More Iron Trouble - Please Advise

[vexter0944]

OK - I've done the Ascorbic Acid treatment 2x's already this year - and it works well in regards to removing the iron. 1 time I let the algae get the better of me and it was a mess - but with everyone's advice - I worked through it and have been doing fine overall now for a couple of weeks(thanks for the help!).

I've been SLOWLY raising my FC (even checking right after the AA treatment as often as every 2 hours for a couple of days..) - and I've never been over a FC of 6 with a CYA of 40 to 50. My PH seems to be hovering around 7.5 on the average. I check FC and ph daily in the morning before work and when I get home form work. I'm struggling to keep FC above a 3 if I'm lucky it seems and we're not even into summer yet!.

This morning - I get up and the iron has come out again ...arggghh. Now I'm back to square 1 again. You can see it covering the stairs and some of the vinyl. I even had put more sequester in on Sunday night (4 oz of the Natural Chemistry metal stuff).

I am so puzzled as to why it came back out. I mean - admittedly I added 1 gallon of bleach last night before bed - but the FC was down enough that it called for that much. Am I doing something wrong?

Can I win this? If this is not winnable - I need to know. I'm a perfectionist - if I 'know' the pool should be a deep blue with no iron stain - it will eat me up knowing it's there if I leave it, even though it's not harming me, the equipment etc - it's the fact that it's there (no I'm not OCD - I just believe in doing things the right way or don't do it at all kind of thing..).

Thanks for any help/advice as usual!

 

[Richard320]

If the iron is precipitating out, vacuum it up then backwash it away and get rid of it.

Others have had good success in the past by layering paper towels in the skimmer basket or using polyester pillow stuffing/quilt batting. Here's one thread I have bookmarked.

A Tale of Two Filters... and Ugly, Rusty Water.

 

[vexter0944]

Will it just vacuum off or am I going to have to AA treat it again? I can't tell form looking this morning before work if it was wipe-awaya-able or if it would involve more AA treatment. Thoughts? And Thanks for the thread links and thoughts!

If the iron is precipitating out, vacuum it up then backwash it away and get rid of it.

Others have had good success in the past by layering paper towels in the skimmer basket or using polyester pillow stuffing/quilt batting. Here's one thread I have bookmarked.

A Tale of Two Filters... and Ugly, Rusty Water.

 

[Richard320]

If it's clouding up when you brush, it's precipitate and can be vacuumed. If the water is tinted yellow or orange (may look green against the blue water) it's also precipitate and the paper towels should catch a bunch.

 

[vexter0944]

Thanks Richard320 - your advice is well received. I'll check as soon as I get home form work today if it reacts like you described and report back. I'm hoping to see it brush off etc - I sure don't want to AA treat again...ugh.

If it's clouding up when you brush, it's precipitate and can be vacuumed. If the water is tinted yellow or orange (may look green against the blue water) it's also precipitate and the paper towels should catch a bunch.

 

[pabeader]

What richard says is true if the iron is participating out.( forming flakes and making the water brown or yellow) Unfortunately, I believe you are describing the case where the iron is staining the pool material. The AA is pulling it off the pool and back into the water. At that point, when the sides are white and the water blue, the only option that I know of right now is to sequester and keep FC as low as safe for your CYA level. You will have to reapply the sequester at regular intervals since the chlorine breaks it down and then the iron will restain the pool surface.

 

[vexter0944]

pabeader - I agree with you - I could see it on the stairs and walls this morning while doing my morning checks. The pool is no longer a deep blue like it was - and I could see spots in the pool where it wasn't discolored which is what tipped me off to it (other than the stairs which are a dead giveaway I've noticed..). So are you suggesting another AA and sequester then? I'm assuming so....

I guess I'll just have to keep the FC down - and looks like I need to sequester VERY often - can someone suggest how often I should be adding sequester? I was planning on once a week - which I did this Sunday, but as you can tell - that didn't play out. The sad part is - I barely hit the 6 FC mark (maybe had it at a 6 for 1 day or less) and am barely able to keep it above a 3 on the average - but those levels aren't safe for a 50 CYA if I'm correct....so not sure how to keep FC level down enough to keep the iron sequestered.

EDIT: Noted that a 4 FC is minimum...so I should be able to keep that I guess to keep the iron sequestered....

Thanks for the reply and help!

What richard says is true if the iron is participating out.( forming flakes and making the water brown or yellow) Unfortunately, I believe you are describing the case where the iron is staining the pool material. The AA is pulling it off the pool and back into the water. At that point, when the sides are white and the water blue, the only option that I know of right now is to sequester and keep FC as low as safe for your CYA level. You will have to reapply the sequester at regular intervals since the chlorine breaks it down and then the iron will restain the pool surface.