and get the 871 to see where I am. Tomorrow night I will do the overnight test. I have a feeling this isn’t algae and didn’t need a slam. I have been doing this pool the TFP way for 4 years. Nothing but clear water until this opening. No other chemicals Other than I occasionally throw in pucks if CA is low only to finish the previous owners 5 gallon bucket. The only change this year to the previous 4 is I waited an extra 1 1/2 months to open this spring and the water was 70 and with all the winter rain the salt content was too low to generate chlorine. There was also a bit more sediment / dirt in the bottom that had gotten through or under the cover than previous years. I added the necessary salt and immediately started the SWG at 100%. started the robot and switched out the bag filter every hour. After about 4 cycles the bottom is clear and clean of almost all dirt. This was all yesterday. I thought perhaps I was on the front end of algae.
I have brushed walls but at no time was it ever slimy. The one add is I have a heater plumbed into the system that has not worked since we moved in, the water just flows through.
At present the water is clear enough to easily see the deep end drains.
I am beginning to wonder about metals I never knew I had.

 

[Texas Splash]

As Marty noted above, I wouldn't try to do too much without being able to accurately test the water. Adding stabilizer only requires you to have a higher SLAM FC level (if it is algae), and an elevated FC level will aggravate metals if that's what it is. Try to be patient and wait for the reagents to arrive. No waste, no guessing. When you get the reagents, you can run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to see if algae is the issue. If it is metals, well, we'll go over your options again at that time. Hang in there.

 

[Derb22]

As Marty noted above, I wouldn't try to do too much without being able to accurately test the water. Adding stabilizer only requires you to have a higher SLAM FC level (if it is algae), and an elevated FC level will aggravate metals if that's what it is. Try to be patient and wait for the reagents to arrive. No waste, no guessing. When you get the reagents, you can run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to see if algae is the issue. If it is metals, well, we'll go over your options again at that time. Hang in there.

Yeah. I’m impatient, I admit it. I added the stabilizer simply because I was obviously near zero. I understand it takes higher fc slam levels.
just frustrated that after year 4 something weird and new popping up.
the only test I can’t do is the FC accurately. I have all other regeants. (Yeah it’s important I know).

 

[Bperry]

It’s only been a day since you opened right? Any algae that started because your FC was so low and is growing enough to actually makes the water green will take more than a few days to clear up. I’d not jump to conclusions and just keep slamming until the test reagent arrives. More likely than not it’s algae.

 

[mknauss]

The one add is I have a heater plumbed into the system that has not worked since we moved in, the water just flows through.

That is copper. Low pH can put that copper in the water. Any periods of low pH? When you use the pucks, how do you add them to the system?

 

[Derb22]

That is copper. Low pH can put that copper in the water. Any periods of low pH? When you use the pucks, how do you add them to the system?

I have a floating duck but sometimes drop them in the skimmers. Ph was over 8 when I tested yesterday first time. It always creeps up since the SWG conversion.

 

[mknauss]

but sometimes drop them in the skimmers

Depending on how often, that can erode the copper from the heater core.

 

[Derb22]

I also keep TA LOW around 50 for that reason. It was 50 yesterday. Ch was 200

 

[Derb22]

Depending on how often, that can erode the copper from the heater core.

In 4 years maybe a 1-2 times a year. I did drop them in the skimmers when I closed the pool each year.

 

[Derb22]

Pool was built 2002. The heater is a raypak. Probably that old. I have thought about replacing but here in GA. not much need. Let me add. Since I started doing this the TFP way you can hardly tell there was water in the pool when it was calm and still. So this is very different. Also my kids are giving me heck about not being able to swim today. Ha.