1. Cant Shock w/o getting Iron Stains & 2. Sodium Bicarb Making Water Milky

[kimray]

I would go a bit shy of a pound - like maybe 1/2 pound or so.
As 1# will add 26 ppm. It’s best to creep up on your target for cya so u don’t overshoot. A dab too much in a big pool doesn’t amount to much but in a little pool there’s a bigger effect.
Fc isn’t too high- that’s insurance.

well here comes the staining now that the chlorine is high... water is taking on that familiar greenish yellow hue that always turn to the orangey color and stains the liner.. skimmer already turning orange. i have had polyfill in the skimmer since i refilled and no staining there yet...
im truely over it..

 

[Bperry]

well here comes the staining now that the chlorine is high... water is taking on that familiar greenish yellow hue that always turn to the orangey color and stains the liner.. skimmer already turning orange. i have had polyfill in the skimmer since i refilled and no staining there yet...
im truely over it..

The polyfill won’t do anything until the water turns rusty. So wait until it gets dirty and keep changing it. That was why I was suggesting the filter earlier when filling.

 

[kimray]

The polyfill won’t do anything until the water turns rusty. So wait until it gets dirty and keep changing it. That was why I was suggesting the filter earlier when filling.

yea i should have listened
so what about AA and sequestrant? I was reading one of the articles on iron stains and sounds like I should do this? Then i guess sequestrant will be come a regulars part of my routine to keep in solution

 

[Bperry]

yea i should have listened
so what about AA and sequestrant? I was reading one of the articles on iron stains and sounds like I should do this? Then i guess sequestrant will be come a regulars part of my routine to keep in solution

If it were me, and the costs of maintaining the water were too steep for the moment, I think I’d drain it and wait for better times. If that’s not what you prefer, you need to filter the iron out of the water or you’ll just be dumping water and doing sequestering treatments for the rest of the pools life. Don’t spend any more money on that stuff and see how the polyfill works and keep adding chlorine to make sure it oxidizes the iron. It may help. You can also try filtering it out using a sump pump through a bucket of polyfill or with the special filter and just run the filtered water back into the pool. I suppose a third choice is to just live with the stains for a while until things improve financially.

 

[Britali]

You can’t swim in your pool with algae but you can use your pool while trying to get the metal stains out.

“Metals in the pool are not toxic and even very high levels in the pool are not a concern for swimmers. They also do little to interfere with water balance, although they are affected by it. The main problem is an aesthetic issue; metals and minerals can cloud the water or stain underwater surfaces.”

I am guessing you did all that hard work to enjoy it. Enjoy it while you try the poly fill suggestions mentioned (keep that FC nicely above minimum to avoid algae). I think you deserve a swim!

 

[Newdude]

You can’t swim in your pool with algae

Sure you can. Algae is unsightly but harmless. You do, however, need to be able to see the bottom in case a swimmer rescue is needed.

If algae can grow though, so can the harmful things. So you just have to ensure the FC is between min and SLAM to be sterile until you rid the algae.

 

[Britali]

Sure you can. Algae is unsightly but harmless. You do, however, need to be able to see the bottom in case a swimmer rescue is needed.

If algae can grow though, so can the harmful things. So you just have to ensure the FC is between min and SLAM to be sterile until you rid the algae.

I am definitely not an expert lol and definitely find algae too icky to swim in lol but would also have no clue if the algae was sterile hehe

While the common green algae can’t harm you, the bacteria feeding on the algae is harmful. When you expose yourself to algae that harbor bacteria, these infectious agents can cause rashes and breaks in the skin. The breaks can expose you to more severe infections.

 

[Bperry]

I am definitely not an expert lol and definitely find algae too icky to swim in lol but would also have no clue if the algae was sterile hehe

While the common green algae can’t harm you, the bacteria feeding on the algae is harmful. When you expose yourself to algae that harbor bacteria, these infectious agents can cause rashes and breaks in the skin. The breaks can expose you to more severe infections.

Thousands of people swim, waterski and just goof off in algae laden, dirty looking river water all summer long without issue. Some minor algae is harmless. While it’s possible that there could be some kind of bacteria that can be harmful, it’s more unlikely than likely. Also (in this case) the water is green/brown right now because of iron in the water, not algae.

 

[Britali]

Yeah she said she cleared the algae & was having iron stains…was just trying to let her know she can enjoy her pool while she tries to deal with the stains vs feel like she did all that work & still can’t use it.

 

[Newdude]

While the common green algae can’t harm you, the bacteria feeding on the algae is harmful

It's taken care of by getting the FC between Min and SLAM before the swim. Any of the common pool ickies are sanitized quickly.

Algae, unfortunately, does not go so quietly because of exponential growth.

 

[Mdragger88]

I know u shutter to see the water turn rusty but thats what u want so u can remove all the iron. Keep up the fc & Keep up the polyfill. Maybe rig up a bucket with it too connected to the return. Even a fine mesh bag or skimmer sock filled with polyfill would work if u can get it attached to the jet. After the iron in the water is gone & only stains remain then u work on stain removal.

 

[kimray]

I know u shutter to see the water turn rusty but thats what u want so u can remove all the iron. Keep up the fc & Keep up the polyfill. Maybe rig up a bucket with it too connected to the return. Even a fine mesh bag or skimmer sock filled with polyfill would work if u can get it attached to the jet. After the iron in the water is gone & only stains remain then u work on stain removal.

ok I will try that.. I know i should have listened to @Bperry about that dang water filter, but I didnt and Im as irritated at myself as anything.. filtering through the polyfill in a bucket seemed like a viable solution. I mean if it can filter the iron out now, surely it should have filtered it out going in right? i know i know.. in solution vs out of solution.. but at the time those $20s were adding up and at this point in the season the pool is taking less and less precedence. and PS for Bperry.. my water bill jumps to $100 every time i fill the pool and i JUST did that. not doing that again!! we have no credits here for that. I get charged full water and sewer.

so far I am seeing light staining appear on white areas (my skimmer is light orange again), but nothing on the polyfill.. i feel like if there is staining, i should see it on the poly

 

[Bperry]

ok I will try that.. I know i should have listened to @Bperry about that dang water filter, but I didnt and Im as irritated at myself as anything.. filtering through the polyfill in a bucket seemed like a viable solution. I mean if it can filter the iron out now, surely it should have filtered it out going in right? i know i know.. in solution vs out of solution.. but at the time those $20s were adding up and at this point in the season the pool is taking less and less precedence. and PS for Bperry.. my water bill jumps to $100 every time i fill the pool and i JUST did that. not doing that again!! we have no credits here for that. I get charged full water and sewer.

so far I am seeing light staining appear on white areas (my skimmer is light orange again), but nothing on the polyfill.. i feel like if there is staining, i should see it on the poly

Keep the chlorine up in range.

 

[kimray]

I know u shutter to see the water turn rusty but thats what u want so u can remove all the iron. Keep up the fc & Keep up the polyfill. Maybe rig up a bucket with it too connected to the return. Even a fine mesh bag or skimmer sock filled with polyfill would work if u can get it attached to the jet. After the iron in the water is gone & only stains remain then u work on stain removal.

on the FC levels.. I know pool math tells you how much to add when its low, but how do I figure out much to add daily to keep it there? do I do the drop test daily? This is the part that trips me up

 

[Mdragger88]

Raise fc to slam level for your cya & filter, filter, filter with polyfill. The more quickly u do this the less chance of staining u have. Don’t worry about the stains that happen- they can be fixed & won’t return if u remove the iron now.

 

[Mdragger88]

on the FC levels.. I know pool math tells you how much to add when its low, but how do I figure out much to add daily to keep it there? do I do the drop test daily? This is the part that trips me up

Yes, test daily & add what is necessary to get to your target. Poolmath is just a calculator- u have to provide the current data. Once u begin to “know your pool” & how much fc is lost daily u can just replenish that amount every day & test a little less frequently.

 

[kimray]

@Mdragger88 @Bperry @Newdude sure i forgot someone but you 3 I remember
hey guys! i havent been on in a long while.. personal stuff... but i wanted to let you know that i have still been implementing all the advice I have gotten here and other than tweaking my daily chlorine needs, my water has stayed crystal clear 100%!!! I mean there is still some light staining on the liner that I will get around to, but it isnt getting worse when I add chlorine anymore, presumably because i am adding the right amount and not overdosing
If only I had stumbled upon this site years ago... and yes, you were right... once I got the levels in check initially, it has been stupid easy to maintain.
I will be reading up on the proper method of closing the pool soon. Although I may just keep letting it run except with the leaf cover on it. havent gotten that far yet.
anyhoo!! love you guys and thank you so much for the patience and help!!!

 

[duraleigh]

I am not convinced you had any copper. Your description of "terra cotta orangey (copper)" is certainly not copper but rather iron.

If you can post a good set of test results (not from the pool store) we can help identify your problem and then work on eradicating it.

I really believe you are chasing the wrong culprit by thinking you had copper

Please read "Pool Care Basics" up in Pool School

 

[kimray]

I am not convinced you had any copper. Your description of "terra cotta orangey (copper)" is certainly not copper but rather iron.

If you can post a good set of test results (not from the pool store) we can help identify your problem and then work on eradicating it.

I really believe you are chasing the wrong culprit by thinking you had copper

Please read "Pool Care Basics" up in Pool School

yea i agree now too... i will at some point get some metal remover and sequestrant to remove what is here, but Im just glad it finally stopped... again, I assume its because im no longer having to add shock since im keeping it all in level.. I have the test kit now, but nothing to test for iron. honestly, if jacks magic removes the stains and the proper chemistry keeps it in solution, Im satisfied

 

[kimray]

yea i agree now too... i will at some point get some metal remover and sequestrant to remove what is here, but Im just glad it finally stopped... again, I assume its because im no longer having to add shock since im keeping it all in level.. I have the test kit now, but nothing to test for iron. honestly, if jacks magic removes the stains and the proper chemistry keeps it in solution, Im satisfied

or asorbic acid.. willing to learn to use that too